Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

This prayer is actually more compact and brief than the Psalm 40 rendition. There is no ‘Please’ as the translators have inserted; David doesn’t have time to offer a longer, more polite prayer. One other difference is the addition of “Elohim, rescue me!” instead of the previous “Yahweh, rescue me!” Whether David was completely aware of both the Father and the Son in Old Testament times or not, the use of both names hints that they were there working on his behalf. David’s prayer was a shield of protection deflecting the attacks of two kinds of evil people. They both experience the repelling strength of the Lord: 1. Destroyers- “May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame.”(2) These are the ruthless ones who are actively seeking his destruction. The shame and humiliation they wish to inflict upon David comes back to them. 2. Delighters in Trouble- “May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace.” (2) These are the less aggressive people who offer their encouragement to evildoers. The disgrace they seek to pour upon David turns them in a backward path.

“Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, ‘Aha! We’ve got him now!”(3)

The psalm begins to take on a messianic flavor at this point foreshadowing the taunting of the sav- ior as he hung on the cross. ‘Aha’ is an animal like sound similar to a dog. His mockers were simply de- lighted in his excruciating suffering: “And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery… The leading priests, the teachers of the religious law, and the other leaders also mocked Jesus…And the criminals who were crucified with him also shouted the same insults at him.” (Mt. 27:39,41,44)

II THE SEARCHERS - 4,5

“But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness.”(4)

This statement can be taken in two ways: ‘be filled with joy and gladness’ as a means of seeking God or we are filled with ‘joy and gladness’ because we have found a new intimacy with the Lord. Ei- ther way it emphasizes the point that joy is a choice, we develop gladness by rejoicing in what Christ has done for us: “always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again–rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)

“May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, ‘God is great!’” (4)

Magnifying God by continually expressing his greatness and strength is a good habit to develop es- pecially in times of distress. The direction of our words is important as they either focus us upon our prob- lems or enlarge our trust in our God. There is a difference in names between this psalm and Psalm 40; here it is “Elohim is great!” while in 40 it is “Yahweh is great!” Other translations vary slightly: • “God is mighty!” (Message) • “Let God be magnified!”(NKJV) • “Let God be exalted!” (NIV)

This verse suggests saying this exuberantly many times during the day; such good advice!

“But I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God (Elohim). You are my helper and my savior; O Lord (Yahweh), do not delay!” (5)

God is attracted to our neediness and inability. He promises: “My power works best in your weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9) The same urgency that introduced this psalm returns at its conclusion: “hurry…do not delay.” Some prayers are calculated expressions of thought while others, like this, are emergency no- tices sent rapidly to heaven. The full expression of God is called upon in this last sentence; the mighty God Elohim, the helper and Yahweh, the savior and deliverer. The measureless strength of God is avail- able to those who recognize their urgent need of him. “God is great!”

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