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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

Lifelong Praise and Prayer

Psalm 71:1-24

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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Lifelong Praise and Prayer

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 71:1-24, 1. In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. 3. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the com-mand to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. 5. For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. 6. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. 7. I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. 9. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. 10. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. 11. They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him."




12. Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. 13. May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. 14. But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. 15. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. 16. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. 17. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 18. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. 19. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? 20. Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. 21. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. 22. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed. 24. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confu-sion. (NIV) Introduction: I. Since there is no superscription, the psalm is anonymous.

A. It is clear, however, that the author is approaching old age and is feeling its uncertainties.




1. He finds solace in the fact that he has been devoted to God all his life, and he knows that God does not forsake His faithful saints.

B. He laments the fact that enemies threaten him and seek his life.

1. This fact identifies the psalm as a lament.

2. Like so many laments, the psalm also contains praise and trust in God.

3. These mixed elements are not anomalies, for they are often interspersed in psalms of lament and petition.

II. Outline of Psalm 71:

A. The psalm opens with the familiar plea for help (1-4).

1. Psalm 71:1-4, In you, O LORD, I have taken ref-uge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and de-liver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can al-ways go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. (NIV)

B. Then it continues with his prayer based on his lifelong trust in God (5-13).

1. Psalm 71:5-13, For you have been my hope, O Sov-ereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth




from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him." Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. (NIV)

C. The psalm closes with his declaration of lifelong praise to God based on trust in Him (14-24).

1. Psalm 71:14-24, But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout




for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. (NIV)

D. It is obvious that the overarching theme of the psalm is the author’s consciousness of lifelong fidelity that gives him confi-dence to plead with and to praise God.

Commentary:

Plea for Help Psalm 71:1-4, In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. (NIV) Psalm 71:1, In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. (NIV) I. God is the one in whom the psalmist takes refuge.

A. This, he believes, gives him a right to call upon God for help.

1. He pleads for constant help so he will “never be put to shame”.

2. He recognizes the changes that occur even in a life well lived, and he acknowledges his need of God’s help to preserve his trust and defenses.




Psalm 71:2, Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. (NIV) I. His trust is in God’s, not his own righteousness.

A. God must be the one to save.

1. Thus, he confidently pleads for God to “rescue” and “deliver” him.

Psalm 71:3, Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. (NIV) I. He petitions God in the expression “be my rock of refuge”, and de-clares his present trust by declaring God to be “my rock” and “my for-tress”.

A. “Rock” is a metaphor of a sure foundation; “refuge” is a metaphor of shelter; and “fortress” is a metaphor of a fortified place that grants protection from invasion.

B. Phrase is heaped upon phrase in order to magnify the poet’s feeling of absolute security in God.

Psalm 71:4, Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. (NIV) I. Even though the psalmist feels that he has a firm grasp on God, he realizes that wicked and evil men seek to have a grasp on him also.

A. Only He must choose his master.

B. God is sufficient to deliver him.




Plea Based on Lifelong Trust Psalm 71:5-13, For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splen-dor all day long. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not for-sake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will res-cue him." Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. (NIV) Psalm 71:5, For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. (NIV) I. Pleas have not ceased in this section, but his lifelong attachment to God is declared as a basis for his confidence in God’s help.

A. The expression, “O Sovereign LORD”, acknowledges God as the ruler of his life and his covenant companion.

1. This relationship has not been casual or fickle, but it has been constant since his youth.

Psalm 71:6, From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. (NIV) I. He recognizes that God birthed him, and he has therefore relied on Him from his birth.

A. He promises to always praise God who has been his helper all his life.




Psalm 71:7, I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. (NIV) I. Threats by implied enemies are in sharp contrast to the “strong ref-uge” in God.

A. “Portent” is a foreshadowing of grave events to come (4).

1. Psalm 71:4, Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. (NIV)

Psalm 71:8, My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. (NIV) I. He repeats his declaration of continuous praise that declared God’s splendor.

A. God’s splendor is His innate brilliance and glory.

B. The psalmist has not treated God as the handy grocery man on whom he calls only in time of trouble.

C. Praise of God has been characteristic of his entire life.

Psalm 71:9, Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. (NIV) I. Verse 9 is a balanced couplet.

A. “When I am old” and “when my strength is gone” express a common condition of the aging process.




1. “Do not cast me away” is a strong plea further defined by the expression, “do not forsake me”.

a. The reason for this plea is given in verse 10.

Psalm 71:10, For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. (NIV) I. “For” identifies verse 10 as a statement of the reason for his present plea.

A. Conspirators defame him and seek to destroy him, so he thinks.

B. The repetition of this sentiment in laments causes one to wonder if the fear is based on fact or fear.

1. Is it hyperbolic or realistic language?

Psalm 71:11, They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him." (NIV) I. Apparently, because of his waning strength in old age, his enemies believe that God has forsaken him, and so they believe they can take unfair advantage of him without penalty. Psalm 71:12, Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. (NIV) I. Verse 12 expresses the same imploring cry as found in Psalm 70:1.

