A Prayer of Remembrance. Psalm 70:1-5

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 1 Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell A Prayer of Remembrance Psalm 70:1-5

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 2 Text: Psalm 70:1-5, A Prayer of Remembrance Commentary by Clyde M. Miller 1. Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. 2. May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 3. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. 4. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" 5. Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay. (NIV) Introduction: I. This short prayer is designated in the superscription as a petition (NIV). A. Literally, the Hebrew has the phrase to bring to remembrance. B. Apparently, the phrase means that the poet, possibly David, desires to remember God in his time of distress. II. Psalm 70 is much like Psalm 40:13-17, with slight variations.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 3 A. Psalm 70:1-5, Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay. (NIV) B. Psalm 40:13-17, Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay. (NIV) C. Those variations do not alter the overall message of the psalm. III. Verses 1-3 and 5 describe the author s plight and verse 4 is a prayer that the righteous may rejoice in the God who delivers. IV. The following is perhaps the proper outline: A. Verses 1-3 are the poet s plea for help, and this plea includes the familiar imprecation often found in psalms of lament and petition. B. Verses 4-5 express his desire that God be exalted by those who seek Him.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 4 C. This implies that deliverance will come. 1. Yet, deliverance has not yet come to the psalmist, although he expects that it will. Un Urgent Plea for Help Psalm 70:1-3, Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. (NIV) Psalm 70:1, Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. (NIV) I. His prayer for quick deliverance portrays the urgent need felt by the psalmist. A. This is a common feature in laments (Pss. 22:19; 31:2; 38:22; 40:13; 71:12; 79:8; 141:1). 1. Psalm 22:19, But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. (NIV) 2. Psalm 31:2, Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. (NIV) 3. Psalm 38:22, Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior. (NIV) 4. Psalm 40:13, Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. (NIV)

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 5 5. Psalm 71:12, Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. (NIV) 6. Psalm 79:8, Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. (NIV) 7. Psalm 141:1, O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. (NIV) Psalm 70:2, May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. (NIV) I. Common in laments is the feeling that enemies seek one s life (Pss. 35:4; 38:12; 63:9). A. Psalm 35:4, May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. (NIV) B. Psalm 38:12, Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception. (NIV) C. Psalm 63:9, They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. (NIV) D. Whether this was always the reality is uncertain, but the declaration is made sincerely. II. Wishing shame and disgrace upon one s enemies is also a common feature (Pss. 6:10; 25:3; 31:17; 35:4,26; 40:14,15; 44:7,15, et al).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 6 A. Psalm 6:10, All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace. (NIV) B. Psalm 25:3, No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. (NIV) C. Psalm 31:17, Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave. (NIV) D. Psalm 35:4, 26, May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace. (NIV) E. Psalm 40:14, 15, May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. (NIV) F. Psalm 44:7, 15, but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame. (NIV) G. This is doubtless a plea that justice should be done. Psalm 70:3, May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. (NIV) I. Finally, an imprecation is heaped upon those who gloat over the misfortunes of the righteous.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 7 May God be Exalted Psalm 70:4-5, But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay. (NIV) Psalm 70:4, But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" (NIV) I. But marks a momentary contrast to verses 1-3. A. Psalm 70:1-3, Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. (NIV) B. The psalmist does not want anyone to be discouraged over his fervent description of his own distress. II. Two conditions for the righteous to expect deliverance are given: those who seek you and those who love your salvation. A. God wants us to seek his help in time of need and to seek him with the proper attitude. B. Jesus said, Ask, and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you (Mt. 7:7). III. God is the one to be exalted. Psalm 70:5, Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay. (NIV)

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 8 I. His return to his personal plea indicates again the urgency for deliverance that he felt. Application: A. Come quickly is repeated for emphasis (cf. v. 1). 1. Psalm 70:1, Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. (NIV) B. Do not delay encapsulates his urgency. I. Urgent feelings of need and prayers for help do not have to be long or vainly repetitious. A. Jesus teaches us that we are not heard for our much speaking or vain repetitions (Mt. 6:7, ASV). 1. Matthew 6:7, And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (ASV) B. Of course, not all repetition is vain; it may indicate the intensity of one s sincere emotions. II. The thought is that one should not try to impress others with one s ability for beautiful language; one should be aware of the desire of God that we pray to Him as His children, and like children.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 9 Questions Psalm 70:1-5 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. The psalmist prayed,, O God, to me; O Lord, to me. May those who be put to and ; may who my be in. May those who say to me,!! because of their. 2. The psalmist further prayed, but may who you and be in you; may those who your always say, Let be. 3. The psalmist concluded Psalm 70 by praying, Yet am and ; to, O God. You are my and my ; O Lord,. 4. How are Psalms 70 and 40 alike and how are they different?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 10 5. Outline Psalm 70. 6. Give evidence that urgent need is a common feature of laments. 7. Give two other common features of laments. 8. Are these both appropriate for God s people? Give reasons for your answer. 9. What is an imprecation? Upon whom is an imprecation heaped in verse 3?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 11 10. On what two conditions are the psalmist s expectation for deliverance based? 11. The psalmist prayed from a feeling of great urgency: express this urgency. 12. What did Jesus say about long and vainly repetitious prayers? 13. We should not try to with our to use. 14. God desires that we pray to him as his and like. 15. When have you prayed to God from a sense of urgent desperate need? What were the results of these prayers?