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Boker Tov! This morning we are continuing in our series of study in the Psalms, as we look at Psalm 71, if you will turn there in your copy of the Scriptures. This psalm does not have a superscription. Do you know why? The sages say it’s because Psalm 71 is actually a continuation of Psalm 70, that psalm 71 does not need one! Makes sense, doesn’t it?
As a reminder, it is believed that David may have written this psalm when he was on the run from his very ambitious and ruthless son, Absolom. As David was well-advanced in years during this period it has been theorized that he felt he might not ever regain his throne, in his old age. That is why we will see, when we examine this psalm, that he pleads with Hashem to rejuvenate him, to draw him closer and to imbue his final years with greater splendor than ever before. This is a prayer that is especially poignant to people who are advanced in years. Having been given a vision of the future exile, it is said that David also prayed for the rejuvenation of the entire Jewish nation, which would inevitably grow weary during the long years of exile.
Psalm 70 was only 5 verses long, and its “continuation” is nearly five times as long as that, curiously enough. It’s almost like Psalm 70 was more of an introduction.
Let’s look at the first 3 verses, to begin today.
In you, Adonai, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me;
and help me to escape.
Turn your ear toward me,
and deliver me.
3 Be for me a sheltering rock,
where I can always come.
You have determined to save me,
because you are my bedrock and stronghold.
Now then. Hold your finger there and turn back to Psalm 31:2-4. Notice any similarities? As was the case with Psalm 70, which was very similar to an earlier psalm of David’s, Psalm 71’s first 3 verses are very similar to Psalm 31:2-4, with about 35 years separating the two works of poetry. The sages say that during the Absolom mutiny, David had been abandoned by a good portion of the Sanhedrin and the vast majority of the people, who were enthralled by the young, handsome Absolom.
Notice in verse 2 that David has learned to not appeal to Hashem on the basis on his own righteous works, but rather depending on the righteousness of Hashem for rescue. David remembered that the entire affair he found himself embroiled in was due to his earlier … affair … with Bathsheba, because the prophet Nathan had predicted that would be the case.
In verse 2, fearing that his sin would be a barrier to God’s ear, David pleaded with him to bend his ear to David so that his prayers could reach Hashem’s ear unimpeded.
In verse 3, when you compare this verse with verse 3 of Psalm 31, there is a difference. In Psalm 31, David asked for a mighty rock for his protection. But, here, the translation is literally a rock of a palace. These 35 years later, after Psalm 31 was penned, David’s kingdom had reached the pinnacle of its glory and magnificence. By changing the verbiage somewhat, David is indicating that he is not only praying for his personal safety, but. Also for the preservation of his kingship. The palace was the most visible symbol of his monarchy.
Continuing on. Verses 4-8
4 My God, help me escape from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
5 For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim,
in whom I have trusted since I was young.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
7 To many, I am an amazing example;
but you are strong protection for me.
8 My mouth is full of praise for you,
filled with your glory all day long.
Radak the sage says that in verse 4 the “wicked one” referred to is Absolom. The unjust and ruthless descriptors are thought to apply to Absolom’s chief counselor, and former high advisor to David, Achitophel. The word translated as “hand” or “grasp” here is the word “cough”, usually translated “palm” as opposed to the word “yahd” (hand). Palm is a word that implies a stronger grip, indicating that Achitophel posed a greater threat to David that Absolom, actually, because Achitophel was like a puppet master, pulling Absolom’s strings.
