Psalm 69:1-2

Psalm 69:1-2

Save me, O God

This Psalm is the first of a number of prayers written by David, (Psalms 69-71) that longs for deliverance from enemies and for protection, for mercy and for long life and prosperity, culminating in praise and worship to God with all future kings submitting to the rule and reign of the Messiah. (Psalm 72). 

In Psalm 69 David appears to be surrounded by many enemies, he hints at conspiracies and threats from a number of sources, but also seems to be under judgement from God for his sin. What is so powerful about this Psalm is that it predicts the sufferings of the Messiah and allows us to understand His mental and spiritual anguish at His rejection and crucifixion. As such it is much quoted by the New Testament writers. It is in this context that we will study Palm 69.

 

v1-2     It is hard to imagine two worse fates than to be sinking in waters up to one’s neck or to be in some kind of quagmire that has no foothold. This is the stuff of nightmares and many of us have awoken in the night in anguish and great fear, as we have struggled to evade the imaginary forces that are pulling us down to certain death. It’s hard to think of anything more terrifying and there are few who, having literally faced these terrors, have lived to tell the tale. The victim here is in deep waters, floods engulf him and there is no one to rescue him, save God alone. This appears to be his greatest horror, there is no man to save him, and God also has forsaken him. He is doomed!

When we think of the sufferings of Christ, we comfort ourselves with the thought that He always knew that there was a way through, that if He obeyed His Father, He would be delivered. Of course, that is true, but first He must suffer as a man like no one else had ever suffered and, secondly, He must face the horrors of death in full awareness of what lay before Him. All other men face death in ignorance. It seems that we are meant to know that the terrors of Golgotha were more real to Yeshua than any other human being, and that He faced them with real fear because He knew that they would envelop Him and swallow Him up, and He must deal with them alone!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more

Psalm 71:17

Psalm 71:17 Since my youth ..... You have taught me I am reminded here of Paul’s words to Timothy.  “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  2 Timothy 3:14-15.  “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, lives in you also.”  2 Timothy 1:5. Timothy and David may well have enjoyed a similar upbringing. We know that Timothy’s mother was a Jewish Christian although his father was an unbelieving Greek. (Acts 16:1) It appears that the boy had a Christian grandmother also and, as Jewish boys began to study the Hebrew Scriptures at the age of five, Timothy would certainly have been taught by his mother and grandmother from infancy. Wouldn’t it be great if all our children were able to say,
Read more