A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 71, verses 14 to 24, bring me up again from the depths of the earth

 

Psalm 71:14 ¶  But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. 15  My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. 16  I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 17  O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18  Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. 19  Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! 20  Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21  Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. 22  I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. 23  My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. 24  My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

 

The Psalmist is going to hold onto God and not let go. Jeremiah will say;

 

Lamentations 3:26  It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

 

Verse 8 and verse 24 reflect the sentiment of verse 15. Please read Psalm 145, as well. His praise will be continuous all day long.

 

Psalm 145:2  Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

 

Again, he brings up his age as he did in verse 9 showing that this Psalm was written in his old age.

 

See God’s promise in Isaiah and read the context, if you will.

 

Isaiah 46:4  And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

 

Although I know that when my time is up it is up I often pray that I be permitted to complete the entire Bible and even to revise comments I’ve already made. So, David prays not to be taken until his work is done.

 

Then, in verse 19, he expresses awe at God’s majesty and power. See how God confirms that fact.

 

Isaiah 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

Job 5:9  Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

 

Psalm 89:6  For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?

 

Exodus 15:11  Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

 

Isaiah 40:18 ¶  To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

 

Then, in verse 20, David speaks of the resurrection which is a great saying.

 

Job 14:14  If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

 

Job 19:25  For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

 

Let me repeat what David says;

 

Psalm 71:20  Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

 

Isaiah speaks of a resurrection.

Isaiah 26:19  Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Daniel speaks of a resurrection.

Daniel 12:2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Hosea speaks of a resurrection.

Hosea 13:14  I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Martha declared it;

John 11:24  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

And Jesus makes it clear that the God’s dead have not ceased to exist and the following passage makes it plain that the Jews knew of the resurrection, although some did not believe, as it is today.

Matthew 22:23 ¶  The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24  Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25  Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 26  Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27  And last of all the woman died also. 28  Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29  Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31  But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32  I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

David expects the relief and deliverance that only God can provide and he promises to praise God continually again. This truly is a Psalm of heartfelt praise from an old person.

 

(By the way, a psaltery is said to be a stringed instrument like a zither whose strings are plucked.)

 

So, this Psalm, written by an old man whose earthly glory has faded, is a prayer for deliverance from enemies who wish to do him harm, taking advantage of his infirmities, a confirmation that the Psalmist has faith in God’s deliverance, and a promise to praise God continually. Perhaps when we are close to death we might pray that we exit this world with the praise of God on our lips or in our thoughts, if too weak to speak.