PSALMS LESSON 70
We will begin this lesson by giving chapter 70 in metre to show
how easily it could be sung.
THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE
Chapter 70
Verse 1 "Make haste, O God, me to preserve; With speed, Lord, help
thou me. And let all those who seek my soul Shamed and
confounded be."
Verse 2 "Turned back be they, and put to shame, That in my hurt
delight. Turned back be they, Ha, ha! that say, Their
shaming to requite."
Verse 3 "Let all who seek thy face be glad, And ever joyful be: Let
them who thy salvation love Say still, The Lord praise ye."
Verse 4 "But I both poor and needy am; Come, Lord, and make no stay;
My help thou, and deliv'rer art; O Lord, make no delay.
We will begin the verse by verse study of chapter 70 of Psalms.
Psalms 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."
We see David in a state of urgency with his prayer. Many times,
we feel that God has not heard our prayer, because we are not
immediately answered.
Psalms 70:2 "Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after
my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that
desire my hurt."
David is asking the Lord to make the people, who are trying to
destroy him, ashamed. This is as if David is saying, I can't show
them, but you show them for me. Lord, make them ashamed of themselves
for attacking one of yours.
Psalms 70:3 "Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame
that say, Aha, aha."
Their reward on judgement day will be, everlasting punishment.
The expression {aha, aha} is used by the devils followers. This just
shows who they really are.
Psalms 70:4 "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in
thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be
magnified."
In the last lesson, we gave the meaning of this. Those that seek
God, find Him. We said it before and it bears repeating, again. Those
who have found the Lord have much to be joyful about. They are the
redeemed, and they should say so. The praise of the Lord should never
cease from the lips of the redeemed. God should be magnified, not only
with our lips, but by the lives we live, as well.
Psalms 70:5 "But I [am] poor and needy: make haste unto me, O
God: thou [art] my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying."
Jehovah is the name of God here. Those who need and want God will
be helped of God. The Lord came to help those who needed help, as we
see in the following verse. Matthew 9:12 "But when Jesus heard
[that], he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick." Notice, the use of my in the 5th verse
above. This shows that salvation, deliverance, and for that matter,
all gifts from God are for the individual. It is a decision we must
make one at a time, that we need and want God in our life.
This little chapter of prayer, here seems to be a connector from
chapter 69 into chapter 71. This is a powerful prayer bridge we have
studied here. Now, we will get into the 71st chapter.
We will begin by giving the 71st chapter in metre.
THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE
Chapter 71
Verse 1 "O LORD, My hope and confidence Are placed alone in thee;
Then let me evermore be kept from all confusion free."
Verse 2 "And let me, in thy righteousness, From thee deliv'rance
have; O rescue me, incline thy ear To hear me, and me save."
Verse 3 "Be thou my dwelling rock, to which I ever may resort: Thou
my salvation hast ordained; Thou art my rock and fort."
Verse 4 "Free me, my God, from wicked hands, Hands cruel and unjust;
For thou, O Lord God, art my hope, And from my youth my
trust."
Verse 5 "Thou from my birth hast held me up, Thou art the same that
me Out of my mother's womb didst take: I ever will praise
thee."
Verse 6 "To many I a wonder am; Thou art my refuge strong. Filled let
my mouth be with thy praise And honor all day long.
Verse 7 "O do not cast me off, when me Old age doth overtake; And in
the day of failing strength, O do not me forsake."
Verse 8 "For they who are my enemies Against me speak with hate; And
they together counsel take Who for my soul lay wait."
Verse 9 "They say God leaves him, him pursue, And take, for none
will save. Be thou not far from me, my God; Thy speedy help
I crave."
Verse 10 "Confounded, and consumed let all My adversaries be; And
clothed with scorn and shame be they Who seek to injure me."
Verse 11 "But I in thee with confidence Will hope continually ; And
yet with praises more and more I will thee magnify."
Verse 12 "Thy justice and salvation, Lord, My mouth abroad shall show,
Even all the day; for I thereof The numbers do not know."
Verse 13 "And I will constantly go on In strength of God the Lord; And
thy own righteousness, even thine Alone, I will record."
Verse 14 "For even from my youth, O God, by thee I have been taught;
And hitherto I have declared The wonders thou hast wrought."
Verse 15 "And now, O God, forsake me not When I am old and gray; Till
I to this and every age Thy strength and power display.
