“Hasten to Me, O God!” (An exposition of Psalm 70)1

Introduction

Psalm 70 is a Psalm of . It is short and to the point. We do not know what the historical setting or occasion of this Psalm was – we do not know what specific trial(s) David was enduring at the time when he wrote it. He tells us in v.2 that he had enemies who were seeking his life, and who delighted in him suffering evil or harm.

In some ways Psalm 70 gets shortchanged. Many commentators seem to skim over it somewhat, and the reason for that is that Psalm 70 is essentially a repetition of part of . Some commentators simply refer the reader back to their comments on the latter part of Psalm 40 in an attempt to avoid unnecessary repetition. Psalm 70 repeats, nearly word for word, Psalm 40:13-17. There are some slight variations, but the essential message is the same.

Why the repetition in the here? First, many messages in the Scriptures simply bear repeating because they are so important. For example, much of the history of the kingdom of Israel that is found in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings is repeated in some way in the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles. The Apostle Paul repeats much of what he says in the book of Ephesians in his epistle to the Colossians. And, most importantly, we have, not one, but four (4) Gospel accounts in the New Testament. And three of them (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are so similar in perspective, that we call them the “synoptic Gospels.” (“Synoptic” means that they share the same viewpoint.)

All of these different kinds of repetitions in the Scriptures are there for a reason, and they are there for our benefit and edification in the faith.

The title of this Psalm is not the simplest to translate or understand, but it may tell us something of the reason for this repetition. The ESV renders it as “For the Memorial Offering.” But the (KJV) and New King James Version (NKJV) render it as “To Bring to Remembrance.” Matthew Henry writes,

“The title tells us that this psalm was designed to bring to remembrance; that is, to put God in remembrance of his mercy and promises (for so we are said to do when we pray to him and plead with him. Isa. Xliii. 26, Put me in remembrance) – not that the Eternal Mind needs a remembrancer, but this honour he is pleased to put upon the prayer of faith. Or, rather, to put himself [i.e. David] and others in remembrance of former afflictions, that we may never be secure, but always in expectation of troubles, and of former devotions, that when the clouds return after the rain we may have recourse to the same means which we have formerly found effectual for fetching in comfort and relief.”2

He goes on to say that here we are also taught that it is acceptable before God for us to use the same words in prayer that we have often used before, even as our Lord Jesus Himself prayed the same thing three times in His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:44).

So let us learn from this Psalm to always be in remembrance of our former trials and God's past mercies, that we might be better equipped to seek God's mercies again in our present or future trials. 1 All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted. 2 Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. III, p.500 David's Cry for Deliverance (v.1, 5)

The first thing that we see in this brief Psalm is David's cry for deliverance from his enemies. In v.1 he writes, “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!” His situation was desperate. He needed deliverance now! And so he wastes no time in His crying out to his God – he gets right to the point!

Have you ever done that? Have you ever been in such dire straits that your prayers lose all of their formality and decorum? Have you ever just cried out to God for His mercy and help as if your very life depended on it? (Sometimes that is quite literally the case in the lives of God's people.) He asks God to “Make haste” (v.1) and to “hasten to me, O God!” (v.5).

Here David shows us by example that proper form (so to speak) is not always necessary in our prayers. If prayer is the heart's cry to God, then it is fitting that in time of trouble and urgency, our prayers reflect that very fact. James Montgomery Boice helpfully writes,

“We are not always in situations like this, of course. So our prayers should usually be less hurried and cover far more ground, especially for the needs of other people. When we are in desperate need, however, there is nothing wrong with getting to the point and praying urgently for exactly what we need, as David does.”3

There are some important lessons for us as believers in Christ to learn here. First, we must remember that our God sometimes brings even His choicest saints, His well-beloved children in Christ, into the fiery furnace of trials and even persecution. The long, storied history of the church is filled with examples of this, even to our own day.

Let us take to heart the exhortation of the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:12–14, where he writes,

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

Don't be surprised when trials come into our lives as Christians. Don't be surprised when your faith is tested. Instead, we are to “rejoice” in that in some small way we might be sharing in Christ's sufferings, because it is a reminder that we will also share in His glory at His return!

Second, let us remember to look to God in prayer, first and foremost, for our deliverance and help. Too often we tend to try to handle everything ourselves first, or look elsewhere for help first, and make prayer our last resort if all else fails.

Brothers and sisters, let us at least learn to benefit from our trials by letting them teach us to be people of prayer. As Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, let us “pray without ceasing” and even “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” If our trials get us praying, then they will have done us much good!

3 Psalms, Vol. 2, p.587 David's Prayer Against His Enemies (v.2-3)

The second thing we see in this Psalm is not just David's cry for deliverance from his enemies, but also His cry for God's just judgment against his enemies. In v.2-3 he writes,

“Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!””

In many ways David's cry for deliverance and His plea for God's just judgment against his enemies are really two sides of the same coin, aren't they? God often delivers His people from their enemies through acts of His just judgment against them.

David prays to God that his enemies, those who were seeking his life (v.2), might be “put to shame and confusion.” He is asking that their plots against not be allowed to succeed, and that they would be put to shame instead of being able to triumph over him.

