John Calvin has described the book of the Psalms as one that is the “anatomy of the soul”, “for there is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated.”
This book expresses the Christian’s inner life and through this series, we will explore how the Bible can address and help us work through our emotions. Note that this series focuses on mainly the negative emotions, not because psalms are only about these negative emotions, but it is for us to realise that negative emotions are a part of the Christian life. There is a danger to lean towards a sense of triumphalism, just because that just because we believe in a Saviour who died and is resurrected, everything is ok. Yet, we know that the gospel is true but these negative emotions are still very much a part of life in a fallen world. If Jesus is risen from the dead, why do I feel so dead inside?
In this passage, through Psalm 69, we learn how in pain, we are not to remain emotionally detached, but to cry out to God. The psalmist also shows us how not to sink in despair, but to hope in God; not to be self-reliant, but to make desperate lament to God; and, not to be self-absorbed but to delight in God’s salvation.
(A) The psalmist is not emotionally detached, he cries out to God (Ps 69:1-12)
The psalm opens with a request from the psalmist to God to save him (Ps 69:1). We are also told his circumstances. The waters have come up to his neck and he is sinking in deep mire with no foothold (Ps 69:1b-2a). He has entered into deep waters and the flood sweeps over him (Ps 69:2b). He seems to have been in this state for a long time, such that he is weary with crying out, his throat is parched, with his eyes dim with waiting for God (Ps 69:3).
What do we do with these verses? These teach us that being a Christian means we acknowledge that there is a God who is not us, and who is greater than us. We have no control over Him and we cannot make Him do what we want. This is the reason why the psalmist says, “save me”. He has exhausted all that he can do for himself. This is what salvation means — we recognise that we cannot bring ourselves out of this pit. We have been stuck for a long time and there is no bottom.
Can you relate? In many of our churches, we could hear that we just need more faith, and power through with eyes fixed on Jesus. In John 15:20-25, Jesus relates to this experience of being drowned out by opposition, by those who hate God. He teaches his disciples that that the servant is not above the master, therefore, they, and us, are to expect reproaches.
We might wonder what this means for us since most of us are not missionaries in a foreign land that is antagonistic to Christianity, But, realise that often, as we trust in God, our difficult circumstances become harder. We claim that we have favour with God and God is on our side, but yet, we have to work through trials and sufferings. It can be easier to not be a Christian, and when bad things happen, we just shrug it off. Christians who go through difficult time struggle because things don’t add up?
If we go through life without feeling this way, we don’t need salvation. But by clinging to this God and trusting in Him and His promises, and facing a life that doesn’t add up, we have a choice in how we respond. The psalmist shows us that the action or response is to cry out to God.
In Psalm 69:5-12, we see that the psalmist prays "negatively" and asks for things not to happen. We see that the psalmist does not want others who trust in God to be put to shame or dishonoured (Ps 69:6). The psalmist is talking about a particular pain and suffering that arises from following in God. He did not want other believers to be thrown off or lose their faith because of him.
He recognises that God knows his sins (Ps 69:5). Yet, he also recognises that he is a part of God’s people (Ps 69:7). He knows that there is no such thing as an individual believer! There is no such thing as a private relationship. It is deeply personal, yes, but it is not private and others have a stake in his relationship.
He continues to describe how the reproaches of those who reproach God have fallen on the psalmist (Ps 69:9) and they are referred to again in Psalm 69:11-12. As a public figure, the king, his faith and honour are observable by those around him. He also recognises how he and God are related — if God goes down, so does he, and vice versa.
Have you ever prayed like this, in such an honest and raw way? Have you ever asked God to save you, because it affects His name too? If not, perhaps you are emotionally detached and have not been real in your relationship. If you genuinely believe that you have a direct line to the King of the universe, who is real, powerful, able to do all things, why would you not bring all things to God? We may think that God is good, but do not have the power, or has the power, but does not care. When we think Him in this way, we won’t bring our pain and cry out to Him because deep down, we believe that it will not work.
Where are you in your walk with God? Are you so self-sufficient that this prayer sound so foreign to you? Are you so emotionally detached from God that you are trying to solve your problems by yourself?
(B) The psalmist does not sink in despair, he hopes in God (Ps 69: 13-21)
The psalmist commits himself to praying to God in Psalm 69:13, and he asks God to do the following:
Deliver him from the mire, enemies, deep waters (Ps 69:15a)
Let not the flood sweep over; let not the deep swallow; let not the pit close its mouth (Ps 69:15b)
Answer and turn to him (Ps 69:16)
Hide not your face or make haste to answer (Ps 69:17)
Draw near (Ps 69:18a)
Redeem, ransom (Ps 69:18b)
Notice the sequence of events. He begins by asking God to intervene, then requests that certain things not happen. He ignores the circumstance but wants God to answer and also wants a specific answer from God, that he is loved, treasured and still in His abundant mercy. He goes on to express how he does not wish that God hides His face and wishes that God draw near, redeem and ransom. Psalm 69: 19-21 also has the psalmist pouring out his heart and being honest about his circumstances, but these are things that God already knows!
