In The Word
Read: Psalms 69
A Cry of Distress and a Curse on Adversaries.
For the music director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, God,
For the waters have threatened my life.
2 I have sunk in deep mud, 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, those who oppose me with lies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5 God, You know my foolishness,
And my guilt is not hidden from You.
6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed because of me, Lord God of armies;
May those who seek You not be dishonored because of me, God of Israel,
7 Because for Your sake I have endured disgrace;
Dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become estranged from my brothers,
And a stranger to my mother’s sons.
9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the taunts of those who taunt You have fallen on me.
10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,
It became my disgrace.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a proverb to them.
12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,
And songs of mockery by those habitually drunk are about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, Lord, at an acceptable time;
God, in the greatness of Your mercy,
Answer me with Your saving truth.
14 Rescue me from the mud and do not let me sink;
May I be rescued from those who hate me, and from the depths of water.
15 May the flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit close its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, Lord, for Your mercy 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 Come near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my disgrace, my shame, and my dishonor;
All my enemies are known to You.
20 Disgrace has broken my heart, and I am so sick.
And I waited for sympathy, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me a bitter herb in 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 at peace, may it become a trap.
23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their hips shake continually.
24 Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be desolated;
May there be none living in their tents.
26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself struck,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.
27 Add guilt to their guilt,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
28 May they be wiped 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, God, set me safely on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with song,
And exalt Him with thanksgiving.
31 And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or 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 those of His who are prisoners.
34 Heaven and earth shall praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
So that they may live there and possess it.
36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will live 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!!!