Introduction
Psalm 69 is another lamentation in which the psalmist cries out to the Lord because he’s in trouble. And from what we read, it’s clear that the psalmist is in trouble, not because he’s done anything wrong, but because of his love for the Lord. As he says in verse 4, he is hated without reason or cause; and in verse 7 he says to the Lord that he endures scorn ‘for your sake’. He’s suffering because of his love for the Lord.
In this way this psalm is like Psalm 35 in which the psalmist lamented before the Lord because he was hated without cause. And like Psalm 35, Psalm 69 contains curses. The psalmist appeals to the Lord to curse and afflict his enemies. So, he says in verse 22:
May the table they set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
And he continues:
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
As in Psalm 35, so in this Psalm, the psalmist cries to the Lord for help and he appeals to the Lord to curse his enemies and to bring affliction down on them. And many Christians are uncomfortable with these kinds of psalm, because the Lord commands us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. He instructs us to do good to all, just as our heavenly Father does good to all. He tells us to bless those who persecute us and not to curse them. And so, we’re uncomfortable with this kind of psalm.
However, we need to remember that this psalm was written by David, who was God’s Anointed King at that time and who foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God’s True Anointed King. In fact, this psalm is one of the most quoted psalms in the New Testament, because the suffering of David in the psalm foreshadows the suffering of our Saviour who was hated without cause. And therefore the curses we read in the psalm foreshadow the wrath and curse of God which will be poured out on the wicked when Christ comes again to judge the world. And so, this psalm is a warning to the wicked that they must repent and believe the good news otherwise God will condemn and punish them for a lifetime of sin. But the psalm also reveals to us the suffering of our Saviour, who gave up his life to pay for our sins so that we can have peace with God and live with him forever.
Verses 1 to 4
In verses 1 to 4 the psalmist cries to the Lord to save him. He conveys the danger he’s in by comparing himself to a man who is drowning and to someone who is sinking in a deep mire or swamp and he can’t get a foothold and he’s about to be swallowed up by deep waters. So, whatever trouble he’s in, there’s no way out for him and all he can do is call out to the Lord to save him. And this has been going on for a long time, because he tells us in verse 3 that he’s worn out calling for help and his throat has become dry. His eyes are worn out looking for God. So, although he’s been crying to God for help, God has not yet come to rescue him. He says in verse 4 that the number of his enemies is greater than the number of hairs on his head and they’re seeking to destroy him. And he says too that he is hated without reason, which is a line which the Lord Jesus quotes in John 15:25 and which he applies to himself. The psalmist then adds: ‘I am forced to restore what I did not steal’. So, perhaps he had been accused of stealing something.
And so, in these opening verses he cries to the Lord for help, because he has many enemies who hate him for no good reason and who want to destroy him. And his suffering anticipates the suffering of our Saviour.
Verses 5 to 12
In verses 5 to 12 he goes on to describe his suffering more fully. He begins by referring to his folly and guilt. Now, he’s already said he’s hated without cause. And later he will say that he is suffering scorn for God’s sake. In other words, he hasn’t done anything to deserve what’s happening to him. And so, when he refers in this verse to his folly and guilt, he’s merely acknowledging that he’s human; and therefore he does foolish and sinful things. He’s saying: ‘I’m as foolish and sinful as the next man. But I haven’t done anything to deserve what’s happening to me now.’
In verse 6 we see his concern for other people, because he didn’t want the Lord’s people to be put to shame because of what was happening to him. And what was happening to him? He’s enduring scorn and shame for the sake of the Lord. And his own family are distancing themselves from him, treating him like a stranger, because of his zeal for the house of the Lord. So, he’s full of zeal for the temple, where God is worshipped. And he says to the Lord in verse 9 that the insults of those who have insulted you have fallen on me. So, people who insult and dishonour the Lord are insulting and dishonouring him. And in verse 10 he tells us how he endures scorn and people make sport of him. That is, they make fun of him. And people mock him and even the drunkards sing about him. He loves the Lord. He’s full of zeal for God’s house and God’s glory. He’s devoted to the Lord. But the people around him only make fun of him.
In Mark 3 we read how the Lord’s family were worried that he was insane and they came to take him away. That echoes what we read here about the psalmist being treated as a stranger by his family. And in John 2 we read how the Lord went up to the temple and drove out the moneylenders from the temple area, because they had turned the house of prayer into a market. And at that time, John tells us that his disciples remembered what was written in this psalm and how zeal for God’s house would consume him. And Paul quotes the second half of verse 9 in Romans 15:3 and applies it to the Lord Jesus, who suffered all kinds of insults. So, the disciples and Paul understood that this psalm foretells the suffering of our Saviour.
