Some thoughts on Psalm 70…
Verse four appears at first read an anomaly. Without it, the psalm reads in a fairly simple, straightforward manner. However, verse four is there, and it stands out. It is the first thing that captured my attention, and all because verse five begins with, “But…”
The declaration, “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you!” is something you would expect from a person who is already sharing in that joy that rises up from the personal experience of God in their life. “May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is Great!’” is a proclamation from one you expect has already received salvation.
Hence, when David writes, “But I…”, it begs the question “Why?” Why does he make such confessions when he himself is “poor and needy”; when his situation is desperate and he’s not just after help; he needs help now, and quickly?
You get the picture of an overwhelming situation from which this prayer is offered, where his strength is gone, the enemy is snarling and rapidly approaching, and he sees no hope except that the Lord deliver him. In the midst of his personal outpouring of the soul, he makes reference to the rest of the congregation; what we would call “our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
There are times when our own situation appears in stark contrast to others. We see those who are rejoicing in the Lord, hearing their bold praises of the goodness of God, but feel incapable of joining them and at times it can feel like having salt rubbed into an open wound.
David is in that place, yet he doesn’t cover up the lowliness of his own condition. He doesn’t dismiss the presence of his enemies, nor attempt to lift himself up by his bootstraps, nor even deny his feelings of discouragement and despair. No, not David: he pours out his heart and soul before the Lord.
The apparent anomaly I alluded to in the beginning is David expressing his genuine desire that those who have every reason to rejoice in the Lord freely rejoice. He is not bitter, jealous or envious; no, he sincerely wants for them to declare evermore, “God is great!”
Somehow, David has seen God in such a way that allows him to freely live with the paradox of a most amazing blessed life that comes by God’s grace and an often difficult and trying human experience.
What does David know of God that many of us may yet to see ourselves?
Do you know Jesus in such a way as to be able to encourage the rejoicing of others, whilst freely opening your heart to God about the trials of your present circumstances without getting bitter or envious?
Do the summer days of a fellow brother or sister in Christ warm your winter nights, or cause you to grow dark and harden your heart toward God?
– Douglas Smythe