“Hasten to Me, O God!” (An exposition of Psalm 70)1 Introduction Psalm 70 is a Psalm of David. 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 Psalm 40. 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 Psalms 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 King James Version (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 (Psalm 69). 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).