Verses 13 to 18
Having described his suffering in verses 5 to 12, the psalmist goes back to calling on God in verses 13 to 18. I pray to you, O Lord. And he uses God’s covenant name — LORD in capital letters — because God has promised to help his people. In your great love, answer me with your sure salvation. And the word he uses for love is God’s covenant love, his loyal love, his faithful love towards his covenant people. Rescue me. Do not let me sink. Deliver me. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me. Do not let the depths swallow me up. Do not let the pit close its mouth over me. Again he conveys the danger he’s in be comparing himself to a man who is in danger of drowning. But when he refers to the pit, he could be referring to death. If so, he’s saying that he will soon die unless God comes to help him. And he continues to pile up his requests to God: Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love. Again, he’s using God’s covenant name and he’s referring to God’s covenant love. Turn to me in your great mercy. Do not hide your face from your servant. Answer me quickly. Come near and rescue me. Redeem me because of my foes.
And so, he piles up his requests to the Lord because he’s in desperate trouble and only the Lord his God can help him.
Verses 19 to 29
And in verses 19 to 29 he once again describes his suffering, before calling for God’s judgment on his enemies. So, he’s been scorned and disgraced and shamed. Scorn has broken his heart and he feels helpless. When he looked for sympathy, there was no one to offer it. When he looked for comforters, someone to encourage him and to say it will be alright, there were none. When he wanted food, they gave him gall. That is, they gave him bitter poison. When he was thirsty and wanted a drink, they gave him vinegar. In other words, they offered him no comfort, no help, no assistance; and instead they only added to his suffering. And what David suffered foreshadowed the Lord Jesus because when the Lord was brought to Golgotha, they offered him wine mixed with gall to drink. And when he was on the cross, and said that he was thirsty, they gave him vinegar.
After describing his suffering, he calls on the Lord to afflict his enemies. May their table become a snare and retribution and a trap for them. May their eyes be darkened. May their backs be bent. Pour out your wrath on them. Let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted and let no one dwell in their tents. That is, take away their families from them. Charge them with crime upon crime and do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life. May they not be listed with the righteous. This book of life is mentioned in various places in the Bible and we’re to imagine that God has a book with a list of names in it. And it’s the list of all those who will receive the free gift of eternal life. But the psalmist wants the names of his enemies to be blotted out of that book.
As I’ve already said, the curses we read about here foreshadow what the Lord will do on the judgment day to all who refuse to repent and believe in him. He has revealed himself to them in what he has made and through his word so that they might honour him. He has perhaps sent them preachers to tell them the good news of salvation and to summon them to repent and believe. He has been patient with them, giving them time to turn to him. But all who refuse will one day suffer the wrath of God because of what they have done. God’s wrath will be poured out on them. His fierce anger will overtake them.
The Apostle Paul quotes verses 22 and 23 in Romans 11 to refer to the Jews who would not believe the gospel. And Peter quotes verse 25 in Acts 1:20 to refer to Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord Jesus whose place among the Lord’s disciples was deserted.
And at the end of this section of the psalm, in verse 29, the psalmist complains that he’s in pain and distress. And then he adds: may your salvation protect me. So, having called for judgment on his enemies, he once again asks the Lord to save him.
Verses 30 to 36
And having called on the Lord for help, he vows to praise the Lord in verses 30 to 36, because he is confident that God will help him. So, I will praise God in song and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. And in verse 33 he confesses that God hears the needy and he doesn’t despise his captive people. And so, let the whole of creation — heaven and earth and the seas and all that is in them — praise the Lord. Praise him, because not only will he save the psalmist, but along with the psalmist, he will save Zion, the city of God, and all the cities of Judah. In other words, he will save his people. And the psalm ends with the psalmist anticipating a time when God’s people will dwell safely in the Promised Land.
Conclusion
And so, this psalm foreshadows the suffering of our Saviour, who was despised and rejected by men, who hated him without reason, and who put him to death on the cross. And like the psalmist who suffered because of God, and because of his devotion to God, so the Lord Jesus suffered because of God, and because of his devotion to God, because it was God’s will for him to suffer, and to pay for our sins with his life.
But God the Father heard his Son and saved him by raising him from the dead to live forever. And not only did God save him, but he will save you along with his Son, because he promises everyone who believes in his Son eternal life in the heavenly Zion, the new Jerusalem to come, where all who love God’s name will dwell safely and securely in the presence of our great God and Saviour.
And while you wait to come into his presence in the life to come, you should know that, in this life, you can look to God for the help you need. Through faith in Christ the Saviour who suffered and died for you, you have been reconciled to God. And so, because of him, you have peace with God. And therefore you can look to God to help you endure all the trials and tribulations of this troubled life.
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