Psalm_69

Reading Psalm 69:30-36

Overview
We don’t know exactly when this psalm was written. It has a half a dozen ties to Psalm 40 and
almost as many to Psalm 68. Lamentations has a dozen links to this Psalm, so we could
consider it the Lamentation of David. Some commentators believe it was written at the time of
Absalom’s rebellion. But we know that David wrote this psalm when he was in the midst of
affliction.

• He tells us about his troubles and the distress he feels, and he earnestly asks
God for relief (v. 1-21).
• He calls for the judgment of God upon his persecutors (v. 22-29).
• He concludes with joy and praise, in assurance that God will help both him and
all the saints v. 30-36.

David was a type of Christ in this, and a number of verses in this psalm are applied to Christ in
the new Testament. Four verses (v. 4,9,21, and v. 22) are used to refer to enemies of Christ.

Like the twenty-second psalm, it begins with His humiliation and ends with His exaltation. This
psalm and Psalm 22 are the two psalms that are most applied to Christ in the New Testament.

The two characteristics of this psalm, which is 'one great martyr image,' are —
(1) The details of the judgment on the psalmist's foes;
(2) The prominence of the fact that he suffers for the sake of God.

In reading this psalm of David, we should keep in mind the sufferings of Christ and the glory that
followed, not forgetting the sufferings of Christ’ brethren, and the glory that will follow them. It
leads us to consider the fate reserved for the persecutors, and the blessings prepared for those
persecuted now.

The psalm begins by describing the sufferer's misery and his cry to God (Ps 69:1-4);
PSA 69:1 Save me, O God,for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,where there is no foothold.I have come into the deep
waters;the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;my throat is parched.My eyes fail,looking for my God.

Have you ever been in over your head? This is what happened to David. Things were out of
control, and he was about to be swept away by the flow of events. David describes the danger
he was in as waters about to take his life. He can’ reach the bottom, and there is nothing to hold
on to.
His prayers are like the final cries of a drowning man. He is afraid that these are his final
moments, but he is tiring of the struggle, and is near to surrendering to what seems to be his
fate.

God knows that the reproach he suffers, he suffers because of his zeal for God's glory,
but he is unjustly afflicted as if he was sinful and foolish. (Ps 69:5-12);

PSA 69:4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head;many are my
enemies without cause,those who seek to destroy me.I am forced to restore what I did not steal.
5 You know my folly, O God;my guilt is not hidden from you.

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Here we see what was described before as deep waters; an overwhelming number of
enemies. And how do they exploit their advantage? They use it to force him to submit, and they
camaflouge it as justice. They pervert justice because they can, and they take what is not theirs
because it pleases them. But even in this, God knows the truth.

He acknowledges that God knows his sins, but also that God knows he is innocent in this
matter.

PSA 69:6 May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me,O Lord, the LORD
Almighty;may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me,O God of Israel. 7 For I
endure scorn for your sake,and shame covers my face. 8 I am a stranger to my brothers,an
alien to my own mother's sons; 9 for zeal for your house consumes me,and the insults of those
who insult you fall on me.

David is not alone in this, but is part of a body of believers. He is concerned that they might
suffer because of what happened to him. He prays for them that they should not be disgraced
along with him.

He endures mistreatment because of his faith in God, but he feels ashamed just the same. He is
zealous for his God, but this sets him apart from his family, and he suffers without the benefit of
their fellowship. And when he sees the hyocrisy of his tormenters as they insult his God, he
feels the insult himself.

PSA 69:10 When I weep and fast,I must endure scorn; 11 when I put on sackcloth,people make
sport of me. 12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,and I am the song of the drunkards.

He mourns for his people, but they make fun of him for doing it. Those who sit as judges publicly
mock him. And the drunks amuse themselves by making up songs about him. Both the poor and
the rich alike opposed him.

PSA 69:13 But I pray to you, O LORD,in the time of your favor;in your great love, O God,answer
me with your sure salvation. 14 Rescue me from the mire,do not let me sink;deliver me from
those who hate me,from the deep waters. 15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths
swallow me upor the pit close its mouth over me. 16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness
of your love;in your great mercy turn to me. 17 Do not hide your face from your servant;answer
me quickly, for I am in trouble. 18 Come near and rescue me;redeem me because of my foes.

He prays for salvation because he knows of God’s great love, and the certainty of an appointed
day. Now he returns to the picture of deep waters in asking for deliverence. He trusts in God’s
favor even when God seems to be far off. He appeals to God’s goodnesss, mercy and love, and
crys out again for rescue.

Again he appeals to God's knowledge of his reproach from foes (Ps 69:19-21);

PSA 69:19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless;I looked for sympathy, but there was
none,for comforters, but I found none.
I know scorn is something bad, but I wanted to know for sure what it meant.
 Psalm_69
In Merriam-Websters dictionary, it meant open dislike, contempt, disrespect or derision often
mixed with indignation. This is, as the doctors say, uncomfortable, and he looked for friends who
could offer him comfort, but there were none to be found. He looked for mercy or compassion,
but there was none. Our ultimate source of comfort is found only in God, not in men - who may
fail us.

PSA 69:21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. 22 May the table set
before them become a snare;may it become retribution and a trap.

He is suffering, and brokenhearted, he is looking for compassion, and they even mess with his
food and his drink. Gall and vinegar are bitter, and are use to symbolize bitterness. And since
his enemies provide a fine table for themselves, he calls on God to judge them and turn their
love of the table into a trap for them.

This is the beginning of a series of what the commentaries call imprecations. It is really a series
of curses. He identifies specific misfortunes he would like to fall on his enemies. It makes us
uncomfortable to think like this, but keep in mind, his justice is found in God and not his own
actions. His curses will be filtered through God, and cannot be contrary to his will.

