NOTES for Psa 71

¹In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

²Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

³Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

⁴Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

⁶By 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.

⁷I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

⁸Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

⁹Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

¹⁰For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

¹¹Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

¹²O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

¹³Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

¹⁴But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

¹⁵My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

¹⁶I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

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

¹⁸Now 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.

¹⁹Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!

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

²¹Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

²²I 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.

²³My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

²⁴My 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.

Whoever trusts in the Lord is certain of His support and does not doubt that in any situation he will find a Protector in Him. The psalmist hopes to remain united with Him in the future as well and asks the Lord not to abandon him in old age. Such a desire is understandable, but here we may ask a question, not so much of the psalmist as of ourselves: the Lord remains faithful to His promises, but are we always faithful to Him? Do we have the right to claim that we will not turn away in old age from the paths to which He has called us? And if not, do we have the moral right to demand His constant protection?

It seems that we should not fall into excessive apprehensiveness; it is akin to excessive self-confidence, for extremes meet. Aware of our weaknesses and falls, we should not abandon hope in God. He sees our weaknesses better than we do, and He is the only One who can keep us from falling. That is why the question of a “moral right” does not arise: not only may we turn to Him for support, we must do so if we want to remain faithful to Him.

Other notes

For Psa 71:2-3

²Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

³Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

The wicked are depicted sharply; grotesque figures of those who violate the commandments are sketched in brief strokes. One does not want... Read more

The wicked are depicted sharply; grotesque figures of those who violate the commandments are sketched in brief strokes. One does not want to fall under the psalmist's sharp tongue. And yet it is not denunciation that matters here, but repentant self-criticism. For envy of the prosperity of the wicked has fascinated and attracted many, many people down to this day. Thousands of years later, the argument rejected by the psalm's composer still seems to many people not only convincing but the only possible one.

And it is no accident at all that the psalmist admits that a correct understanding of the ways of the wicked came to him in the sanctuary. Only in the light of faith can one see what is what.

The wicked seem quite reasonable to themselves, but it is no accident that they are called fools. Decisions made against God may be orderly and even seem logically precise. But they will always sin against the reason placed in us by the Creator.

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NOTES for Psa 71

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Readings for 17 March 2004

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