Bird's-eye view
This section of Psalm 71 is the prayer of a seasoned saint, a man who has walked with God for a long time and is now facing the twin troubles of old age and persistent enemies. This is not the fearful whining of a man whose faith is failing, but rather the robust plea of a man whose physical strength is failing. He takes his fears, which are very real, and turns them into petitions grounded in the covenant faithfulness of God. His enemies make a critical mistake; they interpret his external weakness as a sign of God’s abandonment. The psalmist knows better, and so he cries out for God to act, not only for his own deliverance, but for the vindication of God's holy name. The prayer concludes with a righteous imprecation, asking God to do to his enemies what they had intended to do to him. This is a prayer for justice, a prayer that God would show Himself to be the faithful defender of His people.
Outline
- 1. A Plea Against Abandonment (v. 9)
- a. In Old Age
- b. In Failing Strength
- 2. The Reason for the Plea: The Enemy's Conspiracy (vv. 10-11)
- a. Their Malicious Counsel (v. 10)
- b. Their False Theology (v. 11)
- 3. An Urgent Cry for Divine Intervention (v. 12)
- a. A Plea for God's Nearness
- b. A Plea for God's Haste
- 4. An Imprecation Upon the Accusers (v. 13)
- a. A Prayer for Their Shame and Consumption
- b. A Prayer for Their Dishonor
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
Verse 9
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
The psalmist begins with a plea that gets right to the heart of a fear common to man. The world we live in values strength, youth, and utility. When these things fade, the world tends to cast people aside. But the psalmist is not praying to the world; he is praying to his covenant God. This is not a prayer questioning God's character, but rather one appealing to it. He is, in effect, saying, "Lord, you are not like the fickle sons of men. You do not use someone up and then discard them. Therefore, be true to Your nature and do not cast me off." He has served God his whole life, and now that his physical strength is failing, his reliance on God's spiritual strength is all the more pronounced. This is a prayer of dependent faith, not of fearful unbelief.
Verse 10
For my enemies have spoken against me; And those who watch my life have counseled together,
Here is the reason for the urgency. The psalmist's troubles are not some abstract internal struggle; they have names and faces. His enemies are active. They are speaking against him, which means they are slandering him, undermining his reputation. And notice the predatory nature of their watchfulness. The text says they "watch my life," or more literally, they "watch my soul." They are like vultures circling, waiting for a moment of weakness to strike. And this is not the work of one rogue individual. They have "counseled together." This is a conspiracy. Evil is organized. The world, the flesh, and the devil are a confederacy, and they plot against the righteous. The Christian life is warfare, and there are no conscientious objectors.
Verse 11
Saying, “God has forsaken him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”
This is the logic of the world. The enemies of the psalmist are operating on a faulty theological premise. They see his affliction, his old age, his weakness, and they conclude that God must be done with him. "God has forsaken him." This is the great lie of the devil, whispered in the ear of every suffering saint. It is the same taunt that was hurled at our Lord on the cross: "He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him" (Matt. 27:43). Based on this godless assessment, they draw a practical conclusion: "Pursue and seize him." They believe the coast is clear. They think the shepherd has abandoned the sheep, and so the wolves can move in for the kill. Their mistake is a catastrophic one. They have mistaken a trial of faith for an absence of God.
Verse 12
O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my help!
The psalmist does not waste his breath arguing with his enemies. He turns directly to his only source of help. His prayer is shot heavenward like a flare from a battlefield. The petition is twofold and urgent. First, "do not be far from me." He is asking for the manifest presence of God. He needs to know that God is near. Second, "hasten to my help!" This is a cry for swift intervention. When the enemy is charging, you do not ask for reinforcements to arrive next week. You need them now. And notice the personal, covenantal address: "O my God." This is not a shot in the dark. He knows who he is talking to. He is laying claim to the relationship that God Himself established.
Verse 13
Let those who accuse my soul be ashamed and consumed; Let them be wrapped up with reproach and dishonor, who seek to do me evil.
And here we have a righteous imprecation, the kind of prayer that makes the modern, sentimental Christian squirm. But we must not squirm. This is not a fit of personal pique or a desire for petty revenge. This is a prayer for divine justice. The enemies of the psalmist are not just his personal foes; they are adversaries of God, for they have blasphemed God's faithfulness. He asks that they be "ashamed and consumed." Shame is the public unveiling of their wicked folly. Consumption is the final end of their rebellion. He asks that they be "wrapped up with reproach and dishonor." He is praying that the very evil they intended for him would become their own garment. This is the principle of divine reversal, a kind of poetic justice that God delights in. To pray this way is to pray for the advancement of God's kingdom. It is to ask God to vindicate His own name by showing the world that He does not, in fact, forsake His own.
Application
There are several pointed applications for us here. First, we must learn to pray our fears. The psalmist does not pretend he is not in peril. He acknowledges his weakness and the malice of his enemies, but he does not stop there. He takes these realities and presents them to God, appealing to God's covenant promises. We must do the same. God is the God of the aged and the weak, not just the young and the strong. His faithfulness is not contingent on our physical capacity.
Second, we must recognize the faulty theology of the world. The world will always interpret suffering in a believer's life as a sign of God's displeasure or absence. We must not believe their press releases. God's purpose in our trials is to refine our faith, not to abandon us. Our weakness is the stage upon which He displays His strength.
Finally, we must not be afraid to pray for justice. Our prayers for God to deal with His enemies are not expressions of a vindictive spirit, but rather a desire to see God's name hallowed and His kingdom come. When evil men plot against the church, we are to pray for their conversion first, but if they persist in their rebellion, it is entirely right to pray that God would thwart their plans and bring their evil upon their own heads. This is simply praying for God to be God, the righteous judge of all the earth.