Psalm 71
“Forsake me not when my strength is spent,” is the heading for Psalm 71 in my edition of the English Standard Version. The Psalm baffles commentators who strive to develop a neat outline. Psalm 71 is written like life is lived. It’s a Psalm for the aged; yet it’s a Psalm for the ages.
In verse 1 the author declares, “In you, O Lord, do I take refuge.” However, in the next phrase uneasiness creeps in. “Let me never be put to shame.” As the one who has made promises of salvation, the Lord needs lean His ear toward the psalmists cry for rescue. He has hidden himself in the Lord who is a rock of refuge, now it’s time to be that rock of salvation. The Lord was involved in his life since before he was born and served as a midwife to his mother. However, now enemies have grasped hold of him and he calls on God to not absent himself from his life now that he is aged and weak.
He has been an example of faithfulness his whole life and was bold to speak of the presence of the Lord in his whole life. But now that age has taken its toll on his strength and he can’t bound up stairs two steps at a time, but only sit, those who mock him say, “God has forsaken him.” He has begun if his faith in God throughout his whole life has done him any good.
So the Psalm, through its first 18 verses crosses back and forth between cries to God for help and assertions of God’s ever present salvation. I don’t know who came up the idea that old age is the Golden Age. I also don’t know how many older people have scoffed at the idea. For life is not a matter that God saves the best ‘til last. God saves the hardest ‘til last.
Once the Psalmist has taken us on an emotional roller coaster, he ends up with statements of faith and songs of praise. Indeed (v.20) “You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. For us for whom Christ is our Rock of Refuge, ultimately we do have a Golden Age to which we might look forward. In the resurrection from death God really does save the best ‘til last.
Psalm 71 is worth reading slowly to let the words sink in and allow us time to meditate upon its wisdom.
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