1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
19 Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
32 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
33 For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
Psalm 69 from the King James Version (KJV) Holy Bible is one of the Psalms of David, a profound narrative of intense suffering and fervent prayer for deliverance. This psalm is a lament, a genre in the biblical psalmody where the psalmist presents a complaint to God, expressing deep sorrow, suffering, or a situation that has gone desperately wrong. Within the lament, the psalmist also expresses trust in God and ends on a note of praise or confidence.
Psalm 69 is also known as an imprecatory psalm, characterized by invoking judgment, calamity, or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God. The psalmist, in the midst of his affliction, cries out to God for justice against his enemies, often in strong and vivid language. The main themes that emerge from this psalm include suffering, prayer, trust in God, and the call for divine justice.
The opening verses of Psalm 69 reveal the psalmist's intense suffering. He uses the metaphor of being in deep waters and sinking in the mire to describe his distress. The psalmist feels overwhelmed, weary, and alone in his suffering. He likens his situation to being trapped in rising floodwaters, unable to find a foothold or a place of safety. He is drowning, not just in actual water, but in the fears, sorrows, and troubles that surround him.
In the midst of his suffering, the psalmist cries out to God in prayer. He pleads for God's deliverance and mercy, acknowledging that God knows his folly and his wrongs. He acknowledges his sins and asks for forgiveness, expressing his desire for God's grace and mercy (Psalm 69:5). He is deeply aware of his own inadequacies and failures, and his prayer is a heartfelt cry for God's intervention.
Despite his deep suffering and despair, the psalmist expresses his trust in God. He declares, "But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation" (Psalm 69:13). Even in the darkest moments, the psalmist holds onto his faith in God's mercy and salvation.
The psalmist's faith is not a naive or superficial belief but a deep-seated trust rooted in the character and promises of God. He is confident of God's faithfulness and goodness, even when his circumstances suggest otherwise. This trust is not passive; it is active and persistent, expressed in the psalmist's continual prayers and his hope for deliverance.
The psalmist's prayer is not only for personal deliverance but also for divine justice. He calls upon God to punish his enemies, those who persecute him without cause (Psalm 69:4). He prays for God's judgement on the wicked and the deceitful, those who scorn God's laws and disregard his ways.
The psalmist's call for divine justice is not born out of personal vengeance, but out of a desire for God's righteousness to be upheld. He recognises that God is the ultimate judge who will vindicate the righteous and condemn the wicked.
In conclusion, Psalm 69 is a profound narrative of a righteous man's intense suffering and his fervent prayer for deliverance. It is a psalm of lament, of deep sorrow and distress, but also a psalm of trust, of unwavering faith in God's mercy and deliverance.
The psalmist's suffering is not without purpose or meaning. It is a test of his faith, a refining process that draws him closer to God. His prayer is not just a cry for help, but a declaration of his trust in God's faithfulness and goodness. His call for divine justice is not a call for personal vengeance, but a plea for God's righteousness to be upheld.
Psalm 69 teaches us that in the midst of our suffering, we can turn to God in prayer, trusting in His mercy and deliverance. It reminds us that God is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in trouble. It reassures us that God hears our cries and will deliver us in His perfect timing.
Psalm 69 also challenges us to seek divine justice, to pray for God's righteousness to be revealed in our world. It calls us to stand against injustice and to advocate for the oppressed and the marginalized. It reminds us that God is the ultimate judge, the one who will vindicably vindicate the righteous and condemn the wicked.
In the end, Psalm 69 is a testament to the psalmist's faith and resilience, his unwavering trust in God's mercy and deliverance, and his fervent hope for divine justice. It is a psalm that resonates with the human experience of suffering and the divine promise of deliverance, a psalm that speaks to our deepest fears and our highest hopes, a psalm that reminds us of the power of prayer and the promise of divine justice.
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