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Commentary on Psalms 71 verses 1–13
Two things in general David here prays for - that he might not be confounded and that his enemies and persecutors might be confounded.
I. He prays that he might never be made ashamed of his dependence upon God nor disappointed in his believing expectations from him. With this petition every true believer may come boldly to the throne of grace; for God will never disappoint the hope that is of his own raising. Now observe here,
1.How David professes his confidence in God, and with what pleasure and grateful variety of expression he repeats his profession of that confidence, still presenting the profession of it to God and pleading it with him. We praise God, and so please him, by telling him (if it be indeed true) what an entire confidence we have in him (Psa 71:1): "In thee, O Lord! and in thee only, do I put my trust. Whatever others do, I choose the God of Jacob for my help." Those that are entirely satisfied with God's all-sufficiency and the truth of his promise, and in dependence upon that, as sufficient to make them amends, are freely willing to do and suffer, to lose and venture, for him, may truly say, In thee, O Lord! do I put my trust. Those that will deal with God must deal upon trust; if we are shy of dealing with him, it is a sign we do not trust him. Thou art my rock and my fortress (Psa 71:3); and again, "Thou art my refuge, my strong refuge" (Psa 71:7); that is, "I fly to thee, and am sure to be safe in thee, and under thy protection. If thou secure me, none can hurt me. Thou art my hope and my trust" (Psa 71:5); that is, "thou hast proposed thyself to me in thy word as the proper object of my hope and trust; I have hoped in thee, and never found it in vain to do so."
2.How his confidence in God is supported and encouraged by his experiences (Psa 71:5, Psa 71:6): "Thou hast been my trust from my youth; ever since I was capable of discerning between my right hand and my left, I stayed myself upon thee, and saw a great deal of reason to do so; for by thee have I been holden up from the womb." Ever since he had the use of his reason he had been a dependent upon God's goodness, because ever since he had had a being he had been a monument of it. Note, The consideration of the gracious care which the divine Providence took of us in our birth and infancy should engage us to an early piety and constant devotedness to his honour. He that was our help from our birth ought to be our hope from our youth. If we received so much mercy from God before we were capable of doing him any service, we should lose no time when we are capable. This comes in here as a support to the psalmist in his present distress; not only that God had given him his life and being, bringing him out of his mother's bowels into the world, and providing that he should not die from the womb, nor give up the ghost when he came out of the belly, but that he had betimes made him one of his family: "Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels into the arms of thy grace, under the shadow of thy wings, into the bond of thy covenant; thou tookest me into thy church, as a son of thy handmaid, and born in thy house, Psa 116:16. And therefore," (1.) "I have reason to hope that thou wilt protect me; thou that hast held me up hitherto wilt not let me fall now; thou that madest me wilt not forsake the work of thy own hands; thou that helpedst me when I could not help myself wilt not abandon me now that I am as helpless as I was then." (2.) "Therefore I have reason to resolve that I will devote myself unto thee: My praise shall therefore be continually of thee;" that is, "I will make it my business every day to praise thee and will take all occasions to do it."
3.What his requests to God are, in this confidence.
(1.)That he might never be put to confusion (Psa 71:1), that he might not be disappointed of the mercy he expected and so made ashamed of his expectation. Thus we may all pray in faith that our confidence in God may not be our confusion. Hope of the glory of God is hope that makes not ashamed.
(2.)That he might be delivered out of the hand of his enemies (Psa 71:2): "Deliver me in thy righteousness. As thou art the righteous Judge of the world, pleading the cause of the injured and punishing the injurious, cause me in some way or other to escape" (God will, with the temptation, make a way to escape, Co1 10:13): "Incline thy ear unto my prayers, and, in answer to them, save me out of my troubles, Psa 71:4. Deliver me, O my God! out of the hands of those that are ready to pull me in pieces." Three things he pleads for deliverance: - [1.] The encouragement God had given him to expect it: Thou hast given commandment to save me (Psa 71:3); that is, thou hast promised to do it, and such efficacy is there in God's promises that they are often spoken of as commands, like that, Let there be light, and there was light. He speaks, and it is done. [2.] The character of his enemies; they are wicked, unrighteous, cruel men, and it will be for the honour of God to appear against them (Psa 71:4), for he is a holy, just, and good God. [3.] The many eyes that were upon him (Psa 71:7): "I am as a wonder unto many; every one waits to see what will be the issue of such extraordinary troubles as I have fallen into and such extraordinary confidence as I profess to have in God." Or, "I am looked upon as a monster, am one whom every body shuns, and therefore am undone if the Lord be not my refuge. Men abandon me, but God will not."
