Psalm 70--O Lord, Do Not Delay

Psalm 70
English Standard Version

O LORD, Do Not Delay
To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering.
70 Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
    O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let them be put to shame and confusion
    who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
3 Let them turn back because of their shame
    who say, “Aha, Aha!”

​4 May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
    hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O LORD, do not delay!

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We're nearly done with "Book Two" of the Psalms.  As we've seen, many if not most of these psalms deal with David being persecuted, oppressed or hunted down by his enemies and wondering "How Long, O LORD?" until the LORD's justice destroyed his enemies, shut the mouths of his accusers and vindicated him.  This psalm is no exception to that pattern or theme, though it is much shorter than many of the others we have studied.

David cries out for the LORD to quickly deliver him from people who seek to take David's life.  I would assume that David just had a moment to make a quick "LORD, save me!" prayer like Peter did when he started sinking after walking on the water.  God hears and responds to those prayers too.  We don't need lots or words or big words to get God's attention.  He is always watching and ready to deliver salvation to His people.

The people seeking to kill David would be just as happy to see him hurt to prove that the LORD was not protecting David.  They want to point to something where they can "Aha, aha!" as if they are saying "We knew God didn't really choose you!" or "We knew you weren't all that you claimed to be!"  The world often watches the people of God trying to see if they will fail and then rejoices when we do.

David then wishes that people would seek after the LORD like they are seeking after him.  If only his enemies had such a desire to find the LORD and know Him, then they would be different people.  They would rejoice and be glad, because He would reveal Himself to them.  Those who have been saved by the LORD would join David in saying, "God is great!"

David knows he himself is not that great (history tries to say otherwise, but David knows he was the least likely to be chosen to be king--just a young, weak shepherd boy.  But God is the one that put His Spirit on and in David and empowered David to lead His people.  David calls himself "poor and needy" and asks God once again to quickly come and save him.  David wants God to once again be his Help and Deliverer and his Salvation.  The psalm ends with the desperate cry of David, "Do not delay!"  I can only assume this is some kind of "SOS" that David is raising to the LORD in his time of greatest need.