“Deliverance” (Ps. 69:1-18)

 

SPIRITIUAL DIARY FOR4/5/2012 8:07:53 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                         Focus:  “Deliverance”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  Psalm 69:1-18

 

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we will look at several introductions to Psalm 69 and then begin to look at the psalm in detail.

 

            “This psalm is a prayer of desperation.  David realizes that because he is hated by others, he may shortly be killed.  Though he begs for rescue, and calls down curses on his enemies, he concludes the psalm with a high note of praise, with inferences concerning the coming messianic kingdom when all enemies of God’s people are dealt with swiftly and severely (cf. Rev. 2:27).  Much of this psalm was applied to Christ by the NT writers.  This psalm expresses the feelings of any believer who is being horribly ridiculed, but it uniquely referrers to Christ.”  (The John MacArthur Study Bible)

 

            “This is a Messianic psalm, an imprecatory psalm, and after 22 and 110, the most frequently quoted psalm in the New Testament.  It is attributed to David and has definite affinities with 35, 40, and 109, which are also Davidic psalms.  But what about verses 35-36?  When during David’s reign did the cities of Judah need to be rebuilt and the people brought back home?  When were the drunkards singing about him in the gates (v. 12) and his enemies about to destroy him (vv. 4, 18-19)?  Selected data from the psalm fits the times of both Jeremiah and Hezekiah, but it is difficult to fit everything into the times of David.  Perhaps David’s original psalm ended at verse 29 and the Holy Spirit directed the prophet Jeremiah to add verses 30-36 after the fall of Judah and Jerusalem to the Babylonians.  The collection of psalms was a ‘living heritage’ and some of the psalms were adapted to new occasions.  Whatever the answer, when you read the psalm, you find the author confronting the Lord with three important concerns.”  (Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s Commentary)

 

            Deliverance:  “Save Me!”  (vs. 1-18):  “1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.’’!  Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. 2 Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. 3 I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. 4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal. 5 O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. 6 Don’t let those who trust in You be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel. 7 For I endure insults for Your sake; humiliation is written all over my face. 8 Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger. 9 Passion for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me. 10 When I weep and fast, they scoff at me. 11 When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me. 12 I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.

 

 

    “13 But I keep praying to You, LORD, hoping this time You will show me favor. In Your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with Your sure salvation. 14 Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters. 15 Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me. 16 Answer my prayers, O LORD, for Your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for Your mercy is so plentiful. 17 Don’t hide from Your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! 18 Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies.”  (NLT)

 

            In verses 1-5 David asks for deliverance for his own sake and we see in these verses that David uses a drowning man to describe the kind of situation that he was in.  Dr. Wiersbe writes that Amy Carmichael wrote the following on verses 1-2 “Our waters are shallow because His were deep.”  She then adds “How True.”

           

            The highlighted portion of verse four was quoted by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 15:25, “"But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ’THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’”  Yes Jesus was hated without a cause for He was the only man ever born of woman who did not sin and the writer of Hebrews affirms this when he writes in “Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”  Jesus was tempted with many issues and yet He never sinned, for Jesus kept the whole Law so that we did not have to, for it is impossible for us to do this and that is why we need a Savior.  It is said of Jesus that He was humble, and He was the most humble and meek person who ever lived on this earth.  Meekness is not weakness, but meekness is power under control and Jesus had all power and yet He did not use that power to destroy those who were doing Him harm.  I can’t imagine any other person who had the power that Jesus possessed not using it when people began to spit on Him and hit Him and drive nails into His hands and feet.  There is a song that has in its lyrics “He could have called ten thousand angels and I know that I am a little off track in my thoughts of Psalm 69, but seeing that tomorrow we think of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ I think that the lyrics to this song fit in here:

 

“"He could have called ten thousand angels" lyrics:

 

 

 

 

They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he prayed

They led him thru the streets in shame

They spat upon the savior so pure and free from sin

They said, "crucify him: he's to blame

 

He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set him free

He could have called ten thousand angels

But he died alone, for you and me

 

Upon his precious head they placed a crown of thorns

They laughed and said, "Behold the king"

They struck him and they cursed him and mocked his holy name

All alone he suffered everything

 

When they nailed him to the cross, his mother stood nearby,

He said, "Woman, behold thy son!"

He cried, "I thirst for water," but they gave him none to drink

Then the sinful work of man was done

 

To the howling mob he yielded: he did not for mercy cry

The cross of shame he took alone

And when he cried, "It’s finished," he gave himself to die

Salvation's wondrous plan was done.

 

            Back to Psalm 69.  David prayed for deliverance for his own sake in verses 1-5 and now we will see that he prays for the Lord’s sake in verses 6-12.  The reason he dose this is because those who were lying about him were blaspheming the name of the Lord.  We must remember who David was, as he was the Lord’s anointed, the leader of the chosen people of God, for when we look back at the life of David when he was on the run we saw that when he had chances to kill King Saul he would not do it because David knew that Saul was the Lord’s anointed, and now David was the Lord’s anointed so those who would attack him in a sense were attacking the Lord and blaspheming the name of the Lord. 

           

            Dr. Wiersbe writes that “The word ‘reproach’ (scorn, insult) is used six times in the psalm (vv. 7, 9, 10, 19, 20).  He was scorned because he stood up for the Lord (v. 7) and because he was zealous for God’s house (v. 9).  He even alienated his own family (v. 8; see John 7:5; Mark 3:31-35), and the insults that people threw at the Lord also fell on him (v. 9; John 2:17; Rom. 15:3; and see Isa. 56:7 and Jer. 7:11).  When they blasphemed God, they blasphemed David, and their attacks against God, and David felt them.”

           

            When we look at this psalm we can see how Jesus was treated, and before He was treated this way, a shameful way to be treated, David was too, but not to the extent that our Lord was.

           

            We now will look at verses 13-18 to see a third argument for deliverance and that was based on the character of God.  “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!”  (NASB)

           

            We have talked before about the character of God and the attributes of God and said that it is a good way to get to know the Lord through these attributes and also to claim them in your prayers to God which is what David was doing here.  David knew that part of God’s character was lovingkindness and so that is the character of God that he uses to pray to God.  David knew God in a wonderful way for many of the attributes of God are found in the writings of David and I believe that is surely one of the reasons that David was called a man after God’s own heart.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When I think of the cross of Jesus Christ I know that it was the best thing that has ever happened on this earth, and yet it was the worst thing that ever happened on this earth.  Jesus did not deserve to die, and yet it was because of the lovingkindness of the Lord that He died and that makes it the best thing that has ever happened on this earth.  When I look at this portion of Psalm 69 I see Jesus and how He was treated and I also see the zeal that He had for the house of God.  I see people treating Him wrongly, but I see Jesus being meek, having His power under control.  This makes me want to praise Him even more.  Psalm 69 is a good psalm to be studying around this time of the year.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Praise the Lord for His wonderful gift of salvation given to me who does not deserve it.  Continue to learn contentment.

 

4/5/2012 9:37:40 AM