One beauty of studying the psalms together is that they teach us how to pray. They walk us through the hard times and direct our hearts to God. In fact, the universal language of the psalms makes them wholly accessible to any who seek God’s wisdom. We all know what it’s like to be “in the pits” with David (Ps 63) or to be “envious of the arrogant” (73:3). As Martin Luther claimed, “The Psalter is the book of all saints; and everyone, in whatever situation he may be, finds in that situation psalms and words that fit his case, that suit him as if they were put there just for his sake, so that he could not put it better himself, or find or wish for anything better.”[1] The psalms, then, are a medicine chest for the soul. Whatever your particular need or trouble, there is a psalm for you. Praying the psalms continues a conversation that God has started in his Word.
God Delivers the Humble (vv. 1, 5)
The first truth we observe, in Psalm 70, is that God delivers the humble. This psalm carries a sense of urgency from the first verse to the last: “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! . . . But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” (vv. 1, 5).[2] Both verses call out for “help” and “deliverance” as David faces dire need. These bookends of the psalm parallel each other like pieces of bread on a sandwich. In both verses also, David cries out to God, Elohim, and to the LORD, Yahweh, with the vocative: “O God! . . . O LORD!” This direct address reveals both earnestness and familiarity, for you can only cry out to the God of the universe when you have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. Thus, David seals his desperate S.O.S. to God in an envelope of praise.
Psalm 70 is also fairly short—just five verses long. Yet such brevity is expected in a cry for help and also conveys a sense of urgency: “Make haste! . . . Do not delay!” David’s plight is pressing, so he cries out in desperation: “O God, help me! O Lord, deliver me!” David demonstrates humility by his supplication. He is poor and needy—not materially, but spiritually—not monetarily, but afflicted in his soul. He is vulnerable to attack and has nowhere to turn but God. So also, when we pray for help, we honor the God who is our help. The Hebrew term, ezer, means more than just a little boost, but claims God to be our Rescuer—our Savior—our Strong Deliverer—our only Hope. David’s prayer is emphatically God-centered as he prays to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel—the promise-keeping God who always was, always is, and always will be. God has already told David the end of the story that one of his descendants will reign on Israel’s throne forever (see 2 Sam 7:8-16). So when David prays, he prays with confidence that God will be his help.
David prays to the God who has been faithful in the past. The superscription describes a memorial offering which the Jews would bring to the temple in the form of food sacrifices: flour and oil, sometimes bread (Lev 2:2). It was mixed with frankincense as a covenant to the Lord (24:7-8). Then, the priests would burn the offering on the altar until the pleasing aroma ascended into the heavens to represent the people’s prayers. This ceremony expressed their gratitude for God’s enduring help. Today, of course, we no longer offer sacrifices in the temple or burn offerings on the altar, but the principle of expressing gratitude remains the same. We continually remember what God has done and thank him for his goodness (1 Thess 5:16-18). We sing praises, share testimonies, and offer the living sacrifice of our service to recount what God has done. When we observe communion with God’s people, we do so in remembrance of Christ. Every one of us should have such regular practices of remembering God’s faithfulness.
In addition, the psalms belong to David’s story and each has a historical context for its composition. In general, Book 1 pertains to David’s life before he became king, while Book 2 has to do with his kingship. So, the enemy in Book 1 usually refers to Saul who hunted David in the wilderness, while the enemy in Book 2 often refers to Absalom and others who tried to steal the throne. This is important because Psalm 70 repeats Psalm 40:13-17 almost word-for-word as David re-uses an older prayer. He alters one of his previous psalms to address this present difficulty, essentially saying to God, “You once delivered me from Saul, so deliver me now from Absalom.” He’s looking back to the past to draw strength for the present.
And that’s how we should pray as well: with confidence in and gratitude for God’s faithfulness in the past. Mature believers can remember the many ways that God has rescued us time-and-time again. We read of God’s faithfulness in the Scriptures for David and for others. We recall the stories of saints throughout church history who trusted God as faithful. We gather as the church week-after-week to remind each other what marvelous things our God has done. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we’ll never experience fears. Fear is why David prays for help with such urgency and desperation. We face fears all the time in a fallen world: a bad report from the doctor; bills piling up when we lose a job; a child headed in the wrong direction or with the wrong crowd; the political climate and corruption in our society. This fallen world often provokes us to fear, but God commands us to place our humble hope in him. So, we turn to God as the One who saves—the One who delivers—the One who is our only hope. We can’t do it on our own. At some point in life, our fears will grow bigger than what we can handle by ourselves. So, we pray the psalms as we cling to God. When we have no better words to say, we humble ourselves and cast our cares upon the Lord who cares for us (1 Pet 5:6-7).
God Defeats the Proud (vv. 2-3)
David continues to pray that God should not only deliver the humble, but also defeat the proud: “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!’” (Ps 70:2-3). The king calls down curses on the enemies who seek to take his life. “Put to shame” seeks public humiliation and “confuse them” means to confound their evil plots and disappoint their wickedness. Turn them back as they rush headlong into sin. The interjection, “Aha!” expresses double scorn (Ps 35:21; Ezek 25:3; 26:2). For David’s enemies gloat over his demise and delight in his dishonor. Surprisingly, these same insults were also thrown at David’s Greater Son when he hung upon the cross: “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’” (Mark 15:29-30). Unlike David, though, Jesus wasn’t helpless. For it wasn’t nails that held him, but his love for you and me.
