Psalm 69: a prayer in moments of persecution

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Brian Waalla
By Brian Waalla
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In this Psalm, we see a contrite prayer of a heart that recognizes nothing without God. Psalm 69 is a prayer distressed by a moment of affliction and persecution. The psalmist cries out for the presence of the Lord and acknowledges his guilt and his sins.

The wise words of Psalm 69

Read with Faith the Psalm:

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1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.

6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.

19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.

29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.

30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36     the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.

Interpretation of Psalm 69

psalm 69

For you to understand better, our team did an analysis and interpretation of each verse of Psalm 69.

Verses 1 to 10

In these verses we see the psalmist acknowledging his faults and more than that, acknowledging God as master of his life. He knows of his faults and all that he has done wrong, but turns his heart to God and cries out for his presence. So we act many times, we know of our mistakes and we resort to God’s help; He alone saves us.

Verses 11 to 20

The psalmist begs for God’s answer so that He will not abandon him, he knows that He is mocked by those who discredit Him and therefore he continually cries out to God that He is the only lord of his life. He knows the guilt he carries for his suffering, but he cries to God to turn his gaze.

Verses 21 to 30

In these verses of Psalm 69, the psalmist cries out for protection, for he knows that salvation comes from God and wants to have his heart united with Him.

Verses 31 to 36

This is an act of praise; the Lord is the one who loves His people and who stands by him at all times.

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