(3.)That he might always find rest and safety in God (Psa 71:3): Be thou my strong habitation; by thou to me a rock of repose, whereto I may continually resort. Those that are at home in God, that live a life of communion with him and confidence in him, that continually resort unto him by faith and prayer, having their eyes ever towards him, may promise themselves a strong habitation in him, such as will never fall of itself nor can ever be broken through by any invading power; and they shall be welcome to resort to him continually upon all occasions, and not be upbraided as coming too often.
(4.)That he might have continual matter for thanksgiving to God, and might be continually employed in that pleasant work (Psa 71:8): "Let my mouth be filled with thy praise, as now it is with my complaints, and then I shall not be ashamed of my hope, but my enemies will be ashamed of their insolence." Those that love God love to be praising him, and desire to be doing it all the day, not only in their morning and evening devotions, not only seven times a day (Psa 119:164), but all the day, to intermix with all they say something or other that may redound to the honour and praise of God. They resolve to do it while they live; they hope to be doing it eternally in a better world.
(5.)That he might not be neglected now in his declining years (Psa 71:9): Cast me not off now in the time of my old gage; forsake me not when my strength fails. Observe here, [1.] The natural sense he had of the infirmities of age: My strength fails. Where there was strength of body and vigour of mind, strong sight, a strong voice, strong limbs, alas! in old age they fail; the life is continued, but the strength is gone, or that which is his labour and sorrow, Psa 90:10. [2.] The gracious desire he had of the continuance of God's presence with him under these infirmities: Lord, cast me not off; do not then forsake me. This intimates that he should look upon himself as undone if God should abandon him. To be cast off and forsaken of God is a thing to be dreaded at any time, especially in the time of old age and when our strength fails us; for it is God that is the strength of our heart. But it intimates that he had reason to hope God would not desert him; the faithful servants of God may be comfortably assured that he will not cast them off in old age, nor forsake them when their strength fails them. He is a Master that is not wont to cast off old servants. In this confidence David here prays again (Psa 71:12): "O God! be not far from me; let me not be under the apprehension of thy withdrawings, for then I am miserable. I my God! a God in covenant with me, make haste for my help, lest I perish before help come."
II. He prays that his enemies might be made ashamed of their designs against him. Observe, 1. What it was which they unjustly said against him, Psa 71:10, Psa 71:11. Their plot was deep and desperate; it was against his life: They lay wait for my soul (Psa 71:10), and are adversaries to that, Psa 71:13. Their powers and policies were combined: They take counsel together. And very insolent they were in their deportment: They say, God has forsaken him; persecute and take him. Here their premises are utterly false, that because a good man was in great trouble and had continued long in it, and was not so soon delivered as perhaps he expected, therefore God had forsaken him and would have no more to do with him. All are not forsaken of God who think themselves so or whom others think to be so. And, as their premises were false, so their inference was barbarous. If God has forsaken him, then persecute and take him, and doubt not but to make a prey of him. This is talking to the grief of one whom God has smitten, Psa 69:26. But thus they endeavour to discourage David, as Sennacherib endeavoured to intimidate Hezekiah by suggesting that God was his enemy and fought against him. Have I now come up without the Lord against this city, to destroy it? Isa 36:10. It is true, if God has forsaken a man, there is none to deliver him; but therefore to insult over him ill becomes those who are conscious to themselves that they deserve to be for ever forsaken of God. But rejoice not against me, O my enemy! though I fall, I shall rise. He that seems to forsake for a small moment will gather with everlasting kindness. 2. What it was which he justly prayed for, from a spirit of prophecy, not a spirit of passion (Psa 71:13): "Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul. If they will not be confounded by repentance, and so saved, let them be confounded with everlasting dishonour, and so ruined." God will turn into shame the glory of those who turn into shame the glory of God and his people.