Verse 16 "Thy perfect righteousness O God, The heavens height exceeds;
O who is like to thee, who hast Performed such mighty deeds?
Verse 17 "Thou, Lord, who great adversities, And sore to me didst
show, Shalt quicken me, and bring again From depths of earth
below."
Verse 18 "My greatness and my power thou wilt Increase and far extend;
Against all grief on every side Thou wilt me comfort send."
Verse 19 "Thee, ev'n thy truth, I'll also praise, My God, with
psaltery; Thou Holy one of Israel, With harp I'll sing to
thee."
Verse 20 "My lips shall much rejoice in thee, When thy praises sound;
My soul, by thee redeemed from death, In joy shall much
abound."
Verse 21 "And with my tongue I will proclaim Thy justice all day long;
For they confounded are and shamed Who seek to do me wrong."
We will now begin the verse by verse study of chapter 71 of
Psalms. Psalms 71:1 "In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never
be put to confusion."
We see a firm statement in the beginning of this prayer, that His
trust is in The LORD. We have talked about trust before, but to
refresh our memory, we will, again, speak of what it is. I believe
that trust is a furtherance of faith. It is a point when you are
resting in the faith that you have in God, knowing that whatever is
the outcome of the prayer, it is best for you. You might even call it
the rest of the believer. Resting in the confidence that all is well
with my soul. Let me never be put to confusion, I believe is saying,
just as I trust the LORD, let it be. To be put to confusion would be
for the answer to the prayer to be one that would cause you not to
trust.
Psalms 71:2 "Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to
escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me."
When I look at this Scripture, I think of God having Michael keep
the body of Moses from the devil. Jude 1:9 "Yet Michael the archangel,
when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses,
durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord
rebuke thee." Just as God, through Moses, delivered the children of
Israel out of physical Egypt, I believe God will deliver us out of
symbolic Egypt {the world}. The deliverance is a deliverance in
the spirit. This is just saying, hear my prayer of repentance and save
me by covering me with your righteousness.
Psalms 71:3 "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."
Habitation, here, would be dwelling place. We can always hide in
Jesus, if we are a believer. He builds a hedge around us and protects
us from the evil one. You are my rock that I build upon, and you are
my strong fortress, as well.
Psalms 71:4 "Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man."
These wicked are our enemies, because they are God's enemies.
Unrighteous men are cruel, because they do not have a conscience. We
see the reason for the wicked being cruel to the righteous in the next
verse. John 15:18 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me
before [it hated] you." God's enemies are the enemies of the
believer. We are not to take vengeance on them. God takes vengeance on
them for us.
Psalms 71:5 "For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my
trust from my youth."
David is saying, here, that he decided when he was just a youth
to follow God. We know it is true, because David was just a lad when
he fought Goliath. He is saying, I placed my life in your hands a long
time ago. Everything that has happened to me since has been for my
good. I trust you Lord.
Psalms 71:6 "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."
There is a strange thing about those who God has called to do a
special job for Him in this life. God, through His foreknowledge,
knows what decisions you will make in this life. He does not overrule
your will in the matter, but sees into the future and knows the
decision you will make. It seems that people, who have been called
into God's service, are protected from the moment they are born. It is
an argument for predestination, but we will not get into that. We do
know that Samuel, when David was very young, anointed David. I Samuel
16:13 " Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the
midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from
that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." He is a
chosen vessel of God. David will never cease to praise God.
Psalms 71:7 "I am as a wonder unto many; but thou [art] my strong
refuge."
People who are a chosen vessel of God are not like the rest of
the world. They are a peculiarity to those around them. Other people
think, and some even say, why did God choose him and not me? I do not
know. I do know that God is my refuge and strength, as He was David's.
Psalms 71:8 "Let my mouth be filled [with] thy praise [and with]
thy honour all the day."
The gratitude of all, who are of the family of God, should be
like David, continually praising God.
Psalms 71:9 "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me
not when my strength faileth."
This is a strange statement, since Moses was 80 years old when
God called him to serve. Perhaps, David said this because he was so
young when God first called him. To those who love the Lord, He gets
sweeter and sweeter as the days go by.
Psalms 71:10 "For mine enemies speak against me; and they that
lay wait for my soul take counsel together,"
David's enemies feared David in his youth, but they think when he
gets older, he will be weaker and not able to fight back. They would
like to destroy David, but God will not let them.
