PSALM 61 - HEAR MY CRY

 

PSALM 61 - HEAR MY CRY

This psalm has two stanzas: verses 1-4 and 6-8. We see the psalmist facing difficulties, but not overcome by them.

61:1-4
Stanza 1

This psalm is a personal plea to God for help. It is written by one is away from Jerusalem fighting a battle. The psalmist said he called to God from the ends of the earth, so he was evidently away from the place of the Tabernacle, where God’s presence dwelt.

It is good for us to remember that God is not confined to any particular place. He is omnipresent. He is everywhere at all times. All things are before him at any time.

Psalm 139:7-12 says:

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me
and your right hand shall hold me. (Jonah learned this!)
If I say “surely the darkness hall cover me,
and the light about me be night”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is a light to you.

Jeremiah 23:24 says:

Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth?

God is not confined to our church buildings and was not confined to the Tabernacle or Temple in Old Testament times. He does not dwell in temples made by human hands. (Acts 7:48; 17:24) That is a comfort to us today, since many of our churches are not open due to the coronal virus. Yet, as we meet in homes and other places, God is there and he hears our prayers. And Jesus is with us. He said “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

The psalmist took comfort in God’s omnipresence and so do we.

The psalmist’ heart was faint, meaning weary of suffering, close to despair. The psalmist looked to God for protection. He used three metaphors:
the rock higher than I;
a refuge (safe place); and
strong tower.

When are hearts are faint, when we feel weak or inadequate, we must remember that God is the rock that cannot be moved, and is in an exalted position,  he is our refuge, or place of safety, and he is a strong tower of defense against our enemies.



It is this last image that makes us think the psalmist was in a battle and seeking God’s help to win it. We may not be in a war with guns, but we constantly face spiritual battles and physical battles in our daily lives.

The first stanza ends with the psalmist wanting to be in God’s presence forever. The image of “dwell in your tent” probably is a reference to the tabernacle as the place of God’s presence.




The shelter of God’s wings, in this context, likely refers to the wings of the cherubim that stretched out over the mercy seat on top of the ark.




That was the place God promised his presence would dwell with Israel.

We want to be in God’s presence forever also. But we have a greater promise than the Tabernacle or Temple. We have God dwelling in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us such that we are a temple, a place where the presence of God dwells forever. Paul wrote: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

The psalmist emphasized that he had kept his vows to God and knew God gave him a heritage, the heritage of those who fear God’s name. In the case of the psalmist, this would show the psalmist’s faith in God to keep his covenant to give the psalmist a place in Israel to live under God’s protection. For us, it would mean God’s presence in this life and eternal life in the presence of God.

61:6-8
Stanza 2

The psalmist asked God to prolong the life of the king. This is a way of asking for God to preserve the line of the king. The king of Israel was responsible to keep the people in obedience to the covenant and to be God’s representative to lead the people. A good king meant prosperity and safety for the kingdom. David was that king, a man after God’s heart. So, the psalmist prayed for him to live a long time to govern Israel.

God did keep the promise to enthrone the king forever before God by sending his son, Jesus, as a descendant of David, to rule over God’s kingdom. The Jews in Jesus’ time longed for a king that would restore their kingdom. Many of them looked for the wrong kind of king. But Jesus proclaimed his kingship and the coming of the kingdom. His first words recorded by Mark are: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)

The psalm ends with the faithful psalmist pledging to continue performing his vows and singing praises to God. These are the elements of the Christian life also: obedience and worship. These please the Lord and give us confidence and peace, even in difficult times.

We live in a difficult time. Some have it much worse than others. This psalm reminds us that God is here with us, in every country on this planet, with every church and every believer, even while this epidemic rages. We will trust in him and we will endure in the faith.

Godspeed.