Psalm 70: A Short Cry for Help

70:1 O God, please be willing to rescue me! O Lord, hurry and help me! 70:2 May those who are trying to take my life be embarrassed and ashamed! May those who want to harm me be turned back and ashamed! 70:3 May those who say, “Aha! Aha!” be driven back and disgraced! 70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you! May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually, “May God be praised!” 70:5 I am oppressed and needy! O God, hurry to me! You are my helper and my deliverer! O Lord, do not delay! Psalm 71

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.

Psalm 70 is a brief and urgent prayer for God to rescue the needy and to put enemies to shame. It contrasts the downfall of those who oppose God with the joy of those who seek his salvation. The psalm ends where it begins: with a plea for the Lord to hurry and help.

This psalm is very short, but its need is great. The speaker asks God to rescue him quickly. He asks that those who want to harm him would be turned back, embarrassed, and disgraced. This is not presented as private revenge, but as a plea for God to act in justice and defend his servant. The psalm also turns to the people of God. Those who seek the Lord are called to rejoice and to keep praising God for his salvation. The final verse repeats the cry of need. The speaker is oppressed and needy, and he depends on God as helper and deliverer. The whole psalm teaches that urgent distress may be brought to God in honest prayer, and that rescue should lead to praise.

• God is asked to rescue the oppressed and needy without delay.
• The enemies of God's servant are asked to be ashamed and turned back.
• Those who seek God should rejoice in his salvation.
• God is called the helper and deliverer of his people.
• Deliverance should lead to praise, not silence.
• Lament can be brief and still faithful.

• Warning: those who oppose God's servant are asked to be shamed and put to flight.
• Promise: those who seek God will rejoice in his salvation.
• Command: call on the Lord for help and do not delay in prayer.
• Command: let God's salvation lead to praise.
• Warning: do not turn this psalm into a license for personal revenge.

Psalm 70 belongs to the life of God's covenant people in Israel. It shows the Lord as the one who defends the afflicted and reverses shame and honor. It also fits the larger biblical pattern of the righteous sufferer who looks to God for vindication, a pattern that later Scripture draws into fuller focus.

When danger feels immediate, believers may pray plainly and urgently. We do not have to polish our prayers before bringing them to God. We should leave vengeance in God's hands, trust him as helper and deliverer, and let his rescue become praise.

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