These asks are precious, deeply personal and are what we should adopt, especially as we hurt. He does not ask God to make him feel better and give him peace. We often seek God to do good to us on our terms and we can approach in a worldly way, where we seek some sort of compensation for the suffering or things that he has taken from us. Yet he is asking for things that are all about God here.
He asks all these things because he has committed himself to God (Ps 69:13). He knows that all he has is God, and he wants to know His worth and value, even as everything around is shattering around him.
Psalm 69:13 speaks of God’s “steadfast love” and “saving faithfulness”. This phrase was first used in Exodus and then throughout the Old Testament to mean God’s covenantal love. It refers to His eternal, promise-keeping, covenantal love that transcends the generation and refers to His larger redemptive plan and purposes. The psalmist sees answer his from God a a proof of this steadfast love and saving faithfulness.
(C) The psalmist is not self-reliant, he makes desperate lament to God (Ps 69:22-29)
Turning to his adversaries, the psalmist makes six asks of God. He asks God that:
Their own table and peace becomes their trap and snare (Ps 69:22). This contrasts his own circumstances when he’s feeling vulnerable.
Their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see and they are fearful (Ps 69:23). They think they they can see and he asks that God reverse that.
He pour out His indignation and His burning anger overtake them (Ps 69:24). He asks that God express His opposition, and make it clear that they do not have His favour and they are fundamentally His enemies.
Their camp will be a desolation and no one dwells in their tents (Ps 69:25). Because they have opposed God, He deals with them in the severity of His judgment. It is clear that the enemies of God will be duly judged.
He add to them punishment upon punishment, with no acquittal (Ps 69:27), to make it clear that what they have done in Ps 69: 26 is wrong.
They be blotted out of the book (Ps 69:28).
The psalmist moves from the circumstantial to the eternal. But notice also how he is not the one deciding on the actions. He is calling on God, yes, but he is ultimately bringing it to God and trusting Him to work according to His nature and character. These are challenging for us to pray, especially when we think about enemies, and also God’s enemies. How do we square it with what we read in the NT? This psalm forces us to decide where we are with God. Here, the psalmist has abandoned worldly thinking. He does not sit on the fence and adopt a neutral stance but instead, recognises that evil and those who stand against God will be judged. He knows and sees how the enemies of God will be treated.
Are we all in with Him or not? We are often reluctant to pray imprecatory prayers because we want to reserve the right to interim judgment. We want to know how God will act and also to decide whether we endorse or not. The Bible reminds us that anyone who raises and sets himself against this God is deserving of such judgment.
(D) The psalmist is not self-absorbed, he delights in God’s salvation (Ps 69:30-36)
He turns to praise God in these verses (Ps 69:30-33). When we read the psalm slowly, we see how his mind is in a different state. He is no longer just thinking about his circumstances and has processed and given it over to God. He has made choices throughout this psalm in prayer to lead him to this point.
We either pray about the pit and stay there, or even about the reason for the pit and not move on. This psalm shows us how to deal with our pain and leave it behind, turning to praise instead. Until your heart shifts so that it no longer is gripped by your own life, you will be unable to deal with this pain. Pain reveals our heart and the reasons for all the things we feel. Pain is our friend, because it exposes where we are with God.
How does the psalmist deal with his pain? In Psalm 69:29, he cries out, saying “But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!” The psalmist shows us how we can take our eyes away from our burdens and focus it on His salvation. He goes on to commit that he will praise the name of God and magnify him with thanksgiving (Ps 69:30). Notice what the psalmist says here. It has nothing to do with song choice, but with the content of the song — God’s name, His person and character, is going to be the subject of our worship. In worship, we seek to make God large in our hearts and eyes.
John Piper has a good analogy and he writes, “There are two kinds of magnifying: microscope magnifying and telescope magnifying. The one makes a small thing look bigger than it is. The other makes a big thing begin to look as big as it really is.” In worship, we are doing the latter and not the former! In worship, we go to the God who is worthy of worship and we enjoy Him as He deserves.
The impact on others is also evident in Ps 69:32. There is a repetition of the idea of the corporate nature of suffering and now praise.
And it does not just stop there. Heaven and earth will praise Him (Ps 69:34). He is no longer talking about his own circumstances. He is now talking about all the earth and sees how God is a God of salvation, not just of his own, but in all time, to achieve His purposes. Everyone will praise God.
There is a blessed self-forgetfulness. His life is sublimated into the praise of God. This is where we find our true identity, and what we were made for. David’s own salvation is not the true picture of salvation. There is a true salvation later through David’s son, Jesus. Jesus was abandoned by His friends, drank sour wine and suffered as detailed here. This later David, a true and better David, accomplished a greater salvation. He experienced all this pain, even as we do as we follow HIm.
What are the choices that we have to make? Pain reveals our heart and the choices the we have to make. This psalm has shown us some of the choices that we can make. We don’t have to emotionally detach ourselves. We don’t have to sink in despair and wallow in our emotions.
Choose, like the psalmist did at every step of the way, and ultimately end up in praise of this God. What is exposed of your heart when you are in pain? How do you cope with emotional pain – what are some other options we see in Psalm 69? How does knowing Jesus felt the fullness of David’s and your pain comfort and strengthen you?