Synopsis

A recurring motif in King David’s psalms is the imagery of the desert, employed both symbolically and as a direct reflection of the time he spent fleeing for his life in the wilderness. During those periods of exile, God's promises to him remained unfulfilled, and he endured not only the physical hardship of a desolate landscape but also the emotional aridity of despair. Yet it was precisely then that David’s devotion to God deepened. He wrote of gazing upon God in His sanctuary amidst that dry