PSALM 71 Reading Guide May 11-17, 2014
PSALM 71 2 PSALM 71 1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! 2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! 3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. 5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. 6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. 7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. 10 For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together 11 and say, God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him. 12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! 13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. 14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. 15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. 16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. 17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
PSALM 71 3 and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. 18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. 22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. 24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.
PSALM 71 4 DAY 1 Read through Psalm 71 once writing down what you find interesting, what you find helpful, and what you don t fully understand. According to the introductory notes on Psalm 71 in the ESV Study Bible, Psalm 71 is an individual lament, suited to a faithful person in danger from enemies who would cause hurt by taking advantage of any weakness or distress. Read through the notes on Psalm 71 in the ESV Study Bible. Write at least one paragraph highlighting what you learned from the study notes. Reread Psalm 71, personalizing the Psalm as your own prayer. Write out that prayer. DAY 2 Read Psalm 71 again. In the first three verses the Psalmist cries out to God in a time of great need. It is not the first time he has come to God in times of need; it will not be the last. As the Psalmist writes in verse 3 (emphasis mine): Be to be my rock of refuge, to which I continually come. There is a similar expression of faith in William T. Sleeper s hymn, Jesus, I Come. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Into thy freedom, gladness and light, Out of my sickness into thy health, Out of my want and into thy wealth, Out of my sin and into thyself, Jesus, I come to thee. Out of my shameful failure and loss, Into the glorious gain of thy cross, Out of earth s sorrows into thy balm, Out of life s storms and into thy calm, Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to thee.
PSALM 71 5 Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Into thy blessed will to abide, Out of myself to dwell in thy love, Out of despair into raptures above, Upward for aye on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to thee. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Into the joy and light of thy home, Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of thy sheltering fold, Ever thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to thee. Read through Psalm 71 again, writing down the verses where the Psalmist reminds himself of the ways God has helped him in the past and how God s past help encourages faith in God in the midst of his present trouble. The Psalmist doesn t just write about his troubles for his own encouragement. He knows that his life can serve as an encouraging example to others to trust in God in times of trouble (verses 15-16). For he knows that just as God has rescued him, so he will rescue all his people. The rescue may look different and the timing may change, but one thing will remain the same: From the depths of the earth you will bring me up again (verse 20). In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul makes a statement: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Jesus was raised from the dead; therefore all those who are believers in Jesus will experience the same thing: Life with God, for eternity, after death. Write out a prayer to Jesus, expressing your faith in him in the midst of your trouble. Start the prayer by quoting verse three: Be to be my rock of refuge, to which I continually come. In your prayer, list some of the ways God has helped you in the past. Include also the reasons you can continually come to him. DAY 3 Read Psalm 71 again, writing down some of the specific reasons the Psalmist is crying out to God for help. Look over your list of reasons the Psalmist is crying out to God for help. Describe at least one situation in your life that is similar to the Psalmist s situation. The Psalmist starts his prayer with this (verse 1): In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! That is his way of saying, God, I m trusting in you alone; don t let me down.
PSALM 71 6 To be put to shame would mean that it was shown, ultimately, that your faith in God was in vain. Instead, he prays his enemies will be put to shame, therefore proving their trust in something other than the God of the Bible was wrong (verse 13). In verses 9-11 the Psalmist writes the specific ways he fears he will be put to shame. Read verses 9-11 again and write down some of the specific ways you fear being put to shame for the specific ways you ve trusted in God. Write down the specific ways God s promises meet you in those fears as well as the ways you ve experienced God make good on those promises. Write out a prayer that starts with verse 1: In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! Tell God, in prayer, your specific fears as well as the ways you believe he will meet you in those fears. End your prayer by quoting verse 20, You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. DAY 4 Read Psalm 71 again, focusing on verses 15-24. In verse 24a the Psalmist writes: My tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long. Prayerfully read verse 24a over and over again until you can answer these three questions: How does this show me something about God to praise? How does this show me something about myself to confess? How does this show me something I need to ask God for? Based on your answers to those three questions, write out a prayer to God. DAY 5 Read through Psalm 71 twice. Write out at least two paragraphs reflecting on what you ve learned about God, yourself, and others from Psalm 71. Write out at least one thing you hope to apply to your life from Psalm 71. Spend at least 15 minutes sharing what you wrote with a trusted friend or family member. If they read Psalm 71 this week, ask them to do the same. End your time in prayer, thanking God for what he taught you this week.
PSALM 71 7 * Purchasing an ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2008.) will aid you in your understanding of the Psalms. The first day s reading each week assumes you will have access to the notes in the ESV Study Bible. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It will help you understand not just the Psalms, but also the rest of the Bible in a deeper way. You can either buy the Bible (amazon.com, search: ESV Study Bible) or purchase online access to the notes at www.esvbible.org. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2014 Elliot Grudem.