God is our helper! – Psalm 70
God is our helper! – Psalm 70
By Pastor Lee Hemen
September 17, 2017
A young man found himself in serious financial trouble. His business had gone bust. He was so desperate that he decided to ask God for help. He began to pray. “God, please help me. I’ve lost my business and if I don’t get some money, I’m going to lose my house as well! Please let me win the lottery!” After doing this several nights in a row and he still did not win he decided to pray one last time, “My God, why have you forsaken me? I’ve lost my business, my house and my car. My children are starving! I don’t often ask you for help and I have always been a good person! Please just let me win the lotto this one time so I can get my life back in order!” Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light as the heavens opened, the young man fell backwards, and he was confronted by the voice of God himself: “Young man, you are going to have to do just one thing first -- buy a ticket!”
Now I am not advocating wasting your hard-earned money on a lottery ticket; what I am getting at is the fact that sadly this is exactly how many folks view God. They see him as some kind of genie whereby they do not have to personally contribute anything! This short Psalm records a prayer by David for a quick rescue from his present predicament. It also anticipates the rejoicing that will follow. Through the words of David we learn that God is our helper, let’s discover how…
READ: Psalm 70
We live in a fast food, microwave, immediate texting society where we want answers now, if not sooner. David’s day was no different. Here we discover that…
I. David desired God’s help quickly! (v. 1)
Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me.
1. This corresponds almost word-for-word to Psalm 40:13-17 with a very few exceptions so it must have been an important request for David or he simply repeated himself. I prefer the latter. He cries out, “Hasten, O God, to save me”! David is literally requesting that God “snatch” him up and fly him to safety, almost like a hawk snatching up prey but in this case for safety’s sake and not to make David into a tasty meal! David wanted God to rescue him now! This is not new for David as I mentioned before because David had learned where he could go for help. He would sing in another Psalm, “Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.” (Psalms 143:7 NIV) It is kind of like the Apostle Peter who jumped over the side of the boat so he walk on the water with Jesus; he looks at the waves, feels the wind, and he begins to sink because of his fear! He took his eyes off the Lord! He cries out, “Lord, save me!” We are told that “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31 NIV) David did not want to show any doubt concerning his trust in the Lord and so like a lot of us he asks, “O LORD, come quickly to help me.” Who wants a God to take his time? Not me and neither did David. We learn that David desired God’s help quickly!
EXAMPLE: People can move fairly fast if they are properly motivated. Guys, you haven’t seen anyone move faster than a woman who sees her husband come through the living room with a basket full of assorted wash headed toward the dishwasher. Of course there was the time a friend of mine I knew when I worked at Continental Can who barely stopped his wife from putting water from the garden hose in her brand new car via the gas fill! If we desire God to move fast in our lives we need to realize that he is not our personal genie. Someone responded to one of my sermon posts that God had never answered him the way he wanted. He failed to know what David did; God answers those who know and trust him. We learned David desired God’s help quickly!
It can seem sometimes that the whole world has it in for us. Yet did you know that those who know the Lord can seek his protection? We discover that…
II. David asks for God’s safety! (Vv. 2-3)
May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
1. We all have heard about the discourse of Jesus on the mountainside where he tells his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you ‘Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.’” (Matthew 5:38-39 NIV) So it seems kind of odd or wrong or just plain vindictive that David is asking God for safety in his life against his enemies. However we have to understand first of all that when Jesus spoke the words he did on that mountainside he knew it was impossible for his listeners to do what he was asking them to do! That was the whole point. Their response would’ve been: “Are you crazy! How in the world can we do anything you are asking us to do?” Only those who loved God and knew he loved them could even come close to what Jesus was asking them to do! So notice what David asks God to do: “May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion”! The idea here is that his enemies would be so embarrassed by their false accusations they would be disappointed and publicly ashamed! But David does not stop there he continues: “may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace”! Wow! He wanted them to feel what he felt! In fact, he bluntly asks that “May those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’ turn back because of their shame.” It may look like it but David is not gloating over his enemies but rather they were gloating over David’s predicament. Proverbs reminds us that “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18 NIV) Therefore David was kind of reminding God of this spiritual truth and in so doing he was reminding himself as well. The truth we discover here is the fact that David asks for God’s safety!