For this John, my dearest brothers, was one of those mountains about which it has been written, “Let the mountains receive peace for your people; and the hills justice.” The mountains are eminent souls; the hills are little souls. But the mountains receive peace for this very reason, so that the hills can receive justice. What is the justice that the hills receive? Faith, because “the just person lives by faith.” The lesser souls, however, would not receive faith if the greater souls, who were called mountains, were not illuminated by wisdom itself, so that they can convey to the little ones what the little ones are able to grasp, and so that the hills can live by faith because the mountains receive peace. By these very mountains it was said to the church, “Peace be with you.” And the mountains themselves, in announcing peace to the church, did not set themselves apart in regard to him from whom they receive peace so that they might announce peace truly and not deceitfully.
"Be Thou unto me for a protecting God" [Psalm 71:3]. Let not the darts of the enemy reach unto me: for I am not able to protect myself. And a small thing is "protecting:" he has added, "and for a walled place, that You may save me." "For a walled place" be Thou to me, be Thou my walled place....Behold, God Himself has become the place of your fleeing unto, who at first was the fearful object of your fleeing from. "For a walled place," he says, be to me, "that You may save me." I shall not be safe except in You: except You shall have been my rest, my sickness shall not be able to be made whole. Lift me from the earth; upon You I will lie, in order that I may rise unto a walled place. What can be better walled? When unto that place you shall have fled for refuge, tell me what adversaries you will dread? Who will lie in wait, and come at you? A certain man is said from the summit of a mountain to have cried out, when an Emperor was passing by, "I speak not of you:" the other is said to have looked back and to have said, "Nor I of you." He had despised an Emperor with glittering arms, with mighty army. From whence? From a strong place. If he was secure on a high spot of earth, how secure are you on Him by whom heaven and earth were made? I, if for myself I shall have chosen another place, shall not be able to be safe. Choose thou indeed, O man, if you shall have found one, a place better walled. There is not then a place whither to flee from Him, except we flee to Him. If you will escape Him angry, flee to Him appeased. "For my firmament and my refuge You are." "My firmament" is what? Through You I am firm, and by You I am firm. "For my firmament and my refuge You are:" in order that I may be made firm by You, in whatever respects I shall have been made infirm in myself, I will flee for refuge unto You. For firm the grace of Christ makes you, and immovable against all temptations of the enemy. But there is there too human frailness, there is there still the first captivity, there is there too the law in the members fighting against the law of the mind, and willing to lead captive in the law of sin: [Romans 7:23] still the body which is corrupt presses down the soul. [Wisdom 9:15] Howsoever firm thou be by the grace of God, so long as thou still bearest an earthly vessel, wherein the treasure of God is, something must be dreaded even from that same vessel of clay. [2 Corinthians 4:7] Therefore "my firmament You are," in order that I may be firm in this world against all temptations. But if many they are, and they trouble me: "my refuge You are." For I will confess mine infirmity, to the end that I may be timid like a "hare," because I am full of thorns like a "hedgehog." And as in another Psalm is said, "The rock is a refuge for the hedgehogs and the hares:" but the Rock was Christ. [1 Corinthians 10:4]
“Deliver me in your righteousness and rescue me; incline your ear to me and deliver me.” When he says “in your righteousness,” he seeks divine mercy. In other words it pertains to his righteousness to spare a suppliant. For thus it pleased his righteousness to forgive a person who is known to condemn his own deeds. He says, “Deliver me from the pressing dangers; rescue me from the power of the devil,” so that he may not be condemned with him forever. When he says “incline,” he professes that he is humbly prostrate, because unless divine grace is inclined to freeing someone, he is not able to arrive by his own merits at that mercy which he desires. For it is not the merit of anyone that reaches God, but rather he himself is merciful and comes straightaway to sinners.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 71:3 is a fervent prayer from an aged psalmist, likely King David, who seeks God's unwavering presence and protection amidst life's challenges and adversaries. The verse profoundly expresses a deep, lifelong trust in God, appealing to Him as an unshakeable refuge and a secure dwelling place. It affirms God's active will and faithfulness to deliver, portraying Him as a steadfast "rock" and "fortress" to whom the believer can continually resort for safety, vindication, and enduring security.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse is rich in Metaphor and Imagery, primarily through the use of architectural and geographical terms to describe God. God is depicted as a "strong habitation," a "rock," and a "fortress," transforming abstract theological concepts into tangible, relatable images of security and refuge. This creates a vivid picture of God as an unyielding, protective environment for the believer. The phrase "whereunto I may continually resort" employs Hyperbole to emphasize the psalmist's intense desire for constant, unhindered access to God, underscoring the depth of his dependence. The structure also exhibits Parallelism in the concluding phrase "my rock and my fortress," where two distinct but complementary images reinforce the singular idea of God as ultimate security. This repetition serves to intensify the psalmist's conviction and reliance, creating a powerful and memorable affirmation of faith.