In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
The psalm was composed by David in the wilderness of Paran after Samuel died, while Saul was occupied with mourning for him. David had withdrawn to that region to seek greater security, because Samuel's death broke the restraint upon Saul and left David feeling less secure. His distress was his condition in those desolate wilds, with the prophet dead and the king his enemy, when he cried to the Lord.
The psalm belongs among the songs the people sang on their journeys to the national altar for the annual feasts. Those journey songs made worship a regular part of the pilgrimage. Sung on the way, they deepened Israel's interest in the sanctuary, renewed their zeal for Jehovah, and turned the nation from idolatry.
The psalm was composed by David in the wilderness of Paran after Samuel died, while Saul was occupied with mourning for him. David had withdrawn to that region to seek greater security, because Samuel's death broke the restraint upon Saul and left David feeling less secure. His distress was his condition in those desolate wilds, with the prophet dead and the king his enemy, when he cried to the Lord.
The psalm belongs among the songs the people sang on their journeys to the national altar for the annual feasts. Those journey songs made worship a regular part of the pilgrimage. Sung on the way, they deepened Israel's interest in the sanctuary, renewed their zeal for Jehovah, and turned the nation from idolatry.