In The Word
Read: Psalm 69
A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.
For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, O God,
For the waters have threatened my life.
2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5 O God, it is You who knows my folly,
And my wrongs are not hidden from You.
6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become estranged from my brothers
And an alien to my mother’s sons.
9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,
It became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time;
O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with Your saving truth.
14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.
15 May the flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in distress; answer me quickly.
18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 May their table before them become a snare;
And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their loins shake continually.
24 Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.
27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
And may they not be recorded with the righteous.
29 But I am afflicted and in pain;
May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31 And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
32 The humble have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart revive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy
And does not despise His who are prisoners.
34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will dwell in it.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
This psalm was written by King David to share a time in his life when he faced great distress. It is through times in our lives like these that we can relate to the suffering of others, and because of that, we are more able to console them through their distress. It is God’s heart for us.
There are prophetic scriptures in this chapter that were fulfilled by Jesus when He walked among men. Verse 9a was fulfilled in John 2:17 when He cleaned the temple. Verse 9b was fulfilled when Christ was scourged and crucified in Matthew 27:39-44. Verse 21 was fulfilled when the soldiers put a sponge on a spear, and then dipped it in vinegar and gall (Matthew 27:34). When we consider the shame and suffering that the Creator of the universe endured for us, we should not be surprised if we are called to suffer for His namesake (Hebrews 12:3).
When everything in life seems hopeless, as in Job’s case, we can still rejoice in that we have a God that suffered our infirmities and went through our despair (Hebrews 4:15). David rises to a point where he disregards his hopelessness and begins to praise the God who had always given him victory in his own life. This is the only direction we can go when it seems like everything is falling down around us. Praising and worshiping will get God’s attention every time. That is when we will see victory emerge out of the darkest situation. Whatever the circumstance, ALWAYS PRAISE GOD!!!