Old Age

Psalm 71

1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!

2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!

3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.

7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.

9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.

10 For my enemies speak concerning me;

those who watch for my life consult together

11 and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”

12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!

13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.

16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?

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.

21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.

Psalm 71 thoughts

Verses 1-3

The Psalmist is in trouble again and again and again, and each time he calls out to GOD. The cavat this time "never let me be put to Shame."

GOD's answer.

This is a specific promise to Israel, in Isaiah 45:17 — But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.

To all the rest of us that have been historically called gentiles or part of the nations that were disinherited GOD tells us in Romans 9:33 — as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Notice David call GOD his rock and his fortress, Jesus is the foundation stone that people either build they're life on or stumble at it and are offended and walk away.

He is our Fortress because if your in Christ, see Colossians 3:3 — For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

What can the enemy do to a dead person?

Verses 4-5

David asks GOD for help from the wicked, the unjust, and the cruel. Sadly all of us (including David and myself) that have gone astray from GOD can easily fall into any or all of those categories. 

Romans 3:23 — for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

GOD is David' s hope even from his youth.

Take the instruction of Ecclesiastes 11:9 and with the Holy Spirits help rewrite it in your youth - Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let GOD change your heart in the days of your youth. Walk in GOD's ways and by his sight. But know that for all these things God will say to you well done my child.

Verse 6

Before you were even an eye twinkle, you were on GOD's mind and in GOD's book.

Psalm 139:16 — Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

You were in-print before you were even born, what a novel idea.

Galatians 1:15 — But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

Verse 7

David said he was a wonder to everyone, the (young) Man who,struck down Goliath, the shepherd who played music in the king's presence. The man who defeated the Philistines and got the hand of the king's daughter in marriage. The shepherd who would eventually become king.

That's what happens when we are hiding in his stonghold and it is no longer us, but Christ in us doing the work. Externally we are a wonder internally its because he is wonderful.

Verse 8

What's in your mouth? "open wide and say aah"

There was an ear worm (something that gets stuck in your mind) advertisement in the 2,000's called, "What's in your wallet?" In this verse of the Psalm the Psalmist declares, "Praise" is what's in his mouth. 

Verse 9

As we get closer to old age people tend to have fear about, physical ability, memory loss, and chronic illness. The Psalmist asks that the LORD not forsake him in his old age when his strength is gone.

Let's taka a quick look at how GOD views us in our old age:

- Moses was 80 years old when GOD called him into service.

- GOD kept him invigorated until the day of his death. Deuteronomy 34:7 — Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.

- The Levites that carried heavy burdens in regards to their tabernacle duties were order ed to stop after they reached a certain age. They could still help with other light duties.

Numbers 8:23-26 —And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”

- Isaiah 46:4 — even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

- Proverbs 16:31 — Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

- Show respect for old people and honor them 

Leviticus 19:32 — “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

Keep that in mind, your never too old for GOD to use you and you will never be, on this side of eternity, as old as Methuselah even though you might feel Ancient some days. If you were standing in front of him he would probably tell you, "You don't know what 969 years old feels like." 😆

Verses 10 - 13

David had many accusers and those that sought his life: Goliath, Saul, Abner ,shbi-benob, Ahithophel, David's own son Absalom, Shimei son of Gera, just to name a few. Also the one hiding in the Shadows, the architect of the fall, the Genesis 6 mastermind, and the lead engineer of a tower called Babel.

Almost all of David’s accusers have been put to shame and will be consumed. The Devil along with the rulers, principalities, and power suffered open shame. Colossians 2:15— He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Now we are just waiting on the consumed part in the lake of fire.

Verses 14-16

Do it like David:

- hope continually (see Romans 8:24)

- praise more and more (continually)

- talk (continually) about GOD's work in your life.

- Be reminded and remind others that GOD's deeds are beyond number. John 21:25 — Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

- It's GOD's righteousness and his alone.

Psalm 71:19 — Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?

The answer no one! and his righteousness unequaled in justice, rule, law, truthfulness, prosperity, justification, and salvation.

Verses 17-18

David will proclaim GOD's wondrous deeds from his youth throughout his grey hair days.

This hope and blessing is reflected in Psalm 128:6 — May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!

Genesis 50:23 — And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own.

Job 42:16 — And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations.

Proverbs 17:6 ESV — Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

This one applies to Jesus and to all his Spiritual offspring (those of us that are dead to sin, but alive in the SPIRIT) spoken of by Isaiah 53:10 — Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Verse 19

David's question is also answered by how GOD describes himself in Isaiah 55:9 — For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. David asks who in this verse and the answer is GOD alone.

Verses 20 - 21

David's many calamities and troubles are further proof of GOD's love for him.

In the statement from Malachi 1:2-3 “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”

Proverbs 3:12 reinforces this point — for the LORD reproves (corrects) him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Jacob (Israel) lived a hard life, things we not easy for him or his family. Esau lived however he wanted and GOD did not correct him. He married women that his parents didn't approve of and then willingly married more to try an get thier approval (see Genesis 28:6-9). Jacob was tricked (an irony considering the meaning of his name) into marrying Leah so he could marry Rachel.

Esau despised his birth right which GOD had given to him being the first born, but he chose to trade it for a bowl of lentils. Similar to his great-grandfather Adam who traded his relationship with GOD for a fruit and a promise of godlike wisdom.

Esau's life and choices showed that he hated the LORD first.

This also teaches us if we refuse to correct our own children, it shows that we actually hate them.

We correct our children because we love them.

Verses 22 - 24

David will praise GOD with lyre, lips, soul, and tongue because of GOD's faithfulness, holiness, redemption, and righteousness. Those who sought David's life will be brought to shame and disappointment. 

How you feeling now Mr. Devil? 

David is now praising GOD in the great assembly in heaven and the Devil has been cast out and cast down.

My prayer, thank you LORD. (👈 this will never get old.)