John Calvin Commentary Psalms 42:3

"My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?" — Psalms 42:3 (ASV)

My tears have been my bread. Here the Psalmist mentions another sharp, piercing shaft with which the wicked and malevolent grievously wounded his heart. There can be no doubt that Satan used such means as these to fan the flame that consumed him with grief. “What,” we may suppose that adversary to say, “would you have?

Do you not see that God has cast you off? For certainly He desires to be worshipped in the tabernacle, to which you now have no opportunity of access, and from which you are, as it were, banished.” These were violent assaults, and enough to have overturned the faith of this holy man, unless supported by the power of the Spirit in a more than ordinary degree, he had made strong and vigorous resistance.

It is evident that his feelings had been really and strongly affected. We may often be agitated, yet not to such an extent as to abstain from eating and drinking.

But when a man voluntarily abstains from food and indulges so much in weeping that he daily neglects his ordinary meals and is continually overwhelmed by sorrow, it is obvious that he is troubled to no light degree, but that he is wounded severely, even to the heart.

Now, David says that he did not experience greater relief in anything whatever than from weeping. Therefore, he gave himself up to it, just as men take pleasure and enjoyment in eating. And this, he says, had been the case every day, and not only for a short time.

Let us, therefore, whenever the ungodly triumph over us in our miseries and spitefully taunt us that God is against us, never forget that it is Satan who moves them to speak in this manner, in order to overthrow our faith.

And therefore, it is not time for us to take our ease or to yield to indifference when a war so dangerous is waged against us.

There is still another reason which ought to inspire us with such feelings, and it is this: that the name of God is held up to scorn by the ungodly, for they cannot scoff at our faith without greatly reproaching Him. If, then, we are not altogether insensible, we must in such circumstances be affected with the deepest sorrow.