Psalm 69 comments

 

Psalm 69:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David.» 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.

 

This is a Psalm, a prayer for deliverance in one of the times that David was in great peril. We can imagine King Saul pursuing him or even his son Absalom’s rebellion. This is a cry of desperation and despair, of someone who knows their only hope is in God.

 

It is also a prophecy of Christ. See how verse 4 is referred to in John 15:25.

 

John 15:25  But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

 

For verse 8 consider this;

 

John 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

 

John 7:5  For neither did his brethren believe in him.

 

And see how verse 9 is used in John 2:17.

 

John 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

 

Christ’s ordeal by His rejection by His Jewish brethren and His betrayal by them is evident in this passage. But, of course, verses like 5 bring us back to the context of David himself.

 

I would also refer this passage to our own predicament if we are being accused of something in our innocence. A claim made against you by someone can often have no way of being refuted as just an accusation carries enough weight to drag you down and even if a person who accuses you announces they were wrong or lied you have still been accused and that is what most people will remember. In times where a Christian is assaulted and has no defensible means of support against an accusation they can only trust in God to straighten it out. This part of the Psalm lays out the plea and the distress.

 

Psalm 69:13 ¶  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.

 

David prayed regularly and was disciplined about it.

 

Psalm 55:17  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

 

He pleads with God to deliver him from the mire like quicksand in which he is held fast, as we can experience. Think about this for verse 14;

 

Psalm 40:2  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

 

Imagine Jeremiah thrown into the pit in Jeremiah, chapter 38.

 

For verse 15 I am reminded of Jonah in chapter 2 of that book.

 

The sentiment in verse 16 is expressed elsewhere in Psalms.

 

Psalm 36:7  How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

 

Psalm 63:3 ¶  Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

 

Psalm 109:21 ¶  But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

 

Can you hear yourself praying this? You need help, deliverance, and yet there is no one to help you. You call unto God for mercy and for the help only He can provide.

 

Also, do you see how this references Christ’s suffering.

 

Matthew 27:34  They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

 

We can see the torment of Christ’s sufferings in this passage although we must always remember where such typology breaks down, as I’ve noted before. We can also easily see our own torment. If you have ever stood alone accused and with no one willing to help you, you can understand how this passage can apply to you. Every alcoholic and drug addict and any Christian addicted to anything knows what it means to stand alone and plead to God for mercy and help from the situation in which they are sinking.

 

Psalm 69:22 ¶  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.

 

Paul refers to the first verse in this passage.

 

Romans 11:9  And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

 

That which should have been for the benefit of David’s enemies, he prays that it go against them. By Paul’s allusion to the verse we see that trap is a recompence by word substitution as I have previously explained. The Holy Spirit uses this method in quoting Old Testament verses in the New to show us the intent of the passage.

 

Paul follows on with an allusion or free reference to the next verse.

 

Romans 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

 

See how the Holy Spirit directs us through fluid meanings as a contrast with bow down their back always and make their loins continually to shake.

 

For verse 24 see a similar sentiment in Psalms.

 

Psalms 79:6 ¶  Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

 

Verse 25 can be also applied to Judas, the betrayer of Christ.

 

Acts 1:20  For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

 

From verse 26 we can see a reference to the Messiah, the torment of the Lord Jesus Christ. For 27 note this verse in a future Psalm

 

Psalms 81:12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

I should think that prophetically the book of the living and the book of life are synonymous in a clear double-reference to the end times with the immediate context being David wanting his enemies to die. In Revelation 3:5 Christ promises not to blot a person’s name out of the Book of Life. All human beings’ names are in the book when their soul was created but based on God’s foreknowledge and if we reject Him our name is removed.

Exodus 32:32  Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Philippians 4:3  And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Revelation 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Revelation 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works…15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

When we are saved we are said to be sealed and the Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit, earnest money, so to speak.

2Corinthians 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

So, it is consistent to believe that God’s Book of Life contains all our names and when we die physically the name is either left there or taken out based on what we have done regarding Christ…

Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

If that is not the case then your salvation is not sure, that is, if you can have your name put in and then taken out.

For verse 29 consider;

 

 Psalms 40:17  But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

 

Psalms 109:22  For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

 

Remember for us what we are told in the New Testament.

¹ Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: ⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Psalm 69:30 ¶  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 every thing 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.

 

Psalm 28:7  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

 

We should all have this praise that David speaks of and be thankful always.

 

1Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

God is more pleased with a thankful heart than he is with animal sacrifices. In fact, every thing that flows from a thankful heart is more pleasing to God.

 

Micah 6:6 ¶  Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7  Will the LORD be

pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 

The humble, the meek, and the lowly will rejoice as those who submit to His will.

 

Psalm 25:9  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

 

Being humble here is linked to poverty but we can also interpret it as being humble toward God.

 

1Peter 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

 

Every created thing praises God.

 

 

Psalm 96:11  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

 

Psalm 98:7  Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 8  Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

 

Psalm 148:1 ¶  Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2  Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 3  Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. 6  He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. 7 ¶  Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8  Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 9  Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 10  Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 11  Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: 12  Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: 13  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. 14  He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

 

Psalm 150:6  Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

 

A promise is made to bless the people of Israel. This can clearly be a prophecy of His millennial reign over the world from Jerusalem as well.

 

Psalm 102:16  When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. 17  He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. 18  This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

 

Psalm 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

 

David’s prayer for deliverance from his enemies also appears to be fraught with prophetic references that perhaps David knew nothing about. The Holy Spirit guides the writers even when they are unwitting secretaries.