Verse 5 - - it is such a privilege to come to know the one, true God, through the true way of His Son, when one is young in years. That way, the disciple can walk with the Master longer and with hopefully ever-increasing intimacy as the years of life roll on. My pastor was preaching yesterday and telling about people who are jealous of other people’s testimonies concerning how and how long they have walked with God. This jealousy can sometimes arise because the person made a decision to follow God through His Son when young in years and therefore did not sink down into the depths of debauchery, having iLife experiences which made for a more dramatic spiritual rescue at the moment salvation was initiated by the Ruach HaKodesh. But, a wise preacher once told some young women who asked him about this topic that they should rejoice they had been spared those life experiences, as opposed to being a person who had drug herself through the mud and slime of sin and shame before knowing Yeshua. If anything, it is an enviable thing to have walked with Him for more years. The person redeemed out of debauchery could rightfully say to the person who came to salvation through Yeshua in his or her youth that he was envious of the many years more with Yeshua he had missed out on. Does that make sense? I feel like I’m explaining it badly. There is no such thing as a mundane testimony of faith. The same amount of saving power is required to cleanse and save, to impart the Holy Spirit, to the heart of a debauched older sinner as it is to cleanse and save etc. the young person who had not lived such a torrid life before repentance and redemption.
That being said, the sages say (and the Scriptures imply) that David was not esteemed highly by his family, even was mistreated by his own father and brothers, and that all of this was by Divine Design, in order to train him to depend solely on Hashem, rather than finding his security in other men.
I love verse 6, because it is a verse that affirms personhood of the baby in its mother’s womb. A baby in utero is not a clump of cells or a blob of flesh. The verse literally does not say “from birth”. In Hebrew it says, “from the belly”.
Verse 7 - - here David acknowledges that he was an example for many people, in both positive ways and negative. On the one hand, he greatly loved God and was greatly loved by Him, being called “a man after God’s own heart”. On the other hand, he was an adulterer and murderer. One thing you can say about David is this: he did not let his sins define him. Instead, when confronted with his sin, he repented and stoically took the consequences, the repercussions, over the remainder of his life. In all of that, he did not stop excelling. He did not forsake what he was called of God to do. He continued to serve him from that point, much as he had done before “with all his might”.
I was reading an article a few days ago about Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. She was crowned in 1984, but gave up the crown 10 months later. The reason is that from the moment she was crowned, racists began to harass her and her family. She received death threats, and so did her family. One particular exploiter betrayed her trust for personal gain. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She could take no more. So she resigned her position. However, she did not stop excelling. She went on from there to become a music star, Broadway star and movie star. A few years ago, she was asked to be a judge at the Miss America pageant. At the end of the show she was called up on stage, where a public apology was issued to her over the treatment she had been given. She was and is an example. She triumphed over adversity. So did David. The Lord was still his mighty refuge, his strong protection. And, David never ceased to praise Him.
Reading on …
9 Don’t reject me when I grow old;
when my strength fails, don’t abandon me.
10 For my enemies are talking about me,
those seeking my life are plotting together.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him;
go after him, and seize him,
because no one will save him.”
12 God, don’t distance yourself from me!
My God, hurry to help me!
13 May those who are opposed to me
be put to shame and ruin;
may those who seek to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
If you have ever wondered how “old” is “old”, well there are markers. One is that in America you can begin receiving SS retirement benefits at 62. But, for a long time, that age was 65. Did you know that the Mishnah teaches that old age begins at 60? And, that David was 65 when Absolom rebelled?
If you live long enough, you will experience something called “age discrimination”. What does that term even mean? Basically, it means that you are seen as less valuable a person, or your thoughts and beliefs are less valuable, because you have lived long. The (usually) younger people think that you either don’t know anything valuable, or that you don’t understand the modern world, or both. It might happen at the hands of a stranger, in the workplace, even at the hands of a family member. I’m old enough to have gotten a taste of it.
The most extreme form of this maltreatment is when families “cast off” older family members who can no longer contribute to the family and usually require more care than the other adults in the family. The elderly are then seen as “a burden”, to varying degrees, because their strength and vigor have failed. I was reading recently about the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which has a wonderful project going whereby they provide housing for homeless veterans. What they do is they take motel complexes that are troubled, and they buy and rehabilitate those facilities into apartments for homeless vets. Their commitment is that eventually no American veteran will be homeless. That’s what I’m talking about! T2T is not “casting off” those homeless veterans who are unable to care for themselves. Families and friends may fail us in our old age, but God won’t. In Isaiah 46:4, the Holy One said, “Even to old age I am the same, and even to white hairs I shall carry you. I have made and I shall carry the burden. Indeed, I shall bear and rescue.” God will never abandon His beloved, no matter their age. He didn’t abandon David either.