EXAMPLE: Did you hear that some politicians are asking for the pencil industry to change pencils? For the past thirty years America’s public schools have been producing students who are increasingly less educated. Liberal politicians across the country feel that pencil manufacturers are responsible for creating this education crisis and are filing lawsuits against them. They feel “pencils are faulty because they allow students to spell words incorrectly, as well as commit grammatical and mathematical errors”. Some believe that the pencil makers currently have technology available to put Student Safety Devices (SSDs) on their products. But they refuse to do it. These SSDs would prevent students from committing academic errors and help them to be better pupils. Pencil manufacturers, however, claim that their products are inanimate objects that do not cause students to commit academic errors. Of course I jest. It is as silly as forgetting that we are responsible as well for our relationship with God! Here we see that David asks for God’s safety!
There are those who think that all God does it wait around inactive until we ask him for something, nothing is further from the truth. As we listen to the words of this Psalm we learn that…
III. David seeks God’s salvation! (Vv. 4-5)
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!” Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
1. Here is the key to what David has been asking God for the whole time. He related “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you”. The key here is for those who actively “seek” God. We are not to pull God out of a magic hat or rub an old oil lamp hoping that God will suddenly appear and answer all of our desires immediately. Jesus reminded his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV) This is not a promise of unlimited wealth or a cosmic sugar daddy but rather for those who seek God will find him and discover for their own selves his salvation. God reminds us that “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” (Proverbs 8:17 NIV) In fact David continued by stating “may those who love your salvation always say, ‘Let God be exalted!’” Only those who know God can honestly lift him up in praise because they know his mighty work in their lives! We know that if we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all that we actually need in life will therefore be given to us! David therefore returns to his original request by asking God, “Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.” David remembered his spiritual condition: “poor and needy” and who could “come quickly” to “help” and “deliver” him without “delay”! Perhaps David remembered the words of Jeremiah, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV) Here we learn that David seeks God’s salvation!
EXAMPLE: While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, a local policeman was interrupted by a little girl about six years old. Looking up and down at his uniform, she asked, “Are you a cop?” “Yes,” he answered and continued writing the report. “My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?” He looked up and answered her, “Yes, that's right,” thinking now she needed his help in something that was important. “Well, then,” she said as she extended her foot toward him, “would you please tie my shoe?” What we may think is unimportant might be very important for someone else. How good is it therefore to know a God who listens and acts to those who love him? Here we discover that David seeks God’s salvation!
Conclusion:
David desired God’s help quickly! David asks for God’s safety! David seeks God’s salvation!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2017 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
September 17, 2017
A young man found himself in serious financial trouble. His business had gone bust. He was so desperate that he decided to ask God for help. He began to pray. “God, please help me. I’ve lost my business and if I don’t get some money, I’m going to lose my house as well! Please let me win the lottery!” After doing this several nights in a row and he still did not win he decided to pray one last time, “My God, why have you forsaken me? I’ve lost my business, my house and my car. My children are starving! I don’t often ask you for help and I have always been a good person! Please just let me win the lotto this one time so I can get my life back in order!” Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light as the heavens opened, the young man fell backwards, and he was confronted by the voice of God himself: “Young man, you are going to have to do just one thing first -- buy a ticket!”
Now I am not advocating wasting your hard-earned money on a lottery ticket; what I am getting at is the fact that sadly this is exactly how many folks view God. They see him as some kind of genie whereby they do not have to personally contribute anything! This short Psalm records a prayer by David for a quick rescue from his present predicament. It also anticipates the rejoicing that will follow. Through the words of David we learn that God is our helper, let’s discover how…
READ: Psalm 70
We live in a fast food, microwave, immediate texting society where we want answers now, if not sooner. David’s day was no different. Here we discover that…
I. David desired God’s help quickly! (v. 1)
Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me.
1. This corresponds almost word-for-word to Psalm 40:13-17 with a very few exceptions so it must have been an important request for David or he simply repeated himself. I prefer the latter. He cries out, “Hasten, O God, to save me”! David is literally requesting that God “snatch” him up and fly him to safety, almost like a hawk snatching up prey but in this case for safety’s sake and not to make David into a tasty meal! David wanted God to rescue him now! This is not new for David as I mentioned before because David had learned where he could go for help. He would sing in another Psalm, “Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.” (Psalms 143:7 NIV) It is kind of like the Apostle Peter who jumped over the side of the boat so he walk on the water with Jesus; he looks at the waves, feels the wind, and he begins to sink because of his fear! He took his eyes off the Lord! He cries out, “Lord, save me!” We are told that “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31 NIV) David did not want to show any doubt concerning his trust in the Lord and so like a lot of us he asks, “O LORD, come quickly to help me.” Who wants a God to take his time? Not me and neither did David. We learn that David desired God’s help quickly!