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 71:3 profoundly articulates the biblical theme of God as the ultimate refuge and stronghold for His people. This concept is not merely a comforting thought but a foundational truth about God's character as faithful, immutable, and actively involved in the protection and salvation of those who trust in Him. The psalmist's desire to "continually resort" to God speaks to the perpetual need for divine presence and intervention in human life, especially in times of vulnerability or opposition. It underscores a theology of sustained dependence and intimate communion, where access to God is always open and His saving power is always available, not based on human merit but on His sovereign "commandment to save." This verse grounds the believer's security not in fleeting circumstances or personal strength, but in the unshakeable nature of God Himself, revealing His steadfast love and unwavering commitment to His covenant people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
For the modern believer, Psalm 71:3 offers profound comfort and a clear directive for living. In a world characterized by instability, anxiety, and constant change, the imagery of God as our "strong habitation," "rock," and "fortress" provides an anchor for the soul. It invites us to shift our reliance from fleeting human strengths or unreliable circumstances to the immutable character of God. This verse encourages a lifestyle of "continual resort" to God, recognizing that prayer, worship, and meditation on His Word are not just crisis interventions but essential, ongoing practices that foster deep intimacy and sustained peace. It reminds us that our security is not found in avoiding storms but in dwelling in the One who is greater than any storm. Furthermore, the declaration "thou hast given commandment to save me" instills confidence in God's active, sovereign will to deliver and preserve His children, assuring us that His faithfulness is not passive but a powerful, purposeful commitment on our behalf. This truth empowers us to face challenges with courage, knowing that our ultimate safety and salvation are secured in Him.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does the psalmist use so many different images for God's protection?
Answer: The psalmist employs a rich array of metaphors—"strong habitation," "rock," and "fortress"—to comprehensively describe the multifaceted nature of God's protection and presence. Each image highlights a distinct aspect of divine security: "habitation" (Hebrew: mâʻôwn) emphasizes a secure, intimate dwelling place or home; "rock" (Hebrew: çelaʻ) denotes unshakeable stability and an unyielding foundation; and "fortress" (Hebrew: mâtsûwd) signifies impenetrable defense and a secure stronghold against enemies. By combining these, the psalmist paints a complete picture of God as the all-encompassing, ever-present, and perfectly reliable source of safety and refuge, addressing both internal needs for belonging and external threats. This cumulative imagery serves to deepen the psalmist's expression of absolute trust and to reinforce the reader's understanding of God's comprehensive care, as seen in other passages like Psalm 91:2.
How can I "continually resort" to God in my daily life?
Answer: "Continually resorting" to God, as expressed in Psalms 71:3, implies a lifestyle of ongoing communion and dependence, not just isolated moments of prayer. This can be practiced through various means: cultivating a habit of "breath prayers"—short, frequent prayers throughout the day; engaging in meditation on Scripture, allowing God's Word to shape your thoughts and perspectives; practicing mindfulness of God's presence in everyday activities; and regularly setting aside dedicated time for devotion and worship. It's about maintaining an open channel of communication with God, bringing every thought, concern, and joy before Him, much like the New Testament exhortation to pray without ceasing. This continuous reliance fosters a deeper intimacy and a constant awareness of God as your ever-present refuge and strength.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 71:3 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the living embodiment of the "strong habitation," the "rock," and the "fortress" to whom believers can continually resort. Just as the psalmist sought refuge in God, so too does the New Testament reveal Jesus as the secure dwelling place for all who believe, for in Him we live and move and have our being. Christ is the "Rock" upon whom the church is built (You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church), the unshakeable foundation for our faith and salvation, a truth echoed by Paul who called Christ "the spiritual Rock that followed them" in the wilderness. His finished work on the cross is the ultimate "commandment to save," for through His sacrifice, God definitively commanded and accomplished salvation for all who trust in Him (God so loved the world). In Christ, we have not merely a temporary shelter but an eternal, secure dwelling, a constant access to the Father through the Spirit (Access to the Father through one Spirit), and an impenetrable fortress against sin, death, and the powers of darkness (Triumphing over them in Him). He is our ultimate refuge, our steadfast hope, and the very ground of our being, offering a security far surpassing any earthly stronghold.