David was concerned in verses 10 and 11 about the reputation of Hashem. No one wants to end poorly; we all want to finish well, right? David was afraid that if it appeared God had forsaken him, what would the Israelites say then about their God? There is a midrash by the sage Rashi; it’s extra-biblical, which means we can’t be sure it’s true. At any rate, it’s interesting and it goes like this: While fleeing from Absolom, David made it appear that he was worshipping idols. One of his chief counselors, a man named Chushai HaArki, “called him” on this behavior saying, “Shall it be said that a devout king like you worshipped idols?” David replied, “It would be even worse for people to say, ‘A pious king like David was killed by his own sons.’ ” David thought that should such a disaster befall a righteous king, the people would then question the value of living righteously and uprightly. And such a conclusion, erroneous though it would be, would undermine their faith. Chushai went on to assure the king that such drastic measures were unnecessary.
There’s another story in the midrash concerning old age and the patriarch, Abraham. Remember that the midrash is Jewish commentary on the holy Scriptures. So the story goes in the Talmud that until Abraham, people did not show the signs of old age in their bodies. Grown sons and their fathers looked to be the same age, for example, and we can see a hint of this with the matriarch, Sarah, who still looked very young and beautiful well into her 70s and 80s. Listen to Genesis 12:11-14
So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Back to Abraham - - By Genesis 24:1, which says, “And Abraham was old, advanced in age” the Talmud says that Abraham requested that God allow his body to show his advanced age. He requested this in order to arouse his students’ respect for his teachings concerning the one, true God. Abraham was a zah-KANE, a wise and elder scholar. It was he, it is said, who began the tradition among the Jewish people of founding and leading a Yeshiva. (A Yeshiva is a house of bible study for young men.)
The sages say that the Hebrew word, zah-KANE, is a loose abbreviation of the words:
zeh, kana and chochma , which, taken together mean “one who has acquired wisdom”.
Well, that is sometimes the case, especially for those who pitch their tent at the foot of the cross and dwell richly in the word of God. Others are fools for all their lives, but that is another subject.
Later in this psalm, in verses 18-21, David returns to the theme of his old age. Let’s skip ahead and look at those verses for just a moment.
18 So now that I’m old, and my hair is gray,
don’t abandon me, God, till I have proclaimed
your strength to the next generation,
your power to all who will come,
19 your righteousness too, God,
which reaches to the heights.
God, you have done great things;
who is there like you?
20 You have made me see much trouble and hardship,
but you will revive me again
and bring me up from the depths of the earth.
21 You will increase my honor;
turn and comfort me.
In verse 11, the enemies of David were saying that God had forsaken him, and in verse 18, David is begging God to not abandon him. The idea is that, because of David’s moral failures and sins, God had written him off to this horrible, ignominious end. On the other hand, we have God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us, in Deuteronomy 31:6, and later right before His ascension back into Heaven, Yeshua made a similar promise, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Now, let’s be clear. If you sin, there will be consequences, either in the here and now or in the hereafter and often both. So, for example, for someone in ministry who commits flagrant, very public sin and does not repent, God will often take that person’s platform away from him or her. He may remove His hand of blessing off of that ministry. However, that is not the same as God “forsaking” that person. Often, God will take that person’s gifts and strengths and employ them in a new direction for the Kingdom, if the person repents and makes restoration or at least attempts to right the wrongs he or she committed.
