Psalm 70
Psalm 70, Help Quickly, O Lord
Introduction
Psalm 70 is titled, To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance. This title must be included because it gives the setting, authorship, and purpose of the psalm. It is addressed To the Chief Musician, meaning it was prepared for public worship among the people of God. It is A Psalm of David, identifying David as the human author. It is also marked To bring to remembrance, which means this psalm was designed to bring urgent need, covenant dependence, divine deliverance, and proper praise back before the worshipper and before God.
The phrase To bring to remembrance is especially important because Psalm 70 is almost the same as Psalm 40:13 through 17. This does not make Psalm 70 unnecessary. It means the Holy Spirit preserved this prayer in a separate form for renewed use. God’s people often need the same truths brought back before them. The believer does not outgrow the need to cry for help, remember dependence, reject the scorn of enemies, rejoice in salvation, and magnify God.
Psalm 70 is short, but it is not shallow. It is urgent, direct, and deeply practical. David is in trouble, enemies are pressing against him, mockers are saying “Aha, aha,” and he asks God to act quickly. The psalm teaches that there are moments in life when long speeches are not needed. The proper prayer is, Make haste, O God. Help me. Deliver me. Do not delay.
This psalm also teaches that urgency in prayer is not unbelief. David knows God is sovereign, wise, and never late according to His eternal purpose. Yet David still prays with desperate honesty. The believer may speak to God from the pressure of real danger, real fear, real need, and real weakness. God is not offended by honest dependence. He would rather hear an imperfect prayer directed to Him than see His people sit in silent despair.
Martin Luther described this kind of prayer as a shield, spear, thunderbolt, and defense against fear, presumption, and lukewarmness. That is a strong and useful way to understand Psalm 70. Fear says the danger is too great. Presumption says the need is not urgent. Lukewarmness says prayer can wait. Psalm 70 cuts through all three. It teaches the believer to run to God quickly, humbly, urgently, and expectantly.
The movement of the psalm is simple and powerful. David first pleads for quick deliverance. He then prays that his adversaries would be ashamed, confounded, turned back, and confused. He calls God’s people to rejoice and say continually, “Let God be magnified.” Finally, he returns to his own poverty and need, confessing that God alone is his help and deliverer.
From a Baptist and literal hermeneutic, Psalm 70 should first be read as David’s genuine prayer in affliction. David was a real man facing real enemies and real danger. At the same time, because David is the Lord’s anointed king, his sufferings often foreshadow the sufferings of Christ and the opposition faced by God’s people. The psalm gives believers language for urgent prayer while also reminding them that God’s salvation is worthy of continual praise.
A. The Plea for Deliverance
Psalm 70:1
Psalm 70:1, “Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.”
David begins with urgency. “Make haste, O God, to deliver me.” He does not speak as a man with mild inconvenience. He speaks as a man in serious need. Deliverance delayed may feel like deliverance denied when danger is near. David knows that if God does not help him, he has no sufficient help.
The phrase “Make haste” is repeated because the need is pressing. David is not trying to manipulate God. He is expressing the real condition of his soul. The believer should not pretend calmness when he is desperate. Prayer should be truthful. David brings his urgency to God rather than allowing fear to rule him.
This also teaches that there are different kinds of prayer. Some prayers are long meditations. Some prayers are quiet worship. Some prayers are confessions. Some prayers are thanksgiving. Psalm 70:1 is a battle cry. It is the cry of a man who needs God’s intervention now.
David first says, “O God,” then repeats the plea with the covenant name, “O LORD.” The name LORD represents Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. David appeals not merely to divine power in a general sense, but to the faithful covenant God who has bound Himself to His people by promise. He asks the God who is able to deliver and the God who has revealed Himself as faithful to come quickly.
There is a theological tension here that every believer understands. God never needs to be hurried as though He were careless, lazy, distracted, or unaware. God is never late in the absolute sense. He does all things according to His perfect wisdom and eternal purpose. Yet from the believer’s limited human experience, trouble can feel immediate and overwhelming. Therefore Scripture gives us prayers like this. God permits His people to cry, “Make haste.”
This means that imperfectly worded prayers can still be real prayers of faith. A suffering believer may not phrase everything with perfect theological precision in the moment of distress. God understands the deepest need beneath the words. He receives the honest cry of His servant and answers according to His perfect knowledge.
This verse also connects with Psalm 40, where almost the same prayer appears.
Psalm 40:13, “Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.”
