Psalms 71

An old believer prays for help against enemies who say God has abandoned him. He looks back on a lifetime of God’s care, from birth onward, and asks God to stay with him in old age. The psalm ends in confident praise, promising to tell the next generation what God has done.

Psalms 71:1

The psalmist begins by running to the LORD for shelter. Taking refuge is a settled choice to trust, not a passing feeling. He asks that his trust never end in shame, because he has put it in the right place.

BSA: refuge (“trusted, sought protection”): Taking refuge means actively fleeing to God for safety and trusting him to cover you.

See also: Psalm 31:1.

Psalms 71:2

He appeals to God’s justice, not his own merit. Because God is righteous, he will set things right for those who trust him. The psalmist asks God to bend down and listen, then to rescue.

BSA: incline (“stretch, bend”): It pictures God bending down to hear his child’s cry.

Psalms 71:3

God is pictured as a rock where the psalmist can go again and again, not once only. He asks God to give the word that brings rescue. A command from God is enough to save.

BSA: always go (“continually resort”): God’s shelter is open to return to every day, not a one-time emergency exit.

See also: Psalm 18:2.

Psalms 71:4

The danger is real: wicked, unjust and cruel people have him in their grip. He does not fight them with his own strength but asks his God to pull him out of their hand.

BSA: ruthless (“cruel, oppressive, causing harm”): These enemies press down on others without pity.

Psalms 71:5

God himself is the psalmist’s hope, not just what God gives. This trust has been with him since youth. A long life of leaning on God now supports his prayer.

BSA: hope (“my trust, expectation”): Hope here is a confident expectation resting on a person, the Lord.

Psalms 71:6

He looks back to the very beginning of his life. God brought him from the womb, and he has leaned on God ever since. His praise has never stopped. God’s care came before he could even ask for it.

BSA: leaned (“trusted, depended”): He has put his whole weight on God, like leaning on a support.

See also: Psalm 22:9-10.

Psalms 71:7

His suffering has made him a spectacle that people stare at, perhaps as a warning of what happens to the cursed. Yet he does not look to their opinion. God remains his strong shelter.

BSA: portent (“a wonder, a miracle, a sign”): People treat his troubles as a sign, though he knows God is his refuge.

Psalms 71:8

In spite of mockery, his mouth is full of praise. Like a cup filled to the brim, what is inside is what comes out. He speaks of God’s beauty and glory all day.

BSA: filled (“to be completely full, satisfied”): His mouth overflows with praise because his heart is satisfied in God.

Psalms 71:9

Old age brings a particular fear: that God will set him aside when he is weak and no longer useful. He asks God not to cast him off. In God’s eyes the aged are never discarded.

BSA: forsake (“abandon, leave helpless”): He fears being left helpless just when he can do least for himself.

See also: Isaiah 46:4.

Psalms 71:10-11

The enemies plot together and watch for their chance. They say God has abandoned him, so no one will stop them. Their cruelty feeds on the idea that his suffering proves God has left him.

BSA: conspire (“take counsel, plan together”): They are united in their scheming against him.

Psalms 71:12

He turns from his enemies’ words to prayer. They say God is gone; he cries that God would not be far. He asks God to hurry, because the need is urgent.

BSA: Hurry (“make haste, come quickly”): He asks God to act now, not later.

See also: Psalm 22:19.

Psalms 71:13

He prays that those who accuse him would meet the shame they planned for him. This asks God to put right the wrong, leaving the judging to God.

BSA: accusers (“adversaries, those opposing”): These are people who stand against his soul, working to bring him down.

Psalms 71:14

Whatever his enemies do, he will keep hoping. His praise will grow, not shrink. Hope and praise go together: because he expects God to act, he already gives thanks.

BSA: hope (“wait with expectation, trust”): This is patient waiting that expects God to act.

Psalms 71:15

He will speak of God’s righteousness and saving acts all day. Yet he admits he cannot count or fully grasp them. God’s goodness is too large to measure.

BSA: full measure (“numbers, extent”): God’s saving deeds are too many to count.

Psalms 71:16

He goes forward in the strength of the Lord God, not his own. And he will speak of God’s righteousness alone, giving all the credit to God. He does not boast in any goodness of his own.

BSA: alone (“separately, apart from all others”): Only God’s righteousness is worth proclaiming.

Psalms 71:17

God has been his teacher since youth. The result is that he still tells of God’s wonderful works today. What God taught him he cannot keep to himself.

BSA: marvelous deeds (“works, wonders”): These are the astonishing things God has done.

Psalms 71:18

His request in old age is not just comfort but purpose. He wants God to keep him until he has told the next generation about God’s power. Every stage of life can serve this witness.

BSA: next generation (“those to come, future descendants”): His aim is to pass on the story of God to those who come after.

See also: Psalm 78:4.

Psalms 71:19

God’s righteousness is so high it reaches the heavens. Everything God has done is great. The psalmist ends with a question of wonder: no one compares with God.

BSA: great things (“mighty deeds, wonderful works”): God’s works show a power and goodness no other can match.

See also: Exodus 15:11.

Psalms 71:20

He admits God has allowed many troubles, yet he trusts the same God to restore him. Being brought up from the depths pictures deliverance from near death. Christians also read such words with hope of resurrection.

BSA: depths (“the deep waters, the abyss”): It pictures a place of deep danger close to death.

Psalms 71:21

God will not only rescue him but raise him up. His honor will grow, and God will comfort him. The sorrows will give way to blessing.

BSA: comfort (“show pity, surround with sympathy”): God’s comfort wraps around him on every side.

Psalms 71:22

He promises to praise God with instruments for his faithfulness. God has kept his word. He calls God the Holy One of Israel, a name that stresses God is set apart and pure.

BSA: faithfulness (“truth, stability”): God is steady and true; he can be depended on. Holy One (“set apart, sacred”): God is completely different from all else, pure and unmatched.

See also: Isaiah 43:3.

Psalms 71:23

Praise involves the whole person: lips shout, and the soul that God has bought back joins in. Joy comes from remembering that God has set him free.

BSA: redeemed (“ransomed, rescued, set free”): God has paid for and freed his life from danger.

See also: Psalm 103:4.

Psalms 71:24

The psalm ends as it began, with the tongue speaking of God’s righteousness all day. The enemies who sought his harm are put to shame. God has proved faithful, and so praise has the last word.

BSA: confounded (“perplexed, put to shame”): The enemies’ plans fall apart and leave them baffled.