By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Psalm
70-71
Psalm
71:13-14
But
I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
(NKJV)
Adversities in life occur
to both Christians and non-Christians, so one may ask why one would become a Christian
by accepting God’s gift of salvation. Jesus answers this question in both John
10:10 and John
16:33. In John
10:10, Jesus reminds us that we have an enemy with the purpose of stealing,
killing, and destroying us, with Him coming to bring abundant life. In John
16:33, Jesus tells us we will have trouble but reminds us he overcame the
world. Jesus is our source of salvation and relief in this world, and why one can
have hope and an advantage in this world.
Psalm
70 is a psalm of David and a prayer for relief from adversaries. David
begins his prayer with a plea for God to make haste in providing deliverance
and help (Psalm
70:1). He then asks that those seeking his life be ashamed and confounded with
those desiring to hurt him turned back and confused (Psalm
70:2). He wants those who say “Aha, aha,” an expression of scorn, turned
back because of their shame (Psalm
70:3). However, David wants those who seek the Lord to rejoice and be glad,
with those loving His salvation continually magnifying the Lord (Psalm
70:4). David then admits to being poor and needy, once again asking God to
make haste and not to delay because the Lord God is his help and deliverer (Psalm
70:5).
The author of Psalm
71 is unknown and is a psalm praising God as the rock of salvation. The
psalmist acknowledges his trust in the Lord, asking that he never be put to
shame (Psalm
71:1). He then asks the Lord to deliver him in His righteousness and cause
him to escape, asking that the Lord incline His ear to hear and save him (Psalm
71:2). He asks the Lord to be his strong refuge to which he can resort to,
knowing the Lord has given the commandment to save him and is his rock and fortress
(Psalm
71:3).
The psalmist continues by
asking God to deliver him from the hand of wicked, unrighteous, and cruel men,
because the Lord has been his hope since his youth (Psalm
71:4-5). The Lord has upheld him since his birth, with the Lord bringing
him from the womb, and his praise continually to the Lord (Psalm
71:6). The psalmist has become a wonder to many, but it is the Lord that is
his strong refuge, wanting his mouth filled with praise to the Lord and to be
filled with His glory all day (Psalm
71:7-8). He then asks for the Lord not to cast him off in his old age nor
forsake him when his strength fails (Psalm
71:9). He knows that if God were to forsake him, his enemies would speak
against him and conspire to take his life, believing God has forsaken him with
none to deliver him (Psalm
71:10-11). The psalmist asks God not to be far from him, making haste to
help him, with those seeking his life confounded and consumed, covered with
reproach and dishonor (Psalm
71:12-13).
The psalmist will hope
continually in the Lord and praise Him more and more (Psalm
71:14). The psalmist’s mouth shall tell of the Lord’s righteousness and
salvation all day, for he does not know their limits, and will continue in the
strength of the Lord God, making mention of only His righteousness (Psalm
71:15-16). God has taught him from his youth, with him declaring His wondrous
works, with him asking God not to forsake him when old, so he can declare the
Lord’s strength to the next generation (Psalm
71:17-18).
The Lord has done great
things with no god like Him with His righteousness very high (Psalm
71:19). The Lord, who has shown the psalmist great and severe troubles,
will revive him and bring him up from the depths of the earth, increasing his
greatness and providing comfort on every side (Psalm
71:20-21). The psalmist will praise the Lord and His faithfulness with the
lute and sing to Him with the harp as the Holy One of Israel (Psalm
71:22). The psalmist’s lips will sing unto the Lord, along with his soul
which the Lord has redeemed (Psalm
71:23). The psalm concludes with the psalmist speaking of the Lord’s
righteousness all day long because those seeking to harm him are confounded and
brought to shame (Psalm
71:24).
In Psalm
70, David asks the Lord for relief from his adversaries. It begins with
David asking the Lord to make haste in delivering and helping him from his
adversaries, asking the Lord to make them confounded and confused (Psalm
70:2). David contrasts this desire with that of the people of God experiencing
gladness and rejoicing.
The author of Psalm
71 is not listed and praises God, the Rock of Salvation. It begins with the
psalmist declaring his trust in the Lord, seeking deliverance and escape to God
as a strong refuge (Psalm
71:1-3). He then tells the Lord his reason for seeking deliverance because some
seek his harm. Interestingly, he asks for the Lord not to forsake him in his
old age until he can declare the Lord’s strength to the next generation (Psalm
71:18). The psalm concludes with the psalmist declaring his intention to
praise the Lord and his faithfulness with the lute and sing with the harp to
the Holy One of Israel (Psalm
71:22). This unknown psalmist understands the source of salvation from his
troubles.
These two psalms teach us
important lessons as we continue to live for Christ in an evil, fallen, and
chaotic world. Psalm
70 is a prayer by David for relief from adversity. Adversities are a part
of life for everyone, but Christians have an advantage for they have a
relationship with the one who overcame the world (John
16:33). Jesus also reminded his disciples that the thief, Satan, comes to
steal, kill, and destroy with Him coming to provide abundant life (John
10:10). This abundant life is not a life free from trouble, but a life
having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Psalm
71 is similar, praising God as the rock of salvation. When Jesus asked
Peter to say who He was, he replied with “You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.” Jesus responded by telling Peter that on that rock He would build
His church. With this declaration, Jesus is setting Himself up as the rock of
our salvation, something Hell cannot stop (Matthew
16:15-19). The psalmist did not have the benefit of Jesus dying for his
sins and becoming the rock of his salvation, but we can look back at the Lord’s
finished work on the cross. However, both of us must accept the Lord as the
rock of our salvation through faith since neither of us has seen Jesus
face-to-face.
If you are reading this
and have never prayed to accept God’s gift of salvation, making Jesus your rock
of salvation, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned
(Romans
3:23)
and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23).
I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent three days in the grave,
and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.
If you meant what you
just prayed, know God has forgiven all your sins and that you now have a
relationship with God and are a child of God (Romans
8:16). Like any relationship, it grows as we get to know each other. While
God already knows all about us, we must study the Bible, the word of God, to
learn more about Him. If you just prayed, I encourage you to find a Church that
teaches the truth of the Bible so you can learn more about the Lord. May God
convict, challenge, and bless everyone reading this post.