The difference in wording does not change the heart of the prayer. God’s people repeatedly need deliverance. The same cry may need to be prayed again and again. This is not vain repetition when it comes from real dependence. It is faithful remembrance.
The believer should learn from David’s urgency. Many prayers lack force because they lack a sense of need. Men often pray casually because they do not feel their poverty before God. David does not pray casually. He knows he needs deliverance, and he asks plainly.
Psalm 70:2, 3
Psalm 70:2, “Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward and put to confusion that desire my hurt.”
Psalm 70:3, “Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.”
David now prays against his adversaries. “Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul.” These enemies are not merely annoying him. They seek after his soul. They desire his life, his destruction, and his ruin. David asks God to bring shame and confusion upon them.
This is an appeal to divine justice. David is not taking vengeance into his own hands. He is placing the matter before God. The enemies who seek his life are acting wickedly, and David asks God to stop them. There is nothing unrighteous about asking God to frustrate evil plans.
The phrase “let them be turned backward” pictures enemies advancing against David, but God forcing them into retreat. David asks that their momentum be reversed. Let the attackers become the retreating ones. Let those who move forward in malice be driven backward by God’s power.
He also asks that they be “put to confusion.” Wicked men often act with arrogant certainty. They believe their plans will succeed. They think their power, numbers, influence, or cruelty will prevail. David asks God to confuse them, to disorder their plans, and to expose the foolishness of their opposition.
The prayer continues in verse 3, “Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame.” Their shame becomes their reward. This is a fitting judgment. They sought to shame David, but David asks that shame return upon them. Scripture often teaches that the wicked fall into the pit they dig for others.
Psalm 7:15, 16, “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.”
The enemies also say, “Aha, aha.” This is the sound of scornful mockery. They are not only hostile, they are contemptuous. They rejoice over David’s trouble. They mock his distress. Their sin is not only violence, but ridicule.
This kind of mocking is especially painful because it attacks the soul. It is one thing to suffer. It is another thing to suffer while enemies laugh. David asks God to turn back those who delight in his pain.
This prayer must be understood in light of biblical justice. It is not personal pettiness. It is not selfish revenge. David is the Lord’s anointed servant, and his enemies are opposing God’s work through him. The principle is that those who curse what God has blessed place themselves under judgment.
Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
The same principle applies more fully to Christ. Those who mocked and rejected the Son of David were not merely mocking a man. They were rejecting God’s Messiah. Yet Christ personally prayed for forgiveness for those who acted in ignorance.
Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
The believer must therefore hold two truths together. First, God is righteous to judge hardened evil, and it is proper to ask Him to stop wicked men. Second, the believer must not act from personal vengeance, bitterness, or fleshly hatred. Judgment belongs to God.
Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
One of the kindest things God can do to wicked men is frustrate their plans. If their evil succeeds, they may become more hardened. If their plans fail, they may be forced to see the folly of sin. Therefore praying that evil plans fail may be both just and merciful.
B. Praise Added to the Plea
Psalm 70:4
Psalm 70:4, “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.”
David now turns from the shame of his enemies to the joy of God’s people. “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee.” Even while David is in urgent need, he calls the people of God to rejoice. This shows that his trouble has not erased his theology. He still knows that God is worthy of joy.
The people described here are “all those that seek thee.” These are not the mockers who say “Aha, aha.” They are those who seek God. To seek God means to desire Him, pursue Him, depend upon Him, worship Him, and look to Him for salvation and help. God’s people are marked by seeking Him.
David says they should “rejoice and be glad in thee.” Their joy is not first in circumstances. It is in God Himself. This is crucial. Circumstances may still be dangerous, enemies may still be active, and prayers may still be urgent, but God remains the joy of His people. The believer’s deepest gladness must be rooted in who God is, not merely in what God has already changed.
This verse shows that David has some measure of joy even while he is still asking for deliverance. He can call others to rejoice because he knows God is still good. Faith does not require the problem to be gone before praise begins. Faith can praise while still pleading.
The verse continues, “and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.” God’s people are those who love His salvation. This is a searching description. Every man loves something. Some love money more than salvation. Some love pleasure more than salvation. Some love reputation more than salvation. Some love business, comfort, entertainment, power, or sin more than salvation. But the people of God love God’s salvation.
To love God’s salvation is to love His rescue, His mercy, His forgiveness, His deliverance, His redemption, and His saving work. In New Testament fullness, it is to love the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection.
