Commentary - Psalm 71:14-18

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Psalm 71, the psalmist, likely an aged David, makes a decisive turn from petition to proclamation. Having laid out his troubles and his trust in God, he now resolves to spend the remainder of his days in a ministry of defiant hope and escalating praise. This is not the babbling of a man trying to convince himself; it is the settled determination of a saint who has known God's faithfulness from his youth up and is utterly convinced of God's character. The central theme is the open and public declaration of God's righteousness and salvation. This is a lifelong task that cannot be completed, for God's saving deeds are innumerable. The psalmist pledges to make God's righteousness, and His alone, the exclusive subject of his testimony. He sees his entire life, from youth to old age, as a continuous schooling in the ways of God, and his final ambition is not a quiet retirement but a faithful transfer of this knowledge to the next generation, ensuring that the testimony of God's strength and might endures after he is gone.

This passage is a beautiful portrait of mature faith. It is a faith that does not deny present troubles but resolves to hope continually in spite of them. It is a faith that is articulate, constantly speaking of God's character. It is a faith that is exclusive, boasting only in the righteousness of God, not in self. And finally, it is a faith that is generational, keenly aware of its responsibility to pass the baton of truth to those who are to come. It is a model for every believer, especially those who are entering the later seasons of life, on how to finish well, with a mouth full of praise and a heart set on the glory of God in the generations to follow.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 71 is untitled, but its language and themes are so thoroughly Davidic that it is often attributed to him, likely in his old age, perhaps during the rebellion of Absalom. The psalm is a poignant blend of lament and trust. The first half (vv. 1-13) is a plea for deliverance from enemies, grounded in God's righteousness and the psalmist's lifelong reliance upon Him. The section we are considering (vv. 14-18) marks a significant shift in tone. The psalmist moves from praying about his problems to proclaiming his God. This psalm is saturated with phrases and ideas from other psalms, particularly Psalms 22, 31, 35, and 40, suggesting it was written by a man whose mind was steeped in the language of worship. This passage serves as the heart of the psalm's resolution, where the author decides that the ultimate answer to his present distress is a future filled with unending, public, and generational praise.

Key Issues

Finishing Well

There is a great difference between simply getting old and aging with purpose. Our culture fears the former and has no category for the latter. But the Bible presents a vision of old age that is not characterized by retreat and decay, but by fruitfulness and testimony. This psalmist provides the blueprint. He is not planning his retirement community; he is planning his legacy. And that legacy is not one of earthly accomplishments, but of a faithful declaration of God's character to the next generation. This is the biblical pattern. Moses, at the end of his life, recounts God's mighty deeds to Israel (Deuteronomy). Paul, facing execution, charges Timothy to carry on the ministry. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint, and the final lap is not for coasting but for kicking hard to the finish line, passing the baton of faith securely into the hands of those who will run after us.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14 But as for me, I will wait continually, And will praise You yet more and more.

The psalmist begins with a sharp contrast. Others may despair, his enemies may plot, his circumstances may scream for anxiety, "But as for me..." This is the stand of defiant faith. He makes a choice that is not dictated by his feelings or his situation. His choice is to wait continually. The word is often translated "hope," and it carries the idea of expectant waiting. It is not a passive resignation but an active, confident looking to God for deliverance. And this hope is not static; it is the fuel for an ever-increasing fire of praise. He will praise God "yet more and more." This is a wonderful picture of sanctification. The Christian's praise should not plateau. As we experience more of God's faithfulness over a lifetime, our praise should deepen, grow richer, and become more constant. The troubles of old age are not a reason to stop praising, but an opportunity to praise God more, demonstrating that our hope is in Him and not in our fading strength.