This is a prayer of imprecation of sorts, just as we saw in the previous Psalm (). A prayer of imprecation is simply a prayer for God's just judgment against the wicked. These kinds of prayers are found throughout the Psalms.

Now this might make us a little uncomfortable, but that is probably because we are too comfortable in the first place. If we were to suffer intense, violent persecution, as our brothers and sisters in places like Nigeria are suffering even now, we would probably understand imprecatory prayers just fine, and would feel much differently about praying in like fashion as David does here.

And again, David leaves vengeance to God, doesn't he? He does not seek vengeance himself or take it into his own hands, but rather entrusts himself to the mercy and just judgment of God. And is that not what we must do as well?

When we see the church being harassed, hindered, and even persecuted in various ways, what are we to do? Frankly, sometimes the enemies of the church seem far beyond our ability to defeat or to overcome. Perhaps our God even allows these things at least in part to remind us of our weakness and of our need for His mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

In our own nation right now, what can the church do about oppressive overreach by a tyrannical government? Where is our recourse, when even the Supreme Court of the United States effectively rules that a state government (Nevada) may impose far more severe restrictions on churches and other places of worship than they do to such apparently vitally “essential” places such as gambling casinos?

What are we to do when liquor stores, pot shops, and abortion clinics are ruled as “essential” businesses, while churches continue to be hindered from gathering safely for worship? There seems to be no earthly help suitable for these things. And so what are we to do?

We do not take matters into our own hands. We are not the ones rioting. We do not commit violence in order to get our way. We seek the Lord, and we pray. We pray for God's will, and His just judgment. Many might laugh and scoff at that. Certainly those who have made themselves out to be the enemies of the church, and even of the cross of Christ in some cases, might scoff at the idea that the church gathered together in prayer could do anything to stop them in their tracks. But they would be sadly mistaken.

It reminds me of a quote from the Puritan writer, William Gurnall. In his book, The Christian in Complete Armor (which is a commentary of sorts on Paul's words in Ephesians chapter 6, dealing with spiritual warfare and the armor of God), he warns the wicked not to get the saints engaged in praying against them! He says,

“Take heed that by your implacable hatred to the truth and church of God, you do not engage her prayers against you” (p.448).

He even goes so far as to say:

“The prayers of the saints are more to be feared . . .than an army of twenty thousand men in the field” (ibid).

He points to the example of Esther (cf. Esther 4:16), whose prayers hastened Haman’s destruction on his own gallows; and also of Hezekiah’s prayers against Sennacherib (cf. Isaiah 37:14-20), which “brought his huge host to the slaughter, and fetched an angel from heaven to do the execution in one night upon them” (ibid.). He draws upon the examples given in Scripture to prove his point.

Do we believe that? Do we believe that our God is well-pleased to hear and to answer the prayers of His people when we cry out to Him? We should, because He is!

Our God and Savior is more than able to put the enemies of His church to shame and confusion. He is more than able to turn them back, bring their plots to nothing, and to bring them to dishonor. Our Lord Jesus, who rules over all things from the right hand of God for the sake of His church, is willing and able to defend His church!

David's Care for the Church and for God's Glory (v.4-5)

The last thing that we see here in Psalm 70 is that in all of this, in both David's cry to God for deliverance and for judgment upon his enemies, his concern was still not just for his own ease or comfort, but was for the good of the church, and for the glory of God! In v.4 he writes,

“May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!””

Here his attention in prayer turns from the wicked to the church – to his brothers and sisters in the faith. He prays that all who seek God “rejoice and be glad” in Him when they see God's answers to his prayers for deliverance and judgment against the wicked. He prayed that God's people who love His salvation might “say evermore, “God is great!”” Those who love God's salvation love the God of their salvation as well, and love nothing more than that His great name might be exalted and magnified! Is that how we pray? It should be. Even in our hurried prayers, our concern must turn toward the good of the church and the glory of God.

And David's cry for mercy here in this Psalm is really a picture of every sinner's need for the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, isn't it? Look at David's words in v.5:

“But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!”

Outside of Christ, every person is a sinner who is “poor and needy,” and stands in need of God's salvation in Jesus Christ. He is the only “help and Deliverer” who is able to save us from our sins.

Have you come to that realization? Have you discovered that your greatest need in life and in eternity is that your sins against a holy God need to be atoned for and forgiven? Do you know that your sins have separated you from God, and place you justly under His holy wrath?

For the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died in the place of sinners on the cross. He paid the awful price that we owe because of our sins against God, and bore the wrath of God in our place. And He was raised from the dead on the third day for our justification, that we might know that the price for our salvation has been paid in full.

If you are outside of Christ and still in your sins today, then you must repent of your sins and believe on Jesus Christ You must trust in Him alone for mercy, forgiveness, and eternal salvation from your sins. The Scripture says that whoever comes to Him He will by no means cast out (John 6:37).

And then may you too learn to love the salvation of the Lord, and to say with the rest of God's people, “God is great!” - Amen