In this present age, when followers of Yeshua/God receive the Ruach HaKodesh at the moment of the heart’s regeneration, that is, at the moment the salvation of the soul begins, He is there to stay. There is a “born again” moment, a transformation, a welding of the human soul to the Holy Spirit. So, He may retreat within your heart for a time, due to your rebellious nature and so forth, but He will never leave you as an orphan. He is your Father and you are His child. This is why in verse 12 David pleads with Hashem to not distance Himself from David, and then to hurry and come near to help him.
As it says in verses 18 and 19 - - - Regardless of our age, if we belong to Elohim in all His manifestations throughout Scripture, we should be concerned with proclaiming to the world throughout our relationship with Him those characteristics of His: his strength, power and righteousness. Showing the world through our words and deeds, “Mi, Elohim, KaMOHkhah?” (Who, o God, is like you?). The Psalmist here echoes the exclamation of these similar words from Exodus 15:11 “Mi kaMOHkhah b’ayLEEM Yahweh?” (Who is like you among the mighty ones, Yahweh?). The answer, of course, is no one. No other being, human or otherwise, can begin to compare.
The word translated “strength” in verse 18 is Z’ROHah, which refers to the upper arm. Without a strong upper arm, it does not matter how strong the lower arm is. In the many personifications of God throughout the Tanakh, the upper arm, His outstretched arm, is often used as a picture of strength, the ultimate source of all human strength manifested in the world. Let’s backtrack a little now to verses 14-17.
14 But I, I will always hope
and keep adding to your praise.
15 All day long my mouth will tell
of your righteous deeds and acts of salvation,
though their number is past my knowing.
16 I will come in the power of Adonai Elohim
and recall your righteousness, yours alone.
17 God, you have taught me since I was young,
and I still proclaim your wonderful works.
Radak and Malbim, revered scholars, point out that when a person is young, it is possible to others to be misled by the person’s physical strength or personal appearance, and to attribute great wisdom or physical victories to their own personal strength. However, when a person is elderly and physically weaker, if he or she continues to be spiritually triumphant, this proves that is Hashem’s strength alone which gives the victories.
Like David said in verse 17, I just want to give thanks to Hashem, who has taught me since I was young, even before I began my relationship with Him at age 9, has guided my steps and Who has, for the most part, kept me from all kinds of terrible peril along the way. He has exposed me to enough pain to teach me lessons He needed me to learn at the time; none of it, the pain, has been superfluous or wasted. And, I am still thankful beyond words to be able to still proclaim His marvelous deeds.
Let’s move on now to verses 22 through 24 and finish this grand psalm.
22 As for me, I will praise you with a lyre
for your faithfulness, my God.
I will sing praises to you with a lute,
Holy One of Isra’el.
23 My lips will shout for joy;
I will sing your praise, because you have redeemed me.
24 All day long my tongue
will speak of your righteousness.
For those who are seeking to harm me
will be put to shame and disgraced.
David loved using his musical talents in praise of His God. Maybe one day, in Heaven, we will be able to hear him sing and play, as well as hear the psalms sung/played to their original melodies.
Was Psalm 71 quoted in the NT? No, it is not, although, of course, its themes are woven into the newer covenant scriptures.
We’ll move on now to Psalm 72, which is not quoted in the NT either, by the way.
This is the last psalm in the second section/book of the Psalms. Also, it is the last psalm that is linked to specific events in David’s life. According to the Sages, David was near death when he wrote this psalm/hymn. It was written to commemorate one of the most important days of his life, the day on which his successor, his son, Solomon, was crowned king. Many believe this event was the culmination of all David’s prayers, that his son would take over a thriving kingdom, dedicated to the glory of Hashem. This is what David exclaimed on that day, as recorded in 1 Kings 1:48 “Blessed be Hashem, the God of Israel, Who has today provided a successor to sit on my throne, and my own eyes see it.” We’ll look more deeply at Solomon’s coronation in a few moments.
