PSALM 71
This Psalm was written by an old man. It is thought to have been written by David, since the thought of the psalm is similar to Psalm 70, which is attributed to David. He is old and he has faith in God to help him. But, from the perspective of an old man, he wants to finish strong and knows he can only do this with God’s help.
Prayer of Confidence
71:1-4
These verses, like all of the lament psalms, show David calling for help. He uses many different words and phrases for this: deliver, rescue, hear, save, be a rock of refuge.
In particular, David desired that he never be put to shame. He wanted to finish his life and his rule as king in a Godly way, with a reputation as a Godly man. Even in old age, after a successful tenure as king, he had enemies that would destroy him and his reputation if they could.
But David placed his confidence in the Lord. In verse 1, he said “in you” he found refuge, in the Lord. Old people that have lived a life of faith come to this point of view. They have trusted in God all of their lives and he has delivered them many times. Therefore, they have confidence in him and have given up confidence in themselves. Like David, they seek protection in the Lord.
David also asked God to deliver him as a matter of God’s righteousness. So, what is righteousness as it pertains to God? Righteousness is to act rightly, to act in according to the right standards. For God, his righteousness is a natural expression of his holiness. His treatment of us will always be in perfect agreement with his holy nature.
God’s righteousness is part of who he is. Because he is God, he is the standard of righteousness. There is nothing outside of God that is great than God and binds him. Human morals and ethics change constantly, but they do not change God and he is not bound by them.
Because God is holy and righteous and unchanging (immutable), he always and consistently acts in accord with his perfect character. The psalms tell us that over and over. They say God is righteous (119:37), his righteousness is everlasting (119:42), and he is righteous in all his ways. (145:17)
One way God reveals his righteousness is by fulfilling his promises, in doing what he said he would do. Nehemiah said “You have kept your promise, for you are righteous.” (9:7-8) In this context, Nehemiah referred to promising Abraham that his descendants would have the land of Canaan.
David knew all of this about God. God had made promises to Israel that he had kept in David’s lifetime. But God had also made promises to David. He made a covenant with him. And so David had faith that God would keep his promises and, in doing so, save David from being shamed by his enemies. That is why he prayed “in your righteousness, deliver me”.
An Affirmation of Confidence
71:5-8
Here David recites his history with the Lord. The Lord had been his hope and trust since his youth. Even from birth, God had guided David on his way. We see this in the Scripture. While a shepherd, David had killed lions and bears that threatened his sheep. ( 1 Samuel 17: 36) He gave credit to the Lord for that, saying that the Lord delivered him.
And in that same Faith, David went and fought and killed Goliath saying “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts”. (1 Samuel 17:45)
Because of his many mighty deeds, David had been a “portent” or miraculous sign to many. But David saw God as the one with real strength and gave him the glory for it. He said “My mouth is filed with your praise, and with your glory all the day”. (8)
Prayer in Old Age
71:9-13
Despite his many successes, some saw David as old and weak. They thought God had forsaken him, leaving him vulnerable to attack from younger men. So, David asked God not to abandon him, or cast him off, in his old age when his physical strength had gone. (9) His enemies believed God had abandoned him and that he had no one to deliver him. There is the implication here that David’s enemies knew God had delivered him in the past. But they evidently believed God would not do it again because David was old.
Hope In Old Age
71:14-18
Even though David called for help, he did it in confidence and hope in the Lord. He said he would hope continually. In fact, even as he got old, he would increase his praise. He would tell others of God’s righteous acts. He believed in God’s righteousness and believed God would act accordingly. He would fulfill his promises. David would continue to tell others of all the times God had saved David and Israel.
Never in this process does David proclaim is own strength or power. He continued to fall back on his trust in God’s righteousness. This shows us how important it is that we study and know God’s word so that we know God’s nature. We need to know the one we have placed our trust in, so that our faith, confidence, and peace will grow as we get older.
God had taught these things to David from his youth. David wanted God to stay with him so he could continue to teach another generation about him.
Affirmation of Confidence
71:19-21
These verses are a combination of praise to God and an expression of confidence in God. The two go together. When you praise God for his wonderful attributes, your confidence in him will grow. As your confidence in God grows, your praise will increase.
So David proclaims that God’s righteousness reaches the high heavens. It is a way of saying God’s righteousness is so great, it cannot be contained. From praising God’s character, David went on to praise God’s deeds, saying he had done such great deeds, there was no one like him. Those are the two sides of praise: praising God for who he is and what he had done.
The thought that no one is like God, as expressed in very 19, runs throughout the Bible. It is behind God’s command that we shall have no other gods before him. (Exodus 20:3) Moses sang a song after God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea. He sang “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you , majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders.” (Exodus 15:11) Those are rhetorical questions the answer to which is “no one”. God’s wonderful deeds flow from his wonderful character.
David also acknowledged God’s sovereignty over his life. He said that God made him see many troubles and calamities. But he believed God would still act to revive David, give him comfort, and even increase his greatness. It reminds me of the words of Job: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”. (Job 2:21)
Thanksgiving with Confidence
71:22-24
The psalm ends with a stanza devoted to praise. David was ready to praise God with musical instruments, the harp and the lyre. He praised God’s faithfulness. That is a trait similar to God’s righteousness. He is faithful to those who believe in him and love him. He does not abandon them.
David also said he would shout and sing his praises because God had redeemed him. He had been saved from is enemies and his enemies had been shamed, so David was vindicated by the Lord. The Lord was righteous, so David would talk about that all day long.
Takeaways
God showed his righteousness in the Bible by keeping his promises to Israel. He kept his promises to bless them when they kept the covenant and he kept his promises to curse them when they disobeyed.
God has made us promises as new covenant believers. He promised us the Holy Spirit. He promises us eternal life. Because we know he is righteous, we know he will keep those promises. Certainly, as we get older, the promise of eternal life means more and more to us.
Daniel Whittle wrote a hymn back in 1883 that reflects our faith in God’s righteousness. The refrain of that hymn says:
But I know whom I have believed
And am persuaded that he is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto him against that day.
God is righteous and he will keep his promise to each and every one of us. He will never leave us or forsake us.
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