Bible Commentaries

Psalms 71:1. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

There is his trust, and there is his fear; his trust he dares to avow, his fear he turns into a prayer.

Psalms 71:2-3. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

“Be thou my strong habitation whereunto I may continually resort.” Not merely now and then a hiding-place in emergency, but my constant abode, my home, so that from morning to night I may come to thee, and feel myself secure. “Thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.” You see he knows that God has commanded nature, and providence, and grace to protect him; he has commanded his angels, indeed, he has commanded all his forces, to protect David for this reason, that David feels an inward rest and peace in God. That calm, that divine repose expressed in the words “Thou art my rock and my refuge,” are the tokens that God has given commandment to save us.

Psalms 71:4. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

Two iron hands are trying to pull him down, but he cries to God, whose one almighty hand can set him free.

Psalms 71:5. For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

Happy man that can look back upon a youth spent in God’s fear; for if we have trusted God in our youth, depend upon it, he will never cast us away.

Psalms 71:6. By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

When we could not help ourselves, in the very moment of our birth, God took care of us; and he will take care of us even to the end. Men and women who are old should remember how carefully the Lord nursed them when they were infants; and if you come to a second childhood, you shall still have the same God.

Psalms 71:7. I am as a wonder unto many;

They cannot make me out, I am a blessed problem and puzzle to them: it seems so strange that being so much afflicted I am yet so much upheld.

Psalms 71:7. But thou art my strong refuge.

Aye! There is the answer to the riddle. If God be with us, men may well wonder; but he will always help us.

Psalms 71:8-9. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Cast me not of in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

A prayer which both young and old may offer, for if we live long enough, that time of weakness will surely come on. There are many men who do cast off their old servants; but God does not. When we are worn out, he will still bless us.

Psalms 71:10-14. For mine enemies speak against me and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. But I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more.

In the 8^th verse he had said, “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise.” That is a mouthful, now he says, “I will praise thee more and more.” As if he wanted more mouths wherewith to praise more room for his heart’s grateful thanksgiving to God, “I will praise thee more and more.”

This exposition consisted of readings from Romans 5:1-11; and Psalms 71:1-14.

Psalms 71:1-8. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteous, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou art my hope, O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother bowels my praise shall be continually of thee.

David had enjoyed the mercy of God from his very birth. We are apt to forget the tender care of God over our infancy, but we ought to remember it: and it will be a great comfort to us, if we come to a second childhood, to remember how kindly God took care of us in the first.

Psalms 71:7-11. I am at a wonder unto many, but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. For mine enemies speak against me, and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there it none to deliver him.

Surely that ought to have been the reason for letting him alone. With right-minded persons it would have been so, but the devil and his children are arrant onwards, and their argument is, “Persecute and take him: for there is none to deliver him.” You might as well expect tenderness in a wolf as anything like bravery and chivalry in a persecutor.

Psalms 71:12-14. O God be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my hell. Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, and will yet raise thee more and more.

How was he going to do it? Already his mouth was filled with God’s praise, so, surely, he would fill his whole life with it, and his actions which would speak more loudly than his words, should bear daily testimony to the goodness of God.

Psalms 71:15-16. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of the Lord God:-“

This shall be my praise; my very movements, my goings, my progress shall be in the ‘strength of the Lord God’”

Psalms 71:16-17. I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth.

Here is the same kind of argument again: “ O Lord, I went to school to thee, so I must teach others what thou hast taught me.”

Psalms 71:17. And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

“Thou madest me a preacher, and I have stuck to my word. Hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.’”

Psalms 71:18-20. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again,

“Thou shalt not merely deliver me from my great and sore troubles, but thou shalt give me more life, thou ‘Shalt quicken me again.’” Divine quickening is the best remedy for a troubled heart.

Psalms 71:20. And shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

“Though I seem to be like a man buried in the depth of the earth thou wilt bring me up again.”

Psalms 71:21-22. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. I will also praise thee-

God blessing us, and we in return blessing him, so it ought to be. The more God does for us, the more we ought to do for him, is it not so, brother? Is not this good argument? Art thou carrying it out? Let thy conscience answer.

Psalms 71:22-23. With the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp. O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee.

Singing unto God ought to be the gladdest of exercises, when it is done in a doleful, dolorous way, it is not singing, but groaning.

Psalms 71:23. And my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

“The sprinkled blood is on my soul, and therefore it shall leap for joy. Rescued from captivity, bought back from slavery, “my soul, which thou hast redeemed; shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee.”

Psalms 71:24. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.