THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

LXX. Addressing Our Need For God’s Immediate Help

(Psalm 70:1-5)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

Several issues of concern that we face today can lead us to sense our need for immediate divine intervention:

(1) One issue is the nation’s decay in families and schools due to government welfare: “Over the last half century, things have gone increasingly wrong with public education” starting “shortly after the creation of the welfare state, which . . . has destroyed the concept of family by creating an underclass of people who ‘work the system’ . . . at . . . the taxpayer’s largesse as an alternate way of life . . . Lately, schools have taken on the task of helping kids” by trying to teach “gender and sexual orientation fluidity . . . but . . . (m)orality is for the family to instill . . .” (Vincent R. Vurchio, “Schools can’t make up for the decline of families,” Republican-American, June 21, 2023, p. 6A)

(2) Another issue is the national debt: It “broke the $32 trillion barrier . . . thanks to the roughly $5 trillion that the feds spent to help people and businesses withstand . . . COVID-19 and lockdowns,” (Tom Purcell, “Good luck paying Uncle Sam’s debt,” Ibid., p. 7A) and over “$200 billion” of the $5 trillion “may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives” says “the U. S. Small Business Administration,” due to colossal mismanagement, “Watchdog: More than $200 billion in COVID aid may have been stolen,” Ibid., June 28, 2023, p. 3B.

(3) A third issue is that oppressive elites are in power: David Strom’s June 21 Hot Air column, “Why I became a culture warrior” (“Quotable,” Ibid., June 26, 2023, p. 8A) wrote, “(O)ur elites . . . present themselves as wise, empathetic leaders and technocrats who will build a better and more just society . . . But in fact they are a unified cabal who view average people as convenient dupes to be led like sheep.” (a) It is seen in the Soros family’s “reign of terror” as “leftist billionaire George Soros . . . has used his vast wealth to influence elections . . . while inflicting chaos upon everyday Americans . . . (T)he policies he supports, as carried out by district attorneys whose campaigns he’s funded, are directly responsible for people being killed . . . Mr. Soros . . . is” now “handing the levers of power over to his son, 37-year-old Alex Soros,” so “the Soros reign of terror will continue at least for several more decades.” (“Distinctions of democracy,” Ibid., June 22, 2023, p. 10A) (b) The mainstream media also largely supports Soros’s evils: “Generally speaking, major media outlets have been content to pretend George Soros doesn’t exist, letting him operate in the shadows – except when he . . . draws the ire of conservative media, at which point the corporate media outlets launch defensive campaigns on his behalf,” Ibid. (c) Elitists in the government are involved: “(A) Department of Homeland Security ‘anti-terrorism’ program . . . has produced material classifying mainstream conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, Fox News and the GOP [Republican Party] as only a few steps removed from . . . far-right terrorists in terms of the threat of radicalization they represent.” (Veronique de Rugy, “Censors confuse ‘disinformation’ with mainstream opinion,” Ibid., June 24, 2023, p. 8A; brackets ours)

(4) A fourth issue is the steep spiritual decline in many American churches: This was evidenced last Sunday in the Congregational United Church of Christ in Enfield, Connecticut. Pastor Greg Gray was leading a Pride Sunday service when two men stood up “screaming Bible verses” in opposition to his sermon. (Mike Cerullo, “Sunday morning sermon interrupted by hate speech at Enfield church,” June 25, 2023; wfsb.com) Remarkably, Jonathan Edwards preached one of the greatest sermons ever given on American soil titled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in which he warned of hell for those who rejected Christ, and he delivered that sermon in the Enfield Congregational Church on July 8, 1741, 282 years ago this coming Saturday! However, the Enfield Congregational Church now supports LGBTQ perversions, and it would oppose Jonathan Edwards’ great sermon as “hate speech”!

We do not condone the way the demonstrators acted in the Enfield church last Sunday, but the incident shows how far we’ve come, that where Bible truth was once heralded in many American churches, it is now countered.

Need: So, we ask, “When we sense that we need God’s immediate help, what does He want us to do?!”

I. Psalm 70:1-5 is David’s modified form of his Psalm 40:13-17 petition that he meant to use whenever he sought to stress in prayer his need for God’s immediate help (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Psalm 70; Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms, 1975, p. 297-298):

A. The introductory notes of Psalm 70 that comprise verse 1 in the Hebrew text reveal that David wrote this psalm to remind God of David’s need whenever the need mentioned in Psalm 70 arose in his life, Ibid., p. 297.

B. Verses 1, 2, and 3 of Psalm 70 each omit words of less significance from its Psalm 40 initial source to condense the petition being made in Psalm 70, making it more intense than his Psalm 40 original, Ibid., p. 298.