This is the doom called out for the enemies of God (Ps 69:22-28);

PSA 69: 23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,and their backs be bent forever. 24
Pour out your wrath on them;let your fierce anger overtake them. 25 May their place be
deserted;let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

Whether literal blindness or not, the light they know becomes darkness. Perhaps their
understanding and judgement is clouded. Their backs are bent from heavy labor until they can’t
lift like they once did. Both judgment and power are taken from them. He asks that both them,
and any who would be like them, would be taken away by God’s wrath.

PSA 69:26 For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. 27
Charge them with crime upon crime;do not let them share in your salvation.

Their victims are not the strong, but those who have already sufferred misfortune. The weak and
the helpless are their prey. The judgment on them will include each and every infraction of God’
law, and a just punishment for every one.

They are unrepenting; they are repeat offenders; For them, there will be no salvation.

PSA 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

At first glance, they would seem to be Godly people whose names would be found in the book
of life; but they will be erased and they will be forgotten as if they had never been.

The psalmist is poor and sorrowful himself, but he is sure that the salvation of God will
lift him up, even set him on high (Ps 69:29); and so he resolves to praise God;

PSA 69:29 I am in pain and distress;may your salvation, O God, protect me.

He confesses his need, but he puts his faith, his hope, and his trust in God.

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The humble rejoice when the Lord hears the prayer of the poor (Ps 69:30-33);

PSA 69:30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will
please the LORD more than an ox,more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

The psalmist looks forward to celebrating his salvation with songs of praise and thanksgiving to
his God. And this is a gift pleasing to God. There is no sacrifice which God values more than our
recognition of His everlasting love and our acknowledgment of His goodness towards us.

PSA 69:32 The poor will see and be glad —you who seek God, may your hearts live! 33 The
LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.

When others in need see how God helps him, they will take heart and rejoice with him. Their
faith in God is strengthened and confirmed. For as he delivered his servant, so will he do for all
that are in distress and call on him.

Heaven and earth are invited to praise God for saving Zion, that His people may dwell
there (Ps 69:34-36).

PSA 69:34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, 35 for God will
save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.Then people will settle there and possess it; 36 the
children of his servants will inherit it,and those who love his name will dwell there.

And finally, we see Zion as the example of those who are saved and delivered by God. When
His people inherit the land of Canaan, the righteous will rejoice. For the promises are both to
those near and those far off.

Turning now to Jesus - How many times can we find Jesus in this Psalm?

Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing the trouble that awaited Him. It is at Gethsemane that we
clearly see how He felt. Psalm 69 begins “Save me, oh God, for the waters have come up to
my neck”.

From the cross, His throat was parched, His vision was cloudy, but He could see the faces of
his enemies standing near. Verse 4 of the Psalm reads “Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head”.

He suffered shame, scorn, and derision in verses 6 and 7. Verse 8 tells us He was a stranger to
His own brothers. Verse 9 takes note of His zeal for God. And verse 21 concludes with they
“gave me vinegar for my thirst”.

At the end, it tells us the poor, the needy, and those who seek God will be glad.

Then it concludes by telling us that heaven and earth will praise Him (verses 34 - 36), and God
will rebuild the cities of Judah.

This is obviously a prophetic psalm about the Christ. By the time we get to “heaven and earth
will praise Him”, no one else can fit. So we can be sure Jesus knew all about the suffering of
this Psalmist.
 Psalm_69
How did Jesus read this psalm?

The gospel of John tells us after Jesus cleaned the temple of the moneychangers,

John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus knew what it was to be consumed by the Word, and driven to action because of it. That
would seem to be what triggered the trouble outlined in the psalm.

And Paul uses this Psalm to teach us how to live like Christ:

ROM 15:1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and
not just please ourselves. 2) Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
3) For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE
WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.”

Jesus knew about helping the weak, and considering the good of his neighbor. His life and
death were an example for us to follow.

Jesus said in John 15:

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you
were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I
chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

And then He offer his proof from Psalm 69:

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not
have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 “But they have
done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’

Jesus challenged the world with his words, and the world was revealed as evil.
The world hated Him because He was not of this world in his words, his actions or his thinking.
But this was prophesied long ago, here in the Psalms.

And the disturbing curses foretold for his enemies? Well, the original antichrist was Judas
Iscariot, who is condemned in this psalm. After giving us an acount of Judas suicide, the author
of Acts tells us:

Acts 1:20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the book of Psalms,
“‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’

And the Apostle Paul applied these curses to the nation of Israel after they rejected the savior
and fought against the gospel of God:
Rom 11:7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The
others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day.”
9And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.

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10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.”

And what does this Psalm mean to us?

We have troubles in this life, some of which are our own making. And we are warned of
troubles to come if we try and make a moral stand.

Our trouble is not always just. It might be unfair, or it might be personal, but it’s distressing and
painful just the same.

We are supposed to bring our troubles to God. We can always pray to God for relief.

We are warned against taking our own revenge. But if we turn our adversaries over to God, we
can’t go wrong. If we pray for those who persecute us, God will oversee whatever happens
next.

And we can look forward to a day of reconing for them and a day of justice for us. We will
praise God in that day. Because that is the day that Jesus will be praising God, and the day
when his enemies will be subject to His rule.

Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

In reading this psalm of David, we remember the sufferings of Christ and the glory that
followed. It leads us to consider the fate reserved for the adversaries of God, and the blessings
prepared for those who suffer now.

The wicked are punished, the righteous rewarded, and the poor rejoice and praise God. This is
the day we are hoping for. This is the Kingdom of God.