And how did Jesus handle this mocking shame? Instead of taking sinful vengeance, he trusted God to handle it: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Pet 2:23). Thus, Christ’s restraint led to our salvation, for “he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (v. 24). Like David, Jesus knew that the wicked were plotting against him, so he prays for God to thwart their plans—to put a roadblock in their way—to dishonor those who delight in evil. Jesus knows that his Father opposes the proud, yet also that this defeat can lead the wicked to repentance. So we thank God for such mercy, since we too were numbered among the wicked and deserving of God’s wrath (Eph 2:1-9). But instead of destroying us on the spot, Christ confounded us. He ruined all our plans for rebellion to reveal our lostness without his help. And then, he saved us by handing us the “gift of defeat” so that we might turn in repentance to him.
So, when we pray for God to defeat the proud, we do not pray with vengeance but with compassion—not for self-vindication, but for God to be glorified. When we see evil in this world, it is right to be angry at what angers the heart of God. We pray against those who harm others and stir up conflict in relationships. We pray against those who hate the church and slander Christ—who call good, “evil,” and evil, “good” (Isa 5:20). We pray against abusers and predators and extortioners: “Stop them in their tracks, Lord. Confound their wicked plots. Bring them to public shame. Yet perhaps the kindness of defeat might lead to their repentance” (Rom 2:4; e.g., Acts 9). Sometimes, though, such prayers hit closer to home. How do you pray for a prodigal child who walks away from God or a spouse who abandons the family. You do not pray for God to bless them—to let them feel like everything’s okay. No, you pray for justice and for their heart to change. You cry out for repentance even if God must humble them. They might need to hit rock bottom before they come to their senses in the pig slop of the far country (Luke 15:13-19). If you love them, compassion prays for their defeat: “God, stop their sin. Strike them down with godly sorrow. Bring them back through genuine repentance.” Out of compassion, you pray for God to disappoint their plans. But out of compassion, you also welcome them with open arms when they return (Luke 15:20-24).
God Delights the Faithful (v. 4)
Finally, David asks God to delight the faithful: “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!’” (Ps 70:4). The wicked seek David’s life (v. 2a), but the faithful seek for God. The wicked delight in David’s harm (v. 2b), but the faithful rejoice and are glad in God. The wicked claim with pride, “How great we are!” instead of humbly declaring that “God is great!” Therefore, the wicked face shame, confusion, defeat, and dishonor, while the faithful receive the salvation of God. For this reason Jesus instructs his disciples to pray with faith because, in some marvelous way, our prayers matter to God (Matt 7:7-8). He works prayer into the very fabric of his sovereign plan. And when we fervently pray, our hearts begin to change, delighting in what delights the heart of God (Ps 37:4). When we pray, “Make haste, O Lord,” it draws us closer to the Lord.
So, pray Psalm 70 back to God as your first action and not your last resort. Pray for yourself whenever you are afraid. Pray for help from God who delivers the humble. Pray also for your enemies: that God grants them the gift of defeat and leads them to repentance. Pray for God to foil their plans and humble the proud until those who oppose him become his followers. Then, pray for God to keep fellow believers faithful. May they be glad in God and rejoice in his salvation. And may God be glorified as his people pray with hearts of faith: “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” (Rev 22:20).
Life Application Study:
- What clues in Psalm 70 show how David prays with urgency? Which ones demonstrate his familiarity with God? How can you incorporate these principles into your personal prayer life?
- How does prayer help to shape your desires to delight in the heart of God (Ps 37:4; Matt 7:7-8)? How should you respond when God does not immediately answer your prayers?
- When you face troubles, where is the first place you turn for help? How does this reflect on your relationship with God?
- What fears do you presently face? Are you in continual prayer about those fears? How will you place your humble hope in God? (1 Pet 5:5-7).
- Do you have a regular practice of remembering God’s faithfulness? If not, consider starting a gratitude journal. Each day, write down and thank the Lord for his everyday mercies in your life.
- Pray intentionally for those in your life:
- Pray for yourself—that God will help you in times of trouble (Ps 70).
- Pray for your enemies—that God’s kindness will lead them to repentance (Matt 5:44; Rom 2:4).
- Pray for fellow believers—that God will keep them faithful (Eph 3:14-21).
- Pray for God to be glorified in everything you do and say (Ps 50:15; Phil 1:20).
- What spiritual benefit comes from praying the psalms back to God? Practice praying Psalm 70 aloud:
- Lord, help me! Come quickly to deliver me! (vv. 1, 5).
- Bring the wicked to repentance, or else bring them to justice (vv. 2-3).
- Then, may the faithful rejoice and be glad in you! (v. 4a).
- And may your name be praised forevermore! (v. 4b).
[1] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 35: Word and Sacrament I, edited by Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1999), 254.
[2] The unusual term, “make haste” (hushah) only occurs once outside of the psalter (1 Sam 20:38), yet twice here in Psalm 70:1, 5 and again in Psalm 71:12.
