1 In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
2 Deliver me in Thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline Thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be Thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me: for Thou art my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For Thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: Thou art my trust from my youth.
6 By Thee have I been holden up from the womb: Thou art He that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of Thee.
7 I am as a wonder unto many: but Thou art my strong refuge.
8 Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honour all the day.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age: forsake me not when my strength faileth.
10 For mine enemies speak against me: and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him: for there is none to deliver him.
12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul: let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more.
15 My mouth shall shew forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day: for I know not the numbers thereof.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.
17 O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.
18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not: until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come.
19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!
20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
22 I will also praise Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God: unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee: and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
We contemplate the faithful and righteous salvation of God over a lifetime, from the time we were very small in our mother’s womb until we are old and gray, and we praise Him for it.
We look back over the years in which we have trusted in the faithfulness of God’s salvation and are touched. We talk to God as a child talks to a father. We say, “God, I have trusted You as if I was one of your children all of these years. You aren’t going to let me down now, are You? You won’t abandon me in the days of my old age, when my body is aging and weak, will You?”
Verses 1–9. These opening verses give us a picture of faith in the salvation of Yahweh. Employing a kind of profession of faith used quite often in the psalms, the Psalmist effectively says, “I am counting on you, Yahweh, my God. Now I ask you that You do not let me down!” The Psalmist asks for God’s salvation, His deliverance, and physical protection. Some find this strange that even in his old age, David still asks for God’s salvation. Does this mean that David is not convinced that God will really save him? Is he lacking in assurance of God’s salvation? Of course, assurance of God’s presence, mercy, and salvation can be a fleeting thing. It can be strong one moment and weak the next. But when we cry out to God for salvation, we are still rooting these cries in the assumption that God exists and that He could still show us mercy. These are cries of faith, and should be a part of every Christian’s prayer life, especially when faced with doubts and trials.
In verses 5 and 6, David acknowledges that God’s hand has held him up throughout the many years of his life. This psalm is especially for those who have grown up in Christian homes and have walked with God all of their lives. Without God’s daily protection and provision, we would be dead. Can you say the same thing that David says here? As far back as you can remember, have you trusted in the Lord for His provision and salvation?
Then, in verse 9, David looks to the future. He asks for God’s continued sustenance, even when he is old and gray and his strength begins to fail. When you are young, you have more strength to do the things that you must do day by day, and there is a temptation to rely on your own strength. But when you are old, you will begin to find that your strength fails. But it doesn’t matter whether you are old or young. You must trust in God for your strength every day.
Verses 10–13. Once again, David refers to his enemies. The righteous man must always contend with enemies, only because there is a true life battle going on in this world between good and evil. If you step out to honor God in your home, church, or workplace, there will be opposition—you can count on it. These enemies are spiritual and sometimes dwell within the hearts of men. These men deceive themselves into thinking that a good man is an evil man who has been abandoned by God, and they will give you many reasons for this belief. But the persecuted man of faith continues to look to God to vindicate him in these torrents of deceit. Great reformers of the faith have always been persecuted by those within the church who believed that these good men were, in fact, evil. It was only a close, faith-filled walk with God that brought them through these times of battle.
Verses 14–16. Whereas the last section contained cries for help, now we are back to a statement of faith. David is confident in the salvation of God. Five times in this psalm (beginning in v. 2), including two references in this section, David speaks of the “righteousness” of God. He is dependent on the righteousness of God for his salvation. But in what sense is God’s salvation a righteous salvation? How does the righteousness of God play into the salvation of His people? David does not specify in this psalm, partially because he does not have full access to the completed revelation of God in the Bible. But David did know that God would not compromise His righteousness in the salvation of His saints. Earlier God had promised salvation through the covenant He made with Abraham. David knew that God would be true to His covenant because of the righteous character of His holy nature. Remember that Moses had said that God would forgive sins and by no means clear the guilty (Ex. 34:7). It may have sounded like an impossible thing to the Old Testament saints. How can God forgive sinners and still remain just and righteous? David would have had to believe in the promises of God independent of a complete explanation of such matters. But Paul closes the case for us when he says that Jesus is our righteousness, and thereby God is both the just and the justifier of those who come to Him by Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:26).
Verses 17–18. Again, David turns back to God and asks Him not to abandon him in his old age. Then he commits himself to the business of declaring God’s power and strength to the generation to come. Older people have a responsibility before God to teach the younger generation. This is why we must have families where grandparents declare the truth of God’s faithfulness to grandchildren, and churches must have elders who declare God’s works to the younger men, women, and children. In fact, this should be the single most important purpose for elderly men and women to continue to minister in our midst—to record and declare the powerful works of God to successive generations (I Tim. 5:1–2: Tit. 2:4). Unfortunately, this blessing has languished in a day when elderly people are shuffled off to their own classrooms and churches, or even to their own rest homes.
Verses 19–24. In preparation for a rousing burst of praise at the end, David begins to relate some of the great things God has done. Even the trials God brings to us come from the hand of our all-powerful and all-wise God. David speaks of death—but he is confident in one incredibly powerful work of God, and that is his own resurrection. Boldly he testifies that God will raise him from the “depths of the earth,” “increase his greatness,” and comfort him on every side.
Finally, the man of God returns to praising his God. Here is where he finds the most joy. He sings of God’s redemption, the fact that God has purchased him from the slave owners of sin, death, and eternal hell. Now isn’t that something to sing about?
When we speak to God, we speak to him as a child to a father. This sort of conversation should be direct, personal, and sincere. We assume that God is all-powerful, all-wise, and sovereign. But we still employ questions like, “Will You abandon me when I am weak and dying, oh my Father?” It is an honest question, and comes from faith that may shake a little. But God understands. He knows that our faith is a little weak at times. Even these weak prayers are prayers of faith.
It should be noted that this psalm alternates repeatedly between cries for deliverance and statements of faith. For example:
Save me, O God!
I believe in You.
Save me, O God!
I believe in You.
In periods of confidence, he says, “I believe in You and praise You, O God!” Then as he slips in his confidence, he interjects cries of, “Save me, O God!” Finally, at the end of the psalm, his heart rises to the height of all of human action, in the most joyful act of all—praise. This is the pattern of worship for the believer tossed for a time in the sea of uncertainty.
1. Why does David ask for God’s salvation when he knows he has it?
2. Who does this psalm speak to?
3. What does it mean for God to save by righteousness?
4. What should our elderly grandparents be doing in the church and family?
5. What is the pattern of this psalm?
1. Let’s review for a moment the faithfulness of God in our lives over the years. Has God ever abandoned us in our times of trouble? Can you remember the prayers that He has answered?
2. Do you find your faith rising and waning? What do you do when it rises? What do you do when it wanes