Reflections on Psalms 70

 Psalms 70(Contemporary English Version)

1. (By David for the music leader. To be used when an offering is made.) Save me, LORD God! Hurry and help.
   
2. Disappoint and confuse all who want to kill me. Turn away and disgrace all who want to hurt me.
   
3. Embarrass and shame those who say, "We told you so!"
   
4. Let your worshipers celebrate and be glad because of you. They love your saving power, so let them always say, "God is wonderful!"
   
5. I am poor and needy, but you, the LORD God, care about me. You are the one who saves me. Please hurry and help!

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Psalms 70 is a quick prayer by David which, along with his plea for the Lord to hurry, suggests the urgency of his need. Those who were after him wanted to take his life, and the urgency of his plea gives the impression that they were not far away. He asked the Lord to cause his enemies to be "disgraced and confounded," "driven back and humiliated," and to "retreat because of their shame." Though these requests may seem like revenge or retaliation, they are the help or deliverance for which he was asking. If the Lord were to help him, it would require that the Lord stop his enemies in some way. In what way would He do it. David was suggesting that it be by confounding their plans and bringing them to disgrace. This would cause them to be driven back and humiliated, retreating in shame. He did not ask God to destroy them, only to confound them.

David seems never to simply make his request and be done. He always envisions a time of praise when the Lord will have answered his prayer and he will rejoice because of it. In this case he says, "Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation continually say, 'God is great!'" (70:4) He states it as another part of his request asking that the Lord grant him his help so he will be able to "rejoice and be glad" in the Lord. But it also implies that rejoicing in the Lord is a natural part of receiving God's help. He would not fail to give God credit for His help. He will not ask and then receive without continually saying, "God is great!"

Finally, to impress upon the Lord the urgency of his situation, he again states, "I am afflicted and needy; hurry to me, God." (70:5)