Psalm 69

1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.

2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.

8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.

9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.

11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

14 Deliver me out of the mire and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

16 Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.

18 Draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

19 Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor: mine adversaries are all before thee.

20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.

24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

29 But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

32 The humble shall see this and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

33 For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.

35 For God will save Zion and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there and have it in possession.

36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.  (KJV)

Reading this psalm, it points me to the suffering of Christ on the last day of his ministry on this earth. So many of these verses are tied to the New Testament account of this day. May I be like the poor in verse thirty-two and be glad. As Christ stated in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” is alluded to here in verse thirty-six “those who love his name will dwell there”. So, as you read this psalm reflect back on the cross, and then focus you praise to the one who is now seated on the right hand of God in heaven.

This psalm not only reflects the life of David as he was running from Saul during his darkness times, or reflective of the final days of Christ; but it also reflects the battles that true Christians face daily when they stand against the ways of the world.  Just as Christ’s final days on this earth lead to the cross instead of a throne, so too will the path of some believer’s lead down a path of uncertainty.  In my youth I was blessed to have great hymns to remind me of this walk.  One of these songs was “Follow Me” written in 1953 by Ira Stanphill which gave me a great picture of what the Christian’s walk on earth should be like today.

I traveled down a lonely road
And no one seemed to care
The burdens on my weary back
Had bowed me to despair
I oft complained to Jesus
How folks were treating me
And then I heard him say so tenderly

“My feet were also weary upon the Calvary road
The cross became so heavy I fell beneath the load
Be faithful weary children the morning I can see
Just lift your cross and follow close to Me.’

I work so hard for Jesus, I often boast and say,
I’ve sacrificed a lot of things, to walk the narrow way.
I gave up fame and fortune, I’m worth a lot to Thee
And then I hear Him gently say to me:

“I left the throne of glory and counted it but loss,
My hands were nailed in anger upon the cruel cross;
But now we’ll make the journey with your hand close in mine
So lift your cross and follow close to Me.”

O Jesus, if I die someday upon a foreign field
T’would be no more than love demands no less could I repay.
No greater love hath mortal man than for a friend to die:
These are the words He gently spoke to me:

“If just a cup of water I place within your hand,
Then just a cup of water is all that I demand.
But if by death to living, they can thy glory see,
I’ll take my cross and follow close to Thee.

Studying the Psalms written by David I realize how much of his writing reflects the inward emotions that Christ suffered during His ministry on this earth.  David was characterized as a man after God’s own heart.  In this psalm David relates the feeling that he was going through during the time that Saul was seeking to destroy David who was the one anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel.  As we study the Psalms and the way in which David walked, may we also develop into a person who are characterized as a person after God’s own heart.  

After watching The Lord of the Rings movies, I was inspired to read the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien.  As I read the books, I became aware of how much richer the story was in the book and how much was left out or in some cases changed in the movie.  In the book J.R.R. Tolkien goes into great detail in the rich description of each of the characters in his books so that the reader could almost know what the heart’s desire of each of these characters was truly.  So, in studying the Psalms written by David it is also important for us to study David’s life found in the books of I and II Samuel and I Chronicles to see the trails and triumphs that he faced during his life.  The more we study these events the more we can truly see how to become a person after God’s own heart. 

His state of mind during his ministry and waiting on God’s intervention.

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing.

I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried.

My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head.

They that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty.

Then I restored that which I took not away.

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from thee.

Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

His ministry

Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.

I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.

For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.

I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

His Prayer

But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

Deliver me out of the mire and let me not sink let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.

Draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it: deliver me because of my enemies.

Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor: mine adversaries are all before thee.

Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

His prayer for God’s judgement on his enemies

Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.

Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.

Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

His prayer for those that see God’s hand in his suffering.

But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

The humble shall see this and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein.

For God will save Zion and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there and have it in possession.

The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.