PM July 27th Psalm 69

July 27^th Psalm 69

A Psalm of David

A Distress call

1: Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. 2: I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 3: I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. 4: They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. 5: O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. 6: Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. 7: Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. 8: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children. 9: For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. 10: When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. 11: I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them. 12: They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards. 13: But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. 14: Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 15: Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. 16: Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. 17: And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily. 18: Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies. 19: Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee. 20: Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. 21: They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 22: Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 23: Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. 24: Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. 25: Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. 26: For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. 27: Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. 28: Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. 29: But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high. 30: I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31: This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. 32: The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. 33: For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. 34: Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein. 35: For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. 36: The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

To the chief musician

Psalm 70

A Psalm of David to bring to remembrance

A Prayer for deliverance

1: Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD. 2: Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. 3: Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha. 4: Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. 5: But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

Today we are reading two more Psalms of David No. 69 & 70. In Psalm 69 we have a song of David that was sung in tears. It was wrung from his heart. David says, save me O God because I am drowning. I am sinking in the quick sand where there is no solid place for the sole of my feet. I am like a man overwhelmed by a Tsunami. And Lord I am tired of weeping, my throat is dry and my eyes have no more tears while I wait on you to hear me. All those who hate me are more in number than the hairs of my head. And they all want to destroy me even though I have never done anything against them. They are strong and I have even restored things that I never stole from them. Then David says, you know O Lord the times when I have been foolish and the sin I have committed are not hidden from your sight. So Lord I wait for you to help me. Do not deliver me just for my sake but do it for your glory. I have borne reproach for your sake and I have been shamed because I have stood up for you. I have become a stranger to my brothers. My zeal for your house has consumed me and reproach has come upon me for it. I have wept and fasted and worn sackcloth and I have become a proverb to them. I have become the object of derision to the magistrates and the drunkards sing about me. But I will carry on praying to you, so in the breadth of your mercy hear my prayer and deliver me out of the mire. Do not let me sink out of sight. Deliver me from those that hate me and lift me up out of the deep waters. Do not let the floods drown me, Do not let the grave swallow me whole. Hear me Lord because your loving kindness is always good and have mercy on me because of your tender love for me. Do not hide your face from me – your servant, because I am in trouble – come quickly. Come near to me and pay my price and save me from my enemies. David says, you know all that I have suffered for your sake. It has all broken my heart and I am depressed. I looked for someone to have pity on me but I could find none. I looked for someone to give me encouragement but found no one. David describes his experience of persecution in such graphic terms that even today our heart goes out to him. This Psalm describes not only David’s struggle but it also describes David’s greater son who was forsaken of all men, even his disciples fled in the time of his greatest need. David says they gave me gall for meat and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. When we read these words, immediately we are standing at the foot of the cross. David says may their food become a snare to them and the things that give them health may they become a trap. May they be blinded and may they have great fear come upon them. Pour out your wrath on them O Lord. He says, May their houses stand empty and may their tents never hear the sound of children, because they persecute the one that you have disciplined and they grieve the one that you have wounded. Bring sin upon them even more and may they never become the righteous. May their names be blotted out of the register of those who are alive. And may they never be numbered among the righteous. Lord I am poor and full of sorrow – deliver me and set me on high. Then I will praise your name in song and will increase the focus of men with my thanksgivings. This will please you more that a sacrifice of an Ox. The humble will see my thanksgiving and rejoice with me. You hear the poor so that heaven and earth praise your name and the fish of the oceans. Because you will deliver Zion and you will build the cities of Judah again so your people may live there and have them as a permanent possession. The children of your servants will inherit them and those that love your name will live there. In Psalm 70 we have just a short psalm of remembrance. David brings a similar theme to the previous psalm. He says, come quickly O God and save me - come quickly O LORD. He calls on the Lord to confound and bring shame on those who seek to murder him. Let them be defeated and scattered that want to hurt me. And may those who mock me be turned away in their shame. But let all those who seek your face rejoice and be glad in you and may they always say may the Lord be increased in the eyes of men. But Lord, says David, I am poor and in great need, come quickly to help me. O God you are my only help and my only Saviour don’t delay in coming to save me.

• How does David call upon the Lord in his distress?
• How does he pray for judgment on his enemies?
• In what way is God Saviour?