15 My mouth shall recount Your righteousness And of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them.

Hope and praise must have content, and here the psalmist defines his syllabus. His mouth, his public testimony, will be filled with two subjects: God's righteousness and His salvation. These are two sides of the same coin. God's righteousness is His perfect adherence to His own holy character, His rightness in all that He does. His salvation flows from that righteousness; because He is righteous, He keeps His covenant promises and saves His people. This is to be an "all day long" occupation. Why? Because the topic is inexhaustible. "For I do not know the sum of them." The psalmist is like a child standing on the shore of the ocean, trying to count the waves. God's righteous acts and saving deeds are innumerable. A whole lifetime is not long enough to tell of them all, but the faithful man will dedicate his whole lifetime to the attempt. This is not a complaint but a doxology. The immeasurable nature of God's grace is a reason for unending praise.

16 I will come with the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh; I will bring to remembrance Your righteousness, Yours alone.

The psalmist is not coming in his own strength or with his own accomplishments. He resolves to "come with the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh." His confidence for the future, even in the face of enemies and the weakness of old age, is based entirely on the power that God has already demonstrated. He will then "bring to remembrance," or make mention of, God's righteousness. And he adds a crucial, emphatic qualifier: Yours alone. This is the seed of the Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone. The only righteousness that can stand before God, the only righteousness worth talking about, the only righteousness that saves, is God's righteousness. The psalmist makes a conscious decision to exclude any mention of his own merits. His testimony will not be, "Look at what God and I have accomplished together," but rather, "Look at the righteousness of God, and nothing else." This is the heart of true worship and the foundation of all Christian security.

17 O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.

Here he reflects on the consistency of God's faithfulness throughout his entire life. God has been his teacher from his youth. This is the testimony of a lifelong disciple. Faith is not something he came to late in life; it has been the central theme, the guiding principle, from the very beginning. God has not just been a distant concept, but an active instructor. And the result of this divine tutelage is a continuous declaration of God's "wondrous deeds." The things God has taught him are not secret, esoteric bits of knowledge, but rather public, praiseworthy acts. There is a direct line between divine instruction and public declaration. What God teaches us in private, He intends for us to proclaim in public. The psalmist's life has been one long seminar on the goodness of God, and he is still enrolled, and still speaking of what he has learned.

18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your might to all who are to come.

This is the magnificent, selfless ambition of a mature saint. His prayer that God would not forsake him in his old age is not primarily for his own comfort or ease. It is a plea for an extension on his ministry. He wants to live long enough and retain enough strength to complete his final assignment: to be a herald of God's power to the next generation. He has a sacred duty to ensure that the knowledge of God's strength and might is not buried with him. He is looking beyond his own life, concerned with the health of the covenant community after he is gone. He wants to tell "this generation", his children and contemporaries, and "all who are to come", his grandchildren and beyond. This is the essence of generational faithfulness. True faith is never a private possession; it is a stewardship to be passed on. The greatest legacy an old man can leave is not money or property, but a clear, compelling testimony to the strength of the God who carried him all his days.

Application

This passage is a direct challenge to our modern, individualistic, and youth-obsessed sensibilities. It calls us to a faith that is stubborn, vocal, God-centered, and generational. First, we must learn to say, "But as for me..." We must resolve to hope in God regardless of the cultural currents or our personal storms. Our praise must not be dependent on circumstances, but on the character of God, and it should be growing, not shrinking, as we age.

Second, we must get our subject matter straight. What is the content of our conversation? Is it our troubles, our politics, our accomplishments? The psalmist says our mouths should be filled with God's righteousness and salvation. This means we must know the gospel. We must be able to articulate the truth that we are saved not by our own righteousness, but by the perfect righteousness of Christ credited to us by faith. Our testimony must be about "His righteousness, His alone."

Finally, this passage is a potent charge to the older saints in the church. Your work is not done. God has preserved you and taught you from your youth for a reason, and that reason is not to sit quietly in the back pew. It is to "declare His strength to this generation." You have a testimony of God's lifelong faithfulness that the young desperately need to hear. You are the living repositories of God's wondrous deeds. Therefore, do not be silent. Pray for the strength to finish your task. Tell your children, tell your grandchildren, tell the young people in your church about the mighty God who has been your trust from your youth and who will not forsake you when you are old and gray.