Authorship
What a Psalm this is! It’s very personal and comes towards the end of the author’s life. Spurgeon describes it as "The prayer of the aged believer".1 We aren’t told who wrote it, who it was for, or what occasion prompted it. However, with a little detective work we can discover with reasonable confidence the answers to these mysteries.
Verses 1 to 3 are virtually identical to the opening verses of Psalm 31. That Psalm does have a superscription – it’s composed by David, and though it’s full of personal elements, it’s written for public worship, inscribed “to The Chief Musician”, that is, to the head of the priestly musicians of the Tabernacle of David’s day. Verses 5, 12 and 18 are very similar to several verses in Psalm 22, another Psalm of David, also inscribed “to the Chief Musician”. In this case there is even a recommended tune, 'The Deer of the Dawn'. Though the tune is long lost, with a title like that and David’s youthful experience of nature, it wouldn’t surprise me if David wrote the tune as well. All these similarities point to David being the author of Psalm 71.
Musical links
Many of the other details within the Psalm point in David’s direction too. For example, in verse 22, the writer speaks of singing to God with “the psaltery and the harp”, musical instruments long associated with David. Interestingly, in 2 Chronicles 7:6 we discover that David had even made instruments for priestly use. His personal skill with the harp is well-known from his youthful playing for King Saul. The musical theme reappears in Psalm 57, when David asserts his trust in God whilst hiding from Saul and his soldiers in the cave near En Gedi, a refuge in the wilderness, as well as in Psalm 108 on an unspecified occasion. The harp is easy to identify, but ‘psaltery’ is more difficult. The NKJV translates David’s Hebrew word as ‘lute’, a simple, guitar-like instrument, whilst the NIV renders it ‘lyre’, a harp with an open top. However, the Hebrew word so translated in the Psalms is usually, if not always, nebel, which literally means a skin bag. Most likely, then, in musical terms it would be some kind of bagpipe.2
Most likely, then, in musical terms the lute (or lyre) would be some kind of bagpipe
Later-life trials
As Psalm 71 is likely to be one of David’s, let’s see how it might fit into his lifetime. We know from 2 Samuel 5:4 that he was 30 years old when he began to reign as king in Hebron, and that his reign lasted some 40 years; 7½ years over Judah and about 33 over united Israel in Jerusalem. Thus he would have been in his 70th or 71st year when he died. As the writer of this Psalm speaks in v.9 as being aged and weak, this fits the latter years of David. So, the question arises, "Did David experience troubles so late in life?" The answer is "Yes" – a rebellion by Sheba when he was about 62, and attacks by the Philistines roughly between his 65th and 67th years, followed by yet another rebellion in his 68th or 69th year.
So let’s explore the Psalm itself. It’s perfectly clear that the Psalmist has personal troubles, not least as he prays for deliverance in verses 2 and 4. Verses 10, 11 and 13 speak of people who are plotting against him – not primarily against his nation or army, but against his very own life. This strongly suggests the final rebellion, that by his son Adonijah, which appears in 1 Kings 1. This rebellion also included some of Adonijah’s brothers (thus more of David’s own sons), and several of David’s officers, not least his nephew and former commander of his army, Joab. What a betrayal! David really is in deep trouble! I wonder, how do our troubles compare with those of David – my troubles, your troubles? Most, I’m sure would pale to insignificance! More importantly, what lessons can we draw, by the grace of God, for ourselves from this Psalm?
How do our troubles compare with those of David – my troubles, your troubles? Most, I’m sure would pale to insignificance!
In him I put my trust
Next, let’s notice that though he is in dire distress, before he mentions any troubles, or asks for deliverance, David declares his faith: “In you, O LORD, I put my trust” (v.1). His Hebrew expression is rather stronger than this: “I confidently flee to you for shelter”, and his earlier experience of deliverance from Saul in the cave at En Gedi is a very real picture of this. In Spurgeon’s application of this Psalm, he says, “Not only ON God must we rest, as a man stands upon a rock, but IN Him must we trust, as a man hides in a cave”3 (my emphasis). Such was David’s experience.
David then continues to draw upon his experience of the Lord, and as he does so his confidence grows. Verses 3, 5, and 6 illustrate this abundantly (do read them!). The importance of recalling the many instances of the Lord’s great provision for us cannot be overstated. This activity, coupled with his great and numerous promises, is a certain way to build hope for the future, as this Psalm illustrates beautifully and profoundly. Following his many requests, such as “deliver me” (v.4), “do not cast me off” (v.9), “do not be far from me … make haste to help me” (v.12), verse 14 begins with one of the many great ‘buts’ of Scripture: “But I will hope in You continually”. His Hebrew meaning is that in spite of all the difficult circumstances he will wait patiently for the Lord’s solution.
I will praise him
At this point David fully commits himself to the Lord. He has no clue as to how or when God will answer his pleadings, but he firmly states his own intentions for the future:
• v.14 “I will praise you more and more”
• v.15 “My mouth will tell of your righteousness and salvation all the day”
• v.16a “I will go in the strength of the Lord”
• v.16b “I will make mention of your righteousness”
• v.22 “I will praise you …. to you I will sing”
• v.24 “My tongue will talk of your righteousness all day long”
How clearly and firmly are we committed to the Lord when troubles rear their ugly heads? How positive are we about our future, whatever the outcome? Let’s learn from David’s example, preserved for us by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God! As David exhorts us in Psalm 62:8, “Trust in Him at all times, you people ….. God is a refuge for us”.
Psalm 71 (Part 2) to follow. This article is part of the series studying the Psalms in their original context. Click here to read previous instalments.
Endnotes
1. Spurgeon, C.H., ‘The Treasury of David’ (1885)
2. Strong’s Dictionary describes ‘nebel’ as a skin bag; metaphorically, by extension, a container for liquid, such as a jug or vase. It differs from KJV ‘pipe’ as in 1 Sam 10:5, which is chaliyl, also translated ‘flute’, possibly originally a shepherd’s reed-pipe.
3. Spurgeon, op.cit.
