Psalm 69: A Cry for Help, a Plea for Justice, and Hope in God

69:1 Deliver me, O God, for the water has reached my neck. 69:2 I sink into the deep mire where there is no solid ground; I am in deep water, and the current overpowers me. 69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help; my throat is sore; my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. 69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head. Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, outnumber me. They make me repay what I did not steal! 69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; my guilt is not hidden from you. 69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me, O sovereign Lord and king! Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me, O God of Israel! 69:7 For I suffer humiliation for your sake and am thoroughly disgraced. 69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger; they act as if I were a foreigner. 69:9 Certainly zeal for your house consumes me; I endure the insults of those who insult you. 69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, which causes others to insult me. 69:11 I wear sackcloth and they ridicule me. 69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me; drunkards mock me in their songs. 69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! O God, because of your great loyal love, answer me with your faithful deliverance! 69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink! Deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep water! 69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me! Don’t let the deep swallow me up! Don’t let the pit devour me! 69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good! Because of your great compassion, turn toward me! 69:17 Do not ignore your servant, for I am in trouble! Answer me right away! 69:18 Come near me and redeem me! Because of my enemies, rescue me! 69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced; you can see all my enemies. 69:20 Their insults are painful and make me lose heart; I look for sympathy, but receive none, for comforters, but find none. 69:21 They put bitter poison into my food, and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. 69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them! May it be a snare for that group of friends! 69:23 May their eyes be blinded! Make them shake violently! 69:24 Pour out your judgment on them! May your raging anger overtake them! 69:25 May their camp become desolate, their tents uninhabited! 69:26 For they harass the one whom you discipline; they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish. 69:27 Hold them accountable for all their sins! Do not vindicate them! 69:28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! Do not let their names be listed with the godly! 69:29 I am oppressed and suffering! O God, deliver and protect me! 69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name! I will magnify him as I give him thanks! 69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hooves. 69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice! You who seek God, may you be encouraged! 69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy; he does not despise his captive people. 69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him, along with the seas and everything that swims in them! 69:35 For God will deliver Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah, and his people will again live in them and possess Zion. 69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who are loyal to him will live in it. Psalm 70 For the music director; by David; written to get God’s attention.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

The psalmist cries out to God from deep distress. He is overwhelmed, mocked, and hated without cause. He also admits that God knows his guilt. He asks God to rescue him, judge the wicked, and keep those who trust in God from shame. The psalm ends with praise and hope that God will restore Zion.

This psalm is a strong lament. The psalmist feels as if he is drowning. He is tired from calling for help. His enemies are many, and his shame is public. Even his own family treats him like a stranger. He says that his zeal for God’s house has brought him reproach.

The psalm also includes confession. He does not hide his guilt from God. He knows that God sees his sins. So his prayer is not that he is innocent in every way, but that God would show mercy while he suffers.

He asks God to draw near, rescue him, and answer quickly. He also describes deep loneliness. He looked for sympathy, but none came. He looked for comforters, but found none.

Then the prayer turns to judgment. The psalmist asks God to deal with hardened enemies. This is not private revenge. It is a plea for God, the righteous Judge, to act justly.

The psalm ends in hope. He vows to praise God after deliverance. He says that praise is better than an ox or a bull. He also looks beyond his own rescue to the restoration of Zion and Judah. God hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.

• God sees both open shame and hidden guilt.
• A faithful person may suffer for zeal for God’s house.
• Lament can include confession, complaint, and praise.
• God hears the needy and does not despise his people.
• Judgment belongs to God, not to personal revenge.
• Praise after deliverance is better than sacrifice alone.
• The psalm ends with hope for Zion’s restoration.

• Warning: Do not treat the imprecations as a model for private retaliation.
• Warning: Do not ignore the psalmist’s confession of guilt.
• Promise: God hears the needy and will not despise his captive people.
• Promise: God will deliver Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.
• Command: Call on God for help in trouble.
• Command: Praise God with thanksgiving after deliverance.

This psalm belongs to Israel’s worship life under the covenant. It connects the suffering of one faithful servant to the hope of God’s people as a whole. Its final vision reaches to Zion, Judah, and the restored dwelling of God’s people.

Believers can pray honestly when they are overwhelmed. They may confess sin, ask for rescue, and trust God with justice. They should not answer insult with revenge. They should keep seeking God, and when help comes, they should thank him openly.

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