A. Psalm 70:1, In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. (NIV)




II. The call for quick relief involves the fear of immediate harm from enemies. Psalm 71:13, May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. (NIV) I. Wishing of “shame” “scorn” and “disgrace” upon one’s enemies is common in laments.

A. He calls for divine justice rather than personal vengeance.

Praise Based on Lifelong Trust Psalm 71:14-24, But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous-ness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its meas-ure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise you with the harp for your faithful-ness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. (NIV) Psalm 71:14, But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. (NIV)




I. “But as for me” is a phrase that the psalmist uses to separate himself from the squeamish that are easily distracted by troubles.

A. He vows always to have hope and to praise God in spite of distractions.

Psalm 71:15, My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. (NIV) I. “Righteousness” has several connotations.

A. In conjunction with “salvation” it refers to ethical acts of justice.

B. God’s righteousness and salvation, not his own, are the things upon which he relies (2,5,6).

1. Psalm 71:2, 5, 6, Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my con-fidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. (NIV)

II. “Though I know not its measure” is an acknowledgment that he does not fully understand God’s ways, but he is willing to trust Him.

A. This attitude allows God to be God and places man in his proper relationship with Him.

Psalm 7:16, I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sover-eign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. (NIV)




I. Verse 16 makes clear his vow to rely only on God’s righteousness.

A. He will “proclaim” God’s righteousness manifested in His “mighty acts” that are generally characteristic of Him, and which are especially present for one in trouble like him.

B. For the significance of the phrase, “O Sovereign LORD”, see the notes on verse 5.

1. He will proclaim these things so they may be shared by others.

2. Genuine faith and trust are most powerful when shared with others.

Psalm 7:17, Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. (NIV) I. Lifelong the psalmist has been obedient to God’s teaching. II. Lifelong commitment permeates Psalm 71 (5,6,8,14,15,18).

A. Psalm 71:5,6,8,14,15,18, For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I de-clare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. (NIV)




Psalm 7:18, Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. (NIV) I. Apparently, the psalmist is not yet “old and gray”, but perhaps he is approaching that stage of his life (9).

A. Psalm 71:9, Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. (NIV)

B. He desires to live long enough to be able to share God’s “power” and “might” with those who are yet to come.

C. What a noble aspiration!

Psalm 71:19, Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? (NIV) I. “Reaches to the skies” is a superlative idea indicating complete permeation.

A. “Righteousness” is still used in an active positive sense.

B. His rhetorical question declares the uniqueness of God.

C. It is manifested in the doing of “great things”. Psalm 71:20, Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. (NIV) I. He attributes his many and bitter troubles to God.

A. God allowed these things to happen to him.




1. Yet, he trusts God as the restorer of his life.

B. “From the depths of the earth” indicates the severity of his trials.

II. “Bring me up” implies that restoration will be like a personal resur-rection. Psalm 71:21, You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. (NIV) I. “You will increase my honor” implies that his honor has been smeared by his enemies.

A. Restoration will be comforting to his troubled soul. Psalm 71:22, I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. (NIV) I. God’s faithfulness has been implied throughout the psalm.

A. Here it is plainly stated.

1. His faithfulness is praiseworthy.

a. God can be trusted! II. “Holy One of Israel” is a designation used thirty-two times in thirty-one verses in the Old Testament (cf. Ps. 78:41; 89:14).

A. Psalm 78:41, Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. (NIV)




B. Psalm 89:14, Righteousness and justice are the founda-tion of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. (NIV)

C. The phrase is used mostly in Isaiah and . . .

D. denotes God’s awesome dignity manifested toward faithful Israel.

Psalm 71:23, My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed. (NIV) I. God’s redemptive acts are cause for shouts of joy and songs of praise.

A. “Redeemed”, in the context of the psalm, doubtless refers to deliverance from the terror caused by his enemies.

Psalm 71:24, My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. (NIV) I. “Righteous acts” reveals the true meaning of God’s righteousness set forth in the psalm.

A. Whether in fact or only in anticipation, have his enemies been put to “shame” and “confusion”? The answer is uncertain.

1. Pleas for help throughout the psalm (1-4, 9-13, 20a) suggest possibly the latter.

a. Psalm 71:1-4, 9-13, 20, In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save




me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can al-ways go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will res-cue him." Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. May my accus-ers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. (NIV)

b. Faith has been kept alive through his troubles.

2. As a result, his heart is now comforted in his expecta-tion of God’s favorable response to his prayer.

Application: I. Psalm 71 is a great example of faith triumphant.

A. In spite of his feeling of great danger from his enemies, he keeps coming back to confidence and hope in the goodness of God.

