Psalm 70 - A Prayer for Deliverance   For the director of music. Of David.  A petition.   1 Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me. 2 May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame. 4 But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!” 5 Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.   To the careful reader, these verses may seem familiar.  They are virtually identical to Psalm 40:13–17.  Here, David has split these verses out into their own psalm, and they stand alone quite well as a prayer for deliverance.  Certainly, it is not a bad thing for David to express the same sentiments in prayer that he had expressed at an earlier time.  “What hard condition we have been in before, we may fall into the like again; and the gracious means we have used before, in seeking our relief of God, we should use again; and what words of prayer we have used before, we may use again, without any either needless affectations of other words, or superstitious tying of ourselves to the same words” [Dickson, 426]. David begins by praying for a quick delivery from trouble:  “Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me” (vs. 1).  There is no quicker way to deliverance than a prayer to the Lord of the Universe.  “Prayer is a swift messenger, which in the twinkling of an eye can go and return with an answer from heaven” [Dickson, 426].  God is a constant companion, never far away.  He hears our prayers immediately, and acts on them at the best possible time, according to His will. In the next few verses, David prays for contrasting results for the ungodly and godly.  Concerning the ungodly, David prays:  “May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.  May those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’ turn back because of their shame” (vss. 2–3).  David is essentially praying here that the consciences of his persecutors would make them regret what they had been doing.  He prays that they feel “shame”, and that they “turn back in disgrace”.  The conscience is a powerful ally in helping us to do right, if we would listen to it.  The conscience is the Spirit of God speaking to our hearts concerning what is right and wrong.  We can choose to listen to our conscience, or choose to harden our hearts, and ignore our conscience.  Dear friend, listen and heed your conscience.  Let the shame you feel guide you into the path of righteousness. Concerning the godly, David prays:  “But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, ‘Let God be exalted!’”  (vs. 4).  Here David is praying that those who “seek” God, and those who “love His salvation” may be wrapped up in worship and praise for Him.  Now it may seem like this would happen naturally, without the need to pray for it.  It would seem that those who “love His salvation” would naturally be bursting with worship and praise for Him.  However, this sadly is not the case.  We become complacent in His salvation.  We get used to love and blessings from God.  And so, our praise for Him becomes lifeless, barren of fervency.  We need this prayer.  Oh Lord, may we “rejoice and be glad in You”; may we always say, even shout, “Let God be exalted.”  Enliven us by Your Spirit with the fervent praise of God. -----------  Bibliography and Suggested Reading Alexander,   Joseph   Addison.   The   Psalms   Translated   and Explained .  Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.  Anonymous.      A   Plain   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms . Philadelphia:  Henry Hooker and Co., 1857. Barnes,   Albert.      Notes   on   the   Book   of   Psalms .      New   York:     Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871. Bonar,   Andrew.    Christ    and    His    Church    in    the    Book    of Psalms .  New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860. Calvin,   John.      A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms .      3 Vols.          Oxford:     D.    A.     Talboys,     1840.     (Originally published in Latin in 1557).  Clarke,   Adam.   The   Holy   Bible   with   a   Commentary   and Critical   Notes .      Vol.   III.      London:      William   Tegg   &   Co., 1854.  (Originally published in 1831).  Cowles,     Henry.          The     Psalms     with     Notes,     Critical, Explanatory   and   Practical .      New   York:      D.   Appleton   & Co., 1872. Darby,   John   Nelson.      Practical   Reflections   on   the   Psalms .     London:  Robert L. Allan, 1870. Delitzsch,    Franz.        Biblical    Commentary    on    the    Psalms. Edinburgh:      T   &   T   Clark,   1892.   (Originally   published in 1860). Dickson,   David.   An   Explication   of   the   Other   Fifty   Psalms, from   Ps.   50   to   Ps.   100.   Cornhill,   U.K.:      Ralph   Smith, 1653.  Exell,   Joseph   S.   and   Henry   Donald   Spence-Jones,   eds. The   Pulpit   Commentary .   Vols.   17,   18,   &   19.   New   York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1884.  Hengstenberg,     F.     W.          Commentary     on     the     Psalms .       Edinburgh:  T & T Clark, 1864. Henry,   Matthew.      An   Exposition   of   All   the   Books   of   the Old   and   New   Testament .      Vol.   II.      London:   W.   Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horne,   George.   A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms.      New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854. Jamieson,    Robert;    Fausset,   A.    R.;    Brown,    David.        A Commentary:   Critical,   Experimental,   and   Practical   on   the Old   and   New   Testaments.       Glasgow:      William   Collins, Queen’s Printer, 1863. Kidner,   Derek.   Psalms    (in   2   Vols.).   Downers   Grove,   IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975). Kirkpatrick,   A.   F.   The   Book   of   Psalms   with   Introduction and   Notes   –   Books   II   and   III    (from   The   Cambridge   Bible for      Schools      and      Colleges).      Cambridge,      UK: University Press, 1895. Lange,    John    Peter,    ed.    and    Philip    Schaff,    trans.        A Commentary   on   the   Holy   Scriptures:   Critical,   Doctrinal, and   Homiletical .      New   York:      Charles   Scribner   &   Co., 1865.  Maclaren,   Alexander.   The   Psalms    (in   3   Vols.,   from   The Expositor’s   Bible,   ed.   by   W.   R.   Nicoll).   New   York:   A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1901. Perowne,    J.    J.    Stewart.        The    Book    of    Psalms:        A    New Translation   with   Explanatory   Notes .      London:      George Bell & Sons, 1880. Plumer,    William    S.        Studies    in    the    Book    of    Psalms .      Philadelphia:  J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872. Scott,   Thomas.   Commentary   on   the   Holy   Bible ,   Vol.   III. London: James Nisbet, 1866. Spurgeon,    Charles.        The    Treasury    of    David .        6    Vols.      London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885. Tholuck,   Augustus.      A   Translation   and   Commentary   of the Book of Psalms .  Philadelphia:  Martien, 1858. Trapp,    John.        A    Commentary    on    the    Old    and    New Testaments .    Vol.    II    (Ezra    to    Psalms).        Edmonton, Canada:           Still           Waters           Revival           Books (www.PuritanDownloads.com).                     (Originally published c. 1660). VanGemeren,    Willem    A.,    (Gaebelein,    Frank    E.,    ed).      Expositor’s   Bible   Commentary ,   Vol.   5   –   Psalms   to   Song of Songs.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1991. -- Most   of   these   books   (those   in   the   public   domain)   can be    downloaded,    free    of    charge,    from    the    Classic Christian Library,  at: http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com