We talked recently in our interview with Dr. Diana Dye, about the coronation of a king in the ANE. First, there was a procession to either a temple or a palace. Next, there was a debasement of the future king. “The way up is down.” He was made to change into more humble clothes, underwent purification rites and was presented to the people in that humble way. It was only then that he was clad in the royal robes to continue with the coronation, which was held almost always on the top of a high mountain, because the mountain top was considered the place where earth and heaven met, and also so that more people could witness the coronation. In addition to purification rites, there were special music, elaborate ceremonies and public declarations. As we read about Solomon’s coronation, look for these elements of coronation protocol in the story. Turn with me to 1 Kings chapter 1 and let’s begin reading in verse 38, and reading through verse 40.
38 So Tzadok the cohen, Natan the prophet, B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada and the K’reti and P’leti went down, had Shlomo ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gichon. 39 Tzadok the cohen took the horn of olive oil out of the tent and anointed Shlomo. They sounded the shofar, and all the people shouted, “Long live King Shlomo!” 40 All the people escorted him back, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the earth shook with the sound.
That is loud! If the whole earth shook with the sound….
Now, for comparison and additional info, look at 1 Chronicles 29, verses 18 through
18 Adonai, God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el our ancestors, guard forever the inclinations of the thoughts in the hearts of your people; direct their hearts to you; 19 and give to Shlomo my son wholeheartedness to obey your mitzvot, instructions and rules, to do all these things, and to build the palace for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the community, “Now bless Adonai your God.” All the community blessed Adonai, the God of their ancestors, bowing their heads and prostrating themselves before Adonai and before the king. 21 On the following day they presented sacrifices to Adonai and offered burnt offerings to Adonai — a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings — and sacrifices in abundance for all Isra’el. 22 They ate and drank before Adonai that day with great joy.
Then, for the second time, they made Shlomo the son of David king, anointing him before Adonai to be king, and Tzadok to be cohen. 23 Shlomo sat on the throne of Adonai as king in place of David his father and prospered, and all Isra’el obeyed him. 24 All the leaders, the warrior-heroes and likewise the sons of King David submitted themselves to Shlomo the king. 25 Adonai gave Shlomo exceedingly great power, in full view of all Isra’el, and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been seen on any king before him in Isra’el.
The reason Solomon was coronated a second time was the the first coronation had been done somewhat in haste, to quell the rebellion of Adonijah. After that mutiny had been brought under control, Solomon was coronated a second time, to ensure that all Israel knew who was the rightful heir to David’s throne.
With his last breaths, David charged Solomon with creating the Messianic kingdom on earth, a kingdom defined by Divine righteousness and justice, something David had failed to do, despite his many glorious acts and accomplishments.
Here, from 1 Kings 2:1- are some of the last words of David to Solomon.
2 The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows: 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man. 3 Observe the charge of Adonai your God to go in his ways and keep his regulations, mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah of Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go. 4 If you do, Adonai will fulfill what he promised me when he said, ‘If your children pay attention to how they live, conducting themselves before me honestly with all their heart and being, you will never lack a man on the throne of Isra’el.’
Overall, a great charge to his son, and at the end is a promise with a condition. In other words, a conditional promise, an “If … then …” promise. David prophesied that if Solomon and the nation of Israel would walk before Hashem uprightly then the promises Adonai made to David would be fulfilled, including the one that said there’d never fail to be in the years to come a descendant of David on the throne of Israel. Of course, if you know the history of Israel’s and Judah’s kings, you know this did not come to pass, because unrighteous kings rose to the throne, despite being David’s descendants and in the genetic line of Messiah. And, they led the people astray, away from the ways of Hashem as given to Moshe at Sinai. You know, we would Iike to control people after our time on life is over. But, we have very limited ability to do that. Actually, we have very limited power to control others DURING our time on earth, for that matter. We must be judicious and wise about that as well.