B. Determination to be faithful all of one’s life is a wonderful fulcrum on which to balance one’s life.




C. Recognition of the faithfulness of God, not just in good times, but also in the bad days, is a firm foundation for Godly living.

D. It will be great when all God’s children learn to trust Him so.




Questions

Psalm 71:1-24

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. The psalmist took ______________ in the ________________ and asked that the Lord never allow him to be put to _________________. 2. The psalmist further asked that the Lord __________________ and ________________ him in his _____________________. He wanted God to __________________ to him and ___________________ him. 3. The psalmist asked God to be his _________________________ of ______________, to which he could ____________ _____________. The psalmist asked God to ______________ the ______________ to _______________ him because God was his ________________ and his ___________________. 4. He specifically prayed for __________________________ from the _____________ of the _____________, from the ______________ of _______________ and ________________ _______________. 5. The _________________ ______________ had been the psalmist’s ________________and ______________ since his ______________. 6. The psalmist gave God credit for his ___________________. How can it be said that the psalmist had relied on the Lord from birth?____ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The psalmist promised to always ______________________ the Lord.




7. What is a portent? To whom was the psalmist a portent? _______ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. The Lord was the psalmist’s ________________ ______________. The psalmist’s _______________ would, therefore, be ____________ with God’s ________________, _____________ God’s ___________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ____________________. 9. The psalmist prayed, “Do ________________ _________________ ______________ ______________ when I am _______________; do _______________ _____________ me when my _______________ is __________________.” 10. Do we Christians care well for our elderly family members, older church members and neighbors of advancing age? _______________. How can we improve our care of our senior citizens? ____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. The psalmist said his enemies _________________________ _____________________ him and that those who wanted to ___________________ him ________________ ________________. Why did the psalmist have so many enemies who wanted to kill him?____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. The psalmist’s enemies asserted, “______________________ has _______________ him; _______________ him and ______________ him, for _______________ ________________ will ______________ him.” 13. The psalmist’s enemies thought he was defenseless. Therefore, they were ready to attack him. What do you think of people who kick others when they are down? In what ways do people do this today? _ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. The psalmist prayed, “Be ________________ ________________ from me, O God; __________________ __________________, O my God, to ____________________ _____________________. May my ________________ ________________ in _________________; may those who want to ________________ me be _______________ with __________________ and __________________.” 15. Did the psalmist do right in wanting the same fate for his enemies that they wished for him? Explain your answer. ________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. The psalmist promised, “But as for me, I will _________________ _________________ ________________; I will _____________ you _______________ and _______________. My




__________________ will ______________ of your ___________, of your _____________ ________________ ________________ ________________, though I know not its _______________. I will come and ________________________ you ________________ __________________, _________________ ______________ ________________; I will _________________________ your _________________, __________________ __________________.” 17. Tell of trying times in your life when hope remained strong and when it faltered? How do you account for the difference? _________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. Since his _______________, God had ______________ the psalmist and he in turn ___________________ to that very ________________ had ______________ God’s ________________ ________________. 19. The psalmist further prayed, “Even when I am ______________ and ______________, do not ______________ _________________, O God, till I __________________ your _________________ to the __________________ ________________, your ________________ to all who are to ____________________.” 20. Do you fear old age, death and dying? What can alleviate this fear?____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




21. How dedicated are you to teaching the next generation about the Lord’s power, might and will? ______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. The psalmist declared that God’s _________________ reaches to the ________________ and praised God for all the _______________ _____________ he had done. He concluded that ________________ ________________ is like, equal, comparable to God. 23. The psalmist said, even though God had made him see _________________ and ________________ ________________, he was confident God would ______________ his _____________ _____________________ and would even __________________ him up ____________________ from the __________________ of the ______________________.” 24. The psalmist was persuaded God would __________________ his ________________ and _______________ him _________________ ________________. How confident are you that everything works together for good to them that love God? Is your attitude positive or negative as a rule? _________________________________________ 25. Explain “. . . you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.” Does this speak to the resurrection of the dead? _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




26. The psalmist again promised, “I will ________________ you with the ___________________ for your ________________, O my God; I will _________________ to you with the ___________________, O ________________ _________________ of ___________________.” 27. What have you promised God if he would bless you? Have you kept these promises? ______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28. What is a lyre? Give details. _____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 29. “My ______________ will _____________ for _______________ when I ________________ ________________ to you – I, whom you have ________________. My __________________ will tell of your ____________________ __________________ _________________ __________________ _________________, for those who wanted to ___________________ me have been put to _________________ and ___________________. 30. What do you know about the author of Psalm 71? ____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




31. Outline Psalm 71. ______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 32. List all the metaphors used in Psalm 71 and give the meaning of each? __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 33. Define righteousness and salvation as used in Psalm 71. _______ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 34. To what is your life committed? Answer thoughtfully and frankly. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




35. What applications can be made of the teachings of Psalm 71 to our lives? __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



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