One way that preachers can move from the Old Testament to its application for hearers today is by tracing a biblical-theological theme.1 As we read the psalms, we find the motif of panting or thirsting, which is part of a larger theme of longing for God. This article will first explore the motif of panting and thirsting in five psalms, and then trace the theme of longing through to the New Testament.

Longing in the Psalms

In these well-known verses we find the vivid image of a parched deer panting for streams of water. Literally, panting means breathing with short, quick breaths. Metaphorically, it symbolizes a longing for something. The image of panting is closely tied to the image of thirsting, another metaphor for yearning for or desiring something. The psalmist longs for God, he yearns to be in God’s presence.

The psalmist’s feeling of estrangement from God is most likely because he is outside the land of Israel. Ps. 42:5 mentions his location as “the land of the Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” This region is probably the origin of the Jordan River. The place is far north, beyond the border of Israel. He is thus far removed from the temple in Jerusalem, the place where he can meet with God and worship him. This does not escape the notice of his enemies, who taunt him by saying, “Where is your God?” (42:3, 10). Yet when we examine Ps. 42, there is no mention of a specific sin that leads the psalmist to feel that God is distant. Unlike Ps. 51, there is no specific transgression that has caused a loss of fellowship between the psalmist and God. He feels spiritually dry because he is unable to experience God’s presence at the temple.

The motif of panting is found in another psalm.

Here the psalmist again longs for God, but this time he also craves God’s commandments (verse 131). In the next verse his supplication is that God would turn to him and be gracious to him again. In this way these verses are similar to previous psalms; there is a hint that the psalmist is estranged from God. For the psalmists, not only is God’s presence and communion with God essential, so too is God’s word.

Thirst as a metaphor for longing after God is found elsewhere in the Psalter. Ps. 63:1 is particularly striking:

The superscript of Ps. 63 attributes it to David, “when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” For David, this dry and desolate place was a reflection of life without fellowship with God. His physical thirst is accompanied by a spiritual thirst for God.

In Ps.143 David again ‘thirsts’ for God. Again he feels abandoned by God, this time because he is being pursued by his enemies (v. 3, 9, 12). In response David says

If God does not assuage his thirst by responding to his cries, then David feels that his life will end. Again, God’s presence or word is necessary for David’s survival. Although the psalms we have considered so far contain a hint of uncertainty of God fulfilling the psalmists’ longing, in the final psalm we will look at we find more certainty of God’s response. Ps. 107 describes Israel wandering in “desert wastes,” hungry and thirsty, as their “souls fainted within them” (v.4-5). In their distress, “the redeemed of the LORD” cried out to God and he delivered them. Then we find the affirmation, “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (v. 9). The post-exilic location of this psalm (verse 3) allows the psalmist to look back on Israel’s history and see that despite all the trouble and turmoil they experienced, in the end God’s people can be confident that he will fulfill their deepest needs and longings. At times Israel would forsake God, the fountain of living water, and seek satisfaction from “broken cisterns that hold no water” (Jer 2:13-14). Yet the psalmist maintains that God alone satisfies the panting, thirsting soul.

Longing in the New Testament

As we trace the theme of longing from the Psalms through to the New Testament, we find continuity, discontinuity, as well as escalation.2 Just like the psalmist in Ps. 42, Jesus also endured insults from his enemies. Taking on the burden of the sins of the whole world, he also felt the agony of separation from God (cf. Isa. 59:2), as he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34; cf. Ps. 22:1). Similar to the panting and thirsting we found in the psalms, Jesus also thirsted as he hung on the cross (John 19:28; cf. Ps. 22:15), before he breathed his last (Luke 23:46).

The affirmation we seek in Ps 107:9 finds fulfilment and escalation after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He said,

The Holy Spirit was given after his resurrection, and is described as the Helper who will be with Christians forever. He dwells with believers and is in them (John 14:16-17). In other words, unlike the psalmists, those who have the Holy Spirit do not have to worry any more about being separated from God for he dwells in them forever. Fellowship with God will be never-ending.

In short, it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit that Christians can have their longing for God fully satisfied. That is not to say that Christians will not feel spiritually dry at times. The core thirst is satisfied, but a believer’s thirst will not be fully satisfied until Jesus returns (e.g., Rev. 7:14-16).

Unfortunately, for those who do not believe in Jesus, their spiritual longing is never quenched. Jesus told a parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man died, and in Hades he desired for someone to “dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16:24). The torment of this man highlights the work of Christ in place of those who thirst. Jesus thirsted and died to save those who believe from eternal thirst. The invitation remains open to all who are aware of their spiritual panting and thirsting: “And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Rev. 22:17; cf. Isa. 55:1).

Notes

1. See Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 222-24.

2. For a discussion of continuity and discontinuity, see David L. Baker, Two Testaments, One Bible: The Theological Relationship between the Old and New Testaments (3rd ed.; Nottingham: Apollos, 2010), 219-36. In relation to escalation, Jesus is the Messiah “who surpasses expectations, completely renews the religion of Israel and inaugurates the new aeon”; Baker, Two Testaments, 275.

About the author

Peter Lau wrote 2 articles for this publication.

Dr. Peter H.W. Lau is a trained medical practitioner who holds an MDiv from Sydney Missionary and Bible College and a PhD from the University of Sydney. He has been lecturing at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia since 2010. He has also taught at Sydney Missionary Bible College and the University of Sydney. He has written books on the Book of Ruth, Ezekiel and Psalms, as well as articles and chapters in books.

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