EXAMPLE: People can move fairly fast if they are properly motivated. Guys, you haven’t seen anyone move faster than a woman who sees her husband come through the living room with a basket full of assorted wash headed toward the dishwasher. Of course there was the time a friend of mine I knew when I worked at Continental Can who barely stopped his wife from putting water from the garden hose in her brand new car via the gas fill! If we desire God to move fast in our lives we need to realize that he is not our personal genie. Someone responded to one of my sermon posts that God had never answered him the way he wanted. He failed to know what David did; God answers those who know and trust him. We learned David desired God’s help quickly!
It can seem sometimes that the whole world has it in for us. Yet did you know that those who know the Lord can seek his protection? We discover that…
II. David asks for God’s safety! (Vv. 2-3)
May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
1. We all have heard about the discourse of Jesus on the mountainside where he tells his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you ‘Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.’” (Matthew 5:38-39 NIV) So it seems kind of odd or wrong or just plain vindictive that David is asking God for safety in his life against his enemies. However we have to understand first of all that when Jesus spoke the words he did on that mountainside he knew it was impossible for his listeners to do what he was asking them to do! That was the whole point. Their response would’ve been: “Are you crazy! How in the world can we do anything you are asking us to do?” Only those who loved God and knew he loved them could even come close to what Jesus was asking them to do! So notice what David asks God to do: “May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion”! The idea here is that his enemies would be so embarrassed by their false accusations they would be disappointed and publicly ashamed! But David does not stop there he continues: “may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace”! Wow! He wanted them to feel what he felt! In fact, he bluntly asks that “May those who say to me, ‘Aha! Aha!’ turn back because of their shame.” It may look like it but David is not gloating over his enemies but rather they were gloating over David’s predicament. Proverbs reminds us that “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18 NIV) Therefore David was kind of reminding God of this spiritual truth and in so doing he was reminding himself as well. The truth we discover here is the fact that David asks for God’s safety!
EXAMPLE: Did you hear that some politicians are asking for the pencil industry to change pencils? For the past thirty years America’s public schools have been producing students who are increasingly less educated. Liberal politicians across the country feel that pencil manufacturers are responsible for creating this education crisis and are filing lawsuits against them. They feel “pencils are faulty because they allow students to spell words incorrectly, as well as commit grammatical and mathematical errors”. Some believe that the pencil makers currently have technology available to put Student Safety Devices (SSDs) on their products. But they refuse to do it. These SSDs would prevent students from committing academic errors and help them to be better pupils. Pencil manufacturers, however, claim that their products are inanimate objects that do not cause students to commit academic errors. Of course I jest. It is as silly as forgetting that we are responsible as well for our relationship with God! Here we see that David asks for God’s safety!
There are those who think that all God does it wait around inactive until we ask him for something, nothing is further from the truth. As we listen to the words of this Psalm we learn that…
III. David seeks God’s salvation! (Vv. 4-5)
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!” Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
1. Here is the key to what David has been asking God for the whole time. He related “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you”. The key here is for those who actively “seek” God. We are not to pull God out of a magic hat or rub an old oil lamp hoping that God will suddenly appear and answer all of our desires immediately. Jesus reminded his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV) This is not a promise of unlimited wealth or a cosmic sugar daddy but rather for those who seek God will find him and discover for their own selves his salvation. God reminds us that “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” (Proverbs 8:17 NIV) In fact David continued by stating “may those who love your salvation always say, ‘Let God be exalted!’” Only those who know God can honestly lift him up in praise because they know his mighty work in their lives! We know that if we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all that we actually need in life will therefore be given to us! David therefore returns to his original request by asking God, “Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.” David remembered his spiritual condition: “poor and needy” and who could “come quickly” to “help” and “deliver” him without “delay”! Perhaps David remembered the words of Jeremiah, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV) Here we learn that David seeks God’s salvation!
EXAMPLE: While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, a local policeman was interrupted by a little girl about six years old. Looking up and down at his uniform, she asked, “Are you a cop?” “Yes,” he answered and continued writing the report. “My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?” He looked up and answered her, “Yes, that's right,” thinking now she needed his help in something that was important. “Well, then,” she said as she extended her foot toward him, “would you please tie my shoe?” What we may think is unimportant might be very important for someone else. How good is it therefore to know a God who listens and acts to those who love him? Here we discover that David seeks God’s salvation!
Conclusion:
David desired God’s help quickly! David asks for God’s safety! David seeks God’s salvation!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2017 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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