A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 71, verses 1 to 13, In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust

 

Psalm 71:1 ¶  In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. 2  Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. 3  Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. 4  Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5  For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. 6  By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. 7  I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. 8  Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. 9  Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. 10  For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, 11  Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. 12  O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. 13  Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

 

 

The Psalmist declares that his trust is in God.

 

Psalm 25:2  O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

 

Isaiah 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

He prays for deliverance and salvation from a threat, making the case that he should be delivered because of the righteousness of God.

 

Psalm 31:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

 

Psalm 143:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David.» Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness…11  Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

 

He wants God to be his fortress, a castle that he can retreat into for safety.

 

Psalm 31:2  Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 3  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

 

He specifically refers to the unrighteous and cruel who threaten his life.

 

Psalm 17:8 ¶  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, 9  From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

 

Psalm 59:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.» Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. 2  Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

 

Psalm 140:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; 2  Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. 3  They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah. 4  Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.

 

Again, he appeals to God as his hope, in whom he trusts in whom he has trusted since his youth, even perhaps since he was delivered in childbirth by his own mother.

 

Psalm 13:5  But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

 

Psalm 71:17  O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

 

Psalm 22:9  But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. 10  I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

 

Again, he reinforces that God is his safe place.

 

Psalm 62:7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

 

Psalm 142:4 ¶  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul…5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

 

Jeremiah 16:19a  O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction,

 

The Psalmist’s mouth will be filled with praise, a sentiment he will reinforce in the next passage. He pleads that God will not discard him in the weakness of old age, again reinforced in the next passage. His enemies are united in the desire to take advantage of his weakness.

 

Psalm 56:6  They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

   

They believe God has abandoned him.

 

Psalm 3:2  Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

 

But he pleads with God to hurry his salvation.

 

Psalm 22:11 ¶  Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help…19  But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

 

Psalm 35:22  This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.

 

Psalm 38:21  Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. 22  Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

 

Psalm 69:18  Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

 

Psalm 70:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.» Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.

 

He wants God’s vengeance on his persecutors which he will repeat in the next passage.

 

Psalm 6:10  Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

 

Psalm 35:4  Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt…26  Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.

 

Psalm 40:14  Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. 15  Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

 

Jeremiah 20:11  But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

 

I can see Christ in this with certain limitations as He forgave His persecutors as He exclaimed from the Cross that they didn’t know what they were doing. I can see us in this passage although we are called to pray for our persecutors, not for their destruction. We can see parallels and applications from this passage but they will twist our doctrine if we don’t apply them to David himself first and foremost and understand that all comparisons break down at some point.