Psalms 71:11 "Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take
him; for [there is] none to deliver [him]."
Just as Job's friends and Job's wife tried to convince Job that
God was done with him and would not help him, these enemies think God
will not help David. How wrong they are.
Psalms 71:12 "O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for
my help."
Sometimes we need the comfort of feeling the Father's hand. He is
saying here, Let me know that you are here to help me.
Psalms 71:13 "Let them be confounded [and] consumed that are
adversaries to my soul; let them be covered [with] reproach and
dishonour that seek my hurt."
These enemies of God are the enemies of David, also. David says,
Lord, get them so confused that they will not know what they are
doing. He is saying, they are trying to destroy my soul. Show them up,
Lord, for what they really are.
Psalms 71:14 "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise
thee more and more."
Even when it looks bad and looks like no help is coming, the
believer will still praise the Lord. We do not praise just in the good
times, but all the time, whatever is happening. David has hope.
Psalms 71:15 "My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness [and]
thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof]."
David says, here, I do not know how long I will live, but while I
am alive, I will continually have praise in my mouth for God. David
will not stop witnessing and telling others of the salvation God
offers to all.
Psalms 71:16 "I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will
make mention of thy righteousness, [even] of thine only."
David is aware that his physical strength is gone, because he is
older, but that will not stop him from speaking about God to all he
comes into contact with.
Psalms 71:17 "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and
hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works."
David is not forgetting that in his youth he came against Goliath
in the name of the Lord and killed him. David did not let his youth,
or his inexperience stop him from doing battle for God.
Psalms 71:18 "Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God,
forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this]
generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come."
David is saying that he is older and wiser in his old age, but
his strength of youth is gone. He is saying I was young and now I am
old, but I know you will be with me and I shall win. David is saying,
I am not fighting them in my strength, but in Your strength. Let's
show this young generation just how powerful God is.
Psalms 71:19 "Thy righteousness also, O God, [is] very high, who
hast done great things: O God, who [is] like unto thee!"
The power and character of God is so far above anything that we
know, that it is impossible to imagine. The goodness of God is above
all. There is no one on the earth, or in heaven, or anywhere else,
that is a match for God. Pharaoh found that out in Egypt.
Psalms 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."
Just for this one battle, David wants God to quicken his spirit
and body as he did Abraham, so that he can win this battle.
Psalms 71:21 "Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on
every side."
This is not asking God to do it, but is spoken in holy confidence
knowing that God will do this.
Psalms 71:22 "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." Psalms 71:23 "My lips shall greatly rejoice when I
sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed." Psalms 71:24
"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."
David had sung and played the harp just for God while he was
herding sheep. He is saying, here that he will do this again when this
is over. He will sing aloud with his lips and tongue the beautiful
thoughts originating in his heart. Those who sought to kill him are
defeated through the power of David's God. We must learn this well.
Questions 70
1. Why was David's prayer so urgent in verse 1 of chapter 70 of
Psalms?
2. David wanted God to make his enemies _______ for what they were
doing.
3. The expression ______ _______ is used by the devil's followers in
verse 3.
4. Who is David saying is to be magnified?
5. Those that seek God, ______ ___.
6. What 2 things did David say he was in verse 5?
7. Quote Matthew chapter 9 verse 12.
8. What seems to be the purpose of chapter 70?
9. David's trust is where?
10. What is trust?
11. What would {put to confusion} be?
12. When the author looks at verse 2 of chapter 71 of the lesson, what
does it remind her of?
13. God, through ______, brought the children of Israel out of
physical Egypt.
14. What is symbolic Egypt?
15. What two things does he call God in verse 3?
16. What does habitation mean here?
17. Why are unrighteous men cruel?
18. Quote John chapter 15 verse 18.
19. When David was just a youth, he fought whom?
20. How long had God been taking care of David?
21. Who anointed David?
22. What happened to David when he was anointed?
23. What did it mean that he was a wonder to many?
24. Cast me not off in the time of ____ ___.
25. How old was Moses when God called him to serve?
26. If they feared David before, why do they think they can defeat him
now?
27. Even when it looks ___, David will praise God.
28. God has taught David from his ______.
29. What description did David give of himself to prove he was old?
30. David wants God to quicken ____ _______.
31. How will David praise God?
32. Who did David play and sing for?
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