Psalm 71

October 26, 2015

Praise God (Ps 71:22-71:24)

“I will also praise you with the harp,

For your faithfulness,

O my God!

I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel!

My lips will shout for joy,

When I sing praises to you.

My soul also will shout for joy.

You have rescued my soul.

All day long,

My tongue will talk of your righteous help.

Those who tried to do me harm

Have been put to shame.

They have been disgraced.”

This long psalm ends with the usual cry of praising God. This psalmist, like the Davidic psalms, talks about playing the harp and the lyre.   He was going to sing praises about the faithfulness of God, the holy one of Israel. His lips would shout for joy because his soul had been rescued. All day long, he would talk about the righteous help of God. He had to add the zinger that those who tried to do him harm were put to shame and disgraced.

October 26, 2015

God will help me in my troubles (Ps 71:19-71:21)

“O God!

You have done great things!

Who is like you?

You have made me

See many troubles!

You have made me

See many calamities!

You will revive me again!

From the depths of the earth

You will bring me up again!

You will increase my honor!

You will comfort me once again!”

God has done great things. There is no one like God. He led the psalmist into many troubles and calamities, but he always revived him. He brought him back from the depths of the earth. God will do so again. God will increase his honor. He will comfort him as he had done in the past.

October 25, 2015

The old man remembers God (Ps 71:17-71:19)

“O God!

From my youth

You have taught me!

I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs.

O God!

Do not forsake me!

I proclaim your might

To all the generations to come.

O God!

Your power,

Your righteousness,

Reach the high heavens!”

This old psalmist reminds God that from his youth he had proclaimed the wondrous deeds of God even up to his present old age. Despite his grey hairs, he does not want God to leave him. This old psalmist will continue to proclaim the might of God for generations to come. The power and righteousness of God reaches to the high heavens.

October 25, 2015

God be near to me (Ps 71:12-71:16)

“O God!

Do not be far from me!

O my God!

Make haste to help me!

Let my accusers be put to shame!

Let them be consumed!

Let those who seek to hurt me

Be covered with scorn and disgrace!

But I will hope continually!

I will praise you,

Yet more and more!

My mouth will tell

Of your righteous acts!

My mouth will tell

Of your deeds of salvation,

All day long,

Even though their number is past my knowledge.

I will come praising

The mighty deeds of Yahweh.

I will praise your righteousness,

Yours alone.”

Once again, this aging psalmist wanted God to be close to him. He wanted it to happen quickly. The theme of bringing the pursuers to shame came out again. There is an idea of a curse to those who were wicked. He wanted his accusers put to shame and consumed. Anyone who tried to hurt him, he wanted them covered with scorn and disgrace. However, he was going to still hope and praise Yahweh more and more. All day long he would tell people about Yahweh and his marvelous deeds that were too numerable to mention. He was going to praise the righteous God, Yahweh alone.

October 25, 2015

The old man’s prayer (Ps 71:7-71:11)

“I have been as a portent to many.

You are my strong refuge.

My mouth is filled

With your praise.

My mouth is filled

With your glory all the day.

Do not cast me off

In the time of old age.

Do not forsake me

When my strength is spent.

My enemies speak concerning me.

Those who watch for my life

Consult together.

They say.

‘God has forsaken him.

Pursue and seize that person.

There is no one to deliver him.’”

This psalmist was like a threat to many, but God was his strong refuge. All day long he was filled with praise and glory to God. He did not want God to cast him aside in his old age. His strength was decreasing. People were out to get him. They said that God had forsaken him. Thus they wanted to pursue him and take hold of him. This old man asked for God’s help.

October 25, 2015

Rescue me from the wicked (Ps 71:4-71:6)

“Rescue me!

O my God!

From the hand of the wicked!

Rescue me!

From the grasp of the unjust!

Rescue me!

From the cruel man!

Yahweh!

You are my hope!

You are my trust!

From my youth!

Yahweh!

I have leaned upon you from my birth.

You took me

From my mother’s womb.

My praise is continually of you.”

Another common theme is the rescue from the hands of the wicked. This psalmist is no exception. He wants to be rescued and saved from the wicked, the unjust, and the cruel ones. This psalmist has hoped and trusted in Yahweh from the day of his birth to the present time. All his life he has continually praised God.

October 25, 2015

Yahweh is my rock (Ps 71:1-71:3)

“In you I take refuge!

Yahweh!

Let me never be put to shame!

In your righteousness,

Deliver me!

Rescue me!

Incline your ear to me!

Save me!

Be to me a rock of refuge!

Be to me a strong fortress!

Save me!

You are my rock!

You are my fortress!”

Psalm 71 has no introduction or titles. This psalmist seems to be an old worshiper who wants help against his enemies, an old man’s prayer. Many of the themes of his lamentation with God as the rock and the fortress can be found in Psalm 31 also. The psalmist did not want to be put to shame. He wanted to be rescued and delivered. He wanted God to listen to him since Yahweh was his refuge, his fortress, and his rock. He wanted to be saved.