Psalm 69
The Suffering King
It might be obvious by now that the Psalms are my favourite portion of Scripture. They lead me into a richer and more varied spirituality. They give voice to my fears, hopes, indignations, and joys.
But more deeply, they help me know my God better. Particularly as they show me my true King.
This Psalm invites you and I to see the King who suffers for us and saves us.
For the director of music. To the tune of ‘Lilies’. Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.6 Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.13 But I pray to you, LORD,
in the time of your favour;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent for ever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain –
may your salvation, God, protect me.30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad –
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
All of the Old Testament, including the Psalter, finds its fullest expression in Jesus. Christ is its central character and its cacophonous crescendo. Yet there are some sections or songs that are more prominent in the New Testament. Near the top of that exalted list is Psalm 69. It is quoted and alluded to numerous times. Let’s explore these:
There is the famous scene of Jesus in the Temple when he drove out money changers with a whip and over turned tables. Some time afterwards, the disciples reflected on this event through the lens of v9 of this Psalm. Through it they recognised the righteous King whose actions were fuelled by a zeal for the honour and holiness of the Temple (John 2.17).
When talking to his disciples before his departure, Jesus cautioned them about the coming affliction that awaited them. This persecution was driven primarily because they hated Jesus. He explained to them that this was to fulfil v4, where the foes of David hated him without cause. Jesus is the King sent by God who is rejected by his own people (John 15.25).
The apostle Paul identifies the second half of v9 as referring to Jesus. He is the King who bears reproach and mockery and insults in his selfless sacrifice on Calvary (Romans 15.3).
The episode described in v12 is acted out in Matthew 27.27-30. The soldiers tried to make a satire out of Jesus, dressing him up as a foolish king who they would laugh at. The irony is that he was truly the King, who death on the cross won him the victory over Death and the Deceiver.
The gall and vinegar in v21 are offered to Jesus on the cross as recorded in Matthew 27.34 and John 19.29. It was when the vinegar wine had been dabbed on his lips with a sponge that Jesus declared “It is finished!” (John 19.30). His work as the suffering King had been completed.
The persecutors of the King in v22-23 are identified as the rebellious members of Israel who rejected Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
The imagery of v24 is transposed into the peculiar idiom of Revelation when God calls on the angels to pour out wrath on all those in the earth who repudiate Jesus as the reigning King.
Finally, Peter identifies v25 being fulfilled in the death of Judas (Acts 1.20). He betrayed the true King and so he received his reward.
We see then that Jesus is identified clearly as the suffering King of this song. Christ is the one who is persecuted by the world but also overcomes it as the resurrected and reigning King!
I therefore invite you to do two things. Read the Psalm once more and see not just how those particular verses but the whole song is fulfilled in Jesus. Then take the words of v30-36 and use them as your own praise to Christ, our Saviour King!
Glory be to God the Father, who raised Jesus out of the mire of death and seated him above all creation.
Glory be to God the Son, who suffered alone to save all his people.
Glory be to God the Spirit, who leads us into our imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance.
Ever three and ever One.
Home Group: Psalm 19
Have you ever had an experience where you have been overawed by something you’ve seen in nature? Could you describe it? What does David say the heavens, skies and all creation tell us about God? How does the Apostle Paul use v4 in his argument in Romans 10.16?
If v1-6 are about God revealing through nature, what is the focus of his revelation from v7 onwards? How does this change mirror Genesis 1 & 2? What are the eight qualities of the God’s word listed here (7-10)? What benefits do these qualities bring to us?
What is our response to God’s revelation in 11-14? Why do we need to respond like this?