1 Peter 1:18, 19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
Those who love God’s salvation are to say continually, “Let God be magnified.” To magnify God does not mean to make God greater in reality. God cannot become greater than He is. He is infinite, eternal, unchanging, and perfect. To magnify God means to make Him greater in perception, to declare His greatness, to recognize His greatness, and to help others see His greatness.
A telescope magnifies distant objects by bringing them closer to human sight. Praise magnifies God by bringing His greatness before the heart and before others. The problem is not that God is small. The problem is that man’s perception is small. Praise corrects spiritual vision.
This line also corrects selfish religion. David does not say, Let God be magnified only if He makes me successful, healthy, comfortable, and safe. He simply says, “Let God be magnified.” God should be magnified whether the believer is delivered immediately or made to wait. God should be magnified in abundance and in need, in victory and in trial, in public blessing and in private suffering.
Philippians 1:20, 21, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness as always so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Paul expresses the same spirit. Christ must be magnified, whether by life or death. That is mature faith. The highest goal is not personal ease, but divine glory.
The contrast between verse 3 and verse 4 is powerful. The enemies say, “Aha, aha.” The people of God say, “Let God be magnified.” The wicked bark with contempt. The righteous speak with worship. The mouth reveals the heart. Mockers magnify trouble and shame. Believers magnify God.
Psalm 70:5
Psalm 70:5, “But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.”
The psalm closes by returning to the plea for quick help. David does not pretend that his praise has removed his need. He says, “But I am poor and needy.” This is a realistic confession. David is spiritually and practically dependent. He has no sufficient resource in himself.
The phrase “poor and needy” is not merely economic. It describes weakness, helplessness, affliction, dependence, and lack. David is a king, yet before God he knows he is poor and needy. Earthly position does not remove spiritual poverty. The strongest man remains dependent upon God.
This confession is essential for effective prayer. Proud men do not pray rightly because they do not see their need. Self sufficient men do not plead deeply because they assume they can manage. David knows better. He is poor and needy, and that awareness drives him to God.
This also applies to the church. A congregation that wants the power of the Holy Spirit must confess its poverty and need. Programs, buildings, money, talent, education, and activity cannot replace dependence upon God. The church that does not know it is poor and needy will not pray as it ought.
John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
David repeats, “make haste unto me, O God.” The urgency remains. He began the psalm with “Make haste,” and he ends the psalm with the same burden. The repetition shows that his need has not changed, but neither has his God.
The statement “thou art my help and my deliverer” is the theological center of the final verse. David has no other help equal to God. God is not merely a helper among many helpers. He is my help. God is not merely one possible deliverer. He is my deliverer. David’s hope is personal, direct, and covenantal.
The word help speaks of God’s present support in weakness. The word deliverer speaks of God’s rescue from danger. David needs both. He needs strength while he waits, and he needs rescue from what threatens him. God provides both.
The final prayer is, “O LORD, make no tarrying.” Again David uses the covenant name of the Lord. He asks Yahweh not to delay. From God’s side, divine timing is always perfect. From David’s side, the need is urgent. Scripture allows both truths to stand. God is never careless in His timing, and His people may still plead for quick help.
This final verse teaches that faith can be both joyful and needy. David has just called God’s people to rejoice and magnify God. Now he confesses that he is poor and needy. These are not contradictions. A believer may rejoice in God and still desperately need deliverance. He may magnify God and still cry for help. He may be spiritually confident and emotionally pressed at the same time.
Psalm 70 therefore gives a complete pattern for urgent prayer. Cry quickly to God. Ask Him to frustrate evil. Reject the mocking voice of the enemy. Call the righteous to rejoice. Magnify God continually. Confess poverty and need. Rest in God as help and deliverer. Keep praying until the Lord answers.
The psalm also points the believer to Christ. Jesus, the greater Son of David, was mocked by enemies, surrounded by those who said in effect, “Aha, aha,” and yet He entrusted Himself to the Father. Through His death and resurrection, He became the salvation loved by God’s people. Therefore those who love His salvation may continually say, “Let God be magnified.”
Matthew 27:41, 42, 43, “Likewise also the chief priests mocking him with the scribes and elders said He saved others himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said I am the Son of God.”
The mockers did not have the final word. God did. Christ rose from the dead. The salvation of God was vindicated. Therefore the believer can pray Psalm 70 with confidence. The Lord may not answer according to human timing, but He is still help, deliverer, and salvation.