David went on in his “farewell address” to tie up some loose ends with Solomon, asking him to deal wisely with some of David’s enemies. Those prayers David prayed in the psalms, asking God to bring destruction on his enemies - - he was not playing. You can read about those instructions to Solomon in 1 Kings 2, and also read how Solomon “took care of it”, on his father’s behalf.
Well, Solomon came pretty close to realizing his father’s great ambitions for Israel. He took the many beautiful materials and plans David had assembled, as recorded in 1 Kings 1, and he built the magnificent Temple, which was the successor of the wilderness Tabernacle/Mishkan. To the extent that Solomon succeeded in wisdom, the great gift Hashem bestowed upon him, his rule resembled the future rule of the Mashiach, when He returns to set up His earthly kingdom.
The superscription of this psalm is translated in the CJB as “By Solomon”, or in other translations “Of Solomon”. But, in the Hebrew, it is written “L’Shlomo”. The lamed when attached to the front of a Hebrew word means almost always “to” or “for”. Therefore, many scholars, and I am in this camp, believe this was the last psalm written by King David just before his death, and that it was written for Solomon on the occasion of his coronation. Some call this David’s “last will and testament” in poetry/song. The psalm is a prayer for A king (Solomon) which expands to apply to the future King Mashiach. It can be said, then, that Psalm 72 applies both to Solomon and his descendant, the Mashiach Yeshua ben David. Verse 20 of the psalm tends to also support this view.
Let’s read this psalm together as we close out our time this week, and just enjoy the beautiful poetry of it. Think not just of Solomon when you hear these words, but also of Mashiach Yeshua.
72 (0) By Shlomo:
(1) God, give the king your fairness in judgment,
endow this son of kings with your righteousness,
2 so that he can govern your people rightly
and your poor with justice.
3 May mountains and hills provide your people
with peace through righteousness.
4 May he defend the oppressed among the people,
save the needy and crush the oppressor.
5 May they fear you as long as the sun endures
and as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on mown grass,
like showers watering the land.
7 In his days, let the righteous flourish
and peace abound, till the moon is no more.
8 May his empire stretch from sea to sea,
from the [Euphrates] River to the ends of the earth.
9 May desert-dwellers bow before him;
may his enemies lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and the coasts will pay him tribute;
the kings of Sh’va and S’va will offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings will prostrate themselves before him;
all nations will serve him.
12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry,
the poor too and those with none to help them.
13 He will have pity on the poor and needy;
and the lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence;
their blood will be precious in his view.
15 May [the king] live long!
May they give him gold from the land of Sh’va!
May they pray for him continually;
yes, bless him all day long.
16 May there be an abundance of grain in the land,
all the way to the tops of the mountains.
May its crops rustle like the L’vanon.
May people blossom in the city like the grasses in the fields.
17 May his name endure forever,
his name, Yinnon, as long as the sun.[a]
May people bless themselves in him,
may all nations call him happy.
18 Blessed be Adonai, God,
the God of Isra’el,
who alone works wonders.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever,
and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.
20 This completes the prayers of David the son of Yishai.
I see we have just a little time left and in that time I want to share with something the midrash comments on this psalm. They compare the rule of the dynasty from Abraham to Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah), which was for 30 generations to the thirty days of the cycle of the moon. Those would be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Chetzron, Rom, Aminodov, Nachshon, Salmon, Boaz, Oved and Jesse (Yishai), the father of King David. David was generation 14 and his name has the numerical value of 14 also. Solomon was the 15th, corresponding to the full moon. In him, the Davidic line reached as close to perfection as it would come, in those 30 generations. After Solomon, the Davidic line began to wane, as the moon begins to wane after the 15th day of the month, with the situation deteriorating from generation to generation of both monarchs and also in the halacha of the people. There were a few bright spots, such as Hezekiah and Josiah. But, overall, the rulers of this period were dismal to downright evil. Zedekiah was blinded by Nebuchadnezzar and sent into exile, marking the total collapse of both the nation, Jewish sovereignty, peace and righteousness.
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