C. Psalm 70:1a omits the introductory verb “be pleased” that is found in Psalm 40:13a, what highlights the verb “make haste” in the latter part of Psalm 70:1b (and of Psalm 40:13b), Ibid.

D. Psalm 70:5 exchanges the phrase “he will think of me” of Psalm 40:17 for “hasten to me,” repeating the introductory emphasis of Psalm 70:1b for David’s need for immediate divine relief, Ibid.

II. Since the concern expressed in Psalm 70:2-3 is the threat of harmful foes, David asked God in Psalm 70:1-5 in an urgent way to rescue him IMMEDIATELY from his foes who were about to harm him.

Lesson: David lifted his petition of Psalm 40:13-17 from Psalm 40:1-17 and modified it for use in Psalm 70:1-5 for requesting God’s IMMEDIATE deliverance from his threatening enemies.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) If facing imminent threats from harmful foes, may we like David come boldly to God’s throne of grace in prayer and pour out our hearts to Him that we might obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need, Hebrews 4:16.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and provide additional guidance . . .)

When we pray to God for His help, we must pray not only in faith (Matthew 21:22) and in personal uprightness (1 John 3:22), but also in agreement with His will (1 John 5:14-15). God has revealed His will on the issues of concern mentioned in our introduction, and we list them here for insight on praying effectively about them:

(1) Notably, each issue of concern in our introduction involves trouble that has been formed by oppressive leaders in government, business, and religious institutions of the world, what we have often taught was foretold in Revelation 3:21 with 7:17 for our era of Church History (the Laodicean Church, Revelation 3:14-22). God predicted what we term a “mini-Great Tribulation” when leaders in man’s institutions would arise who would be full of intrigue and who would oppress subordinates. The oppression would cause the afflicted to turn from their oppressive leaders and seek personal balm and direction elsewhere, only to find it in the Bible exposition of Bible teaching churches.

(2) So, aware of this prediction, we can pray in accord with God’s will as revealed in Scripture for each issue in our introduction (as follows): (a) On the decline in families and public schools via government welfare, (+) God promised to bless the marriage, family, community, nation and world in widening concentric circles of influence starting with male heads of households who respected God, Psalm 128:1-6. (+) In homes that lack godly heads of households, Deuteronomy 10:17-20 shows that God Himself ministers for them. (+) Thus, we should pray that male heads of households be discipled for Christ, and for others in homes to rely on God for His blessing. (b) As for the national debt issue, Psalm 37:16-25 teaches that regardless what the godless do, God will support the decisions of godly believers and see that their dependents not suffer livelihood shortages. Thus, we should pray for the discipling of heads of households and that others in homes trust in God for blessing. (c) As for concern over merciless elitists in power as seen in the Soros family’s “reign of terror” and the complicity of the mainstream media with Soros’ evils and the Department of Homeland Security’s classification of conservative groups as close to being far-right terrorist radicalizers, (+) Proverbs 20:28 teaches that “loyal love” (hesed, Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. ; H. A. W., Theo. Wrdbk. of the O. T., 1980, v. I, p. 305-307) and “faithfulness [dependability]” (emet, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., H. A. W., p. 52-53) “preserve” a king “from dangers” (nasar, B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 665-666), and “loyal love” (hesed again) “sustains” (sa’ad, Ibid., p. 703) his throne. What makes for effective leadership is a leader’s loyal love for his subjects seen in the use of his authority to benefit them, not to benefit himself at their cost. The faithful or dependable expression of this loyal love preserves a leader from being overthrown. Thus, the heartlessness of today’s elitists is actually undermining their own influence in the long-term, and that influence is being shifted by God over to leaders in Bible churches who expound Scripture to nurture oppressed people! In time, afflicted people will discern this contrast between oppressive and nurturing leaders, what is promised by Christ in Mark 4:13-20 with 21-25 where He predicted that nothing in the spiritual realm of a person will remain forever hidden but will become evident to all! Thus, (+) we should pray for church leaders to expound Scripture! (d) As for concern over the steep spiritual decline in American churches, (+) 2 Timothy 4:3-4 predicted that in the latter era of Church History, people and pastors in many churches would turn from the Bible’s truths unto writings that were outside of Scripture! To counter this shift, Bible teachers in churches were to watch out for its arrival and endure affliction by sticking to Bible teaching, preaching the Gospel and preaching and teaching Scripture, 2 Timothy 4:5, 1-2! (+) We should thus pray that our church leaders might stay true to God and His Word that believers in the pew might hear the Word of God in church!

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we handle pressing issues by praying for God’s intervention in accord with His Biblical will.