NOTES for Psa 70
The Lord is our only hope, and if we renounce it, no one can intercede for us. The desire to be rid of one’s enemies is entirely natural, yet we see that the person asking for intercession does not insist that he deserves support because of his own merits. On the contrary, he calls himself poor and needy. We have no reason to understand these words about poverty as referring to the petitioner’s social position, and not merely because David was a king. After all, during Saul’s persecution David endured much and knew need. But when we stand before God, we have nothing to present to Him; everything we might call our merits appears vanishingly small beside Him. Indeed, everything we possess has been received from the Creator.
But once we become aware of our poverty, we are opened to God and become capable of receiving His countless gifts. Then we become truly rich.