My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. It is not a mere dead idol I thirst for, but the God who has life in Himself, and imparts life to His people (Psalms 42:8), "the God of my life."
When shall I come. To be separated from such a God, even for a time, seems the height of misery. Oh when shall this terrible separation come to an end?
And appear before God? - namely, in His sanctuary (cf. Psalms 42:4; Psalms 43:3-4); literally, 'appear before the faces of God:' the regular phrase (Exodus 23:15; Exodus 23:17; Exodus 34:24; Deuteronomy 31:11). There is included in this the idea of restoration to God's favour, from the manifestation of which he had been excluded during his exile. Compare Psalms 41:12, "Thou ... settest me before thy face for ever;" Genesis 4:14; Genesis 4:16, "Cain went out from the presence of the Lord" (perhaps the cherubim at the east of Eden, the symbol of God's presence).