Verse 1
PSALM 69
PRAYER OF ONE AFFLICTED FOR THE TRUTH
SUPERSCRIPTION: FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIAN; SET TO SHOSHANNIM.
A PSALM OF DAVID.
There is no convincing evidence in the psalm itself that David is not the author, although many scholars assume that David could not have written it. The reasons assigned for such opinions however are unconvincing; and the verses usually cited are capable of other interpretations which we shall note during the study of the text.
Addis thought that, "Maccabean times suit the situation best, but Maccabean origin is incapable of proof."[1] "Kirkpatrick made a sturdy defense of the notion that Jeremiah wrote it,"[2] but as far as we can tell nobody agreed with him.
Leupold wrote, "Despite many other possibilities that have been suggested (regarding the authorship), we still feel that the suggestion offered by the Hebrew (superscription) has the most to commend it - `of David.'"[3]
The most interesting thing about this psalm is that "More than any other in the whole Psalter, except Psalms 22, this psalm is quoted in the New Testament."[4]
"They hated me without a cause" (Psalms 69:4) was quoted by Jesus Christ in John 15:25.
"Zeal for thy house shall eat me up" (Psalms 69:9) is quoted in John 2:17.
"The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me" (Psalms 69:9b), is quoted in Romans 15:3.
"Let their table before them become a snare; and when they are in peace, let it become a trap" (Psalms 69:22) is quoted in Romans 11:9.
"Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see" (Psalms 69:23) is quoted in Romans 11:10, where the apostle Paul applied it to the hardening of Israel.
"Let their habitation be desolate" (Psalms 69:25) is quoted in Acts 1:20, where it is applied to Judas Iscariot.
In Romans 11:9, the apostle Paul unequivocally recognized David as the author of this psalm; and our own opinion is that a single word from Paul is worth more than a whole library of critical denials that David wrote it.
"They gave me also gall for my food; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Psalms 69:21). Although this verse is not quoted in the New Testament, it is significant that all four of the gospels recorded the giving of vinegar to Christ on the cross (Matthew 27:48-50; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; and John 19:29). It is evident that all of the Gospel writers considered that action of giving Jesus vinegar to drink was a fulfillment in the Anti-Type of what had happened in the Type. Apparently, the motive for giving Christ vinegar on Calvary was different from what seems to be the motive here against David. The action of the Roman soldier who offered Christ vinegar is cited by Dummelow as an act of mercy designed to allay Jesus' sufferings,[5] a view which this writer has often accepted, but Luke seems to deny this, writing that, "The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, offering him vinegar" (Luke 23:36).
IS THE PSALM MESSIANIC?
In some degree, it most certainly is, but not in its entirety. The psalmist's admission of his own sins means that the total poem cannot be applied to Christ; but David was indeed a type of Christ, and many of the things in the life of David find their echo and fulfillment in David's Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE PSALMIST DESCRIBES HIS SITUATION
"Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul.
I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing;
I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
I am weary with my crying; my throat is dried:
Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
They that would cut me off, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty:
That which I took not away I have to restore."
The language here, at least in part, is figurative, because deep waters and mire simply do not belong in the same situation. To us, this language seems appropriate to the times of David's fleeing before Saul. It fits that period better than any other with which we are familiar in the life of David. His foes were "mighty," able to compel him to restore things he had not taken, and who were determined to `cut him off.' Even the ribald singing against him in the city gates mentioned a little later fits that period better than any other.
"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head" (Psalms 69:4). Why was David hated without a cause? It all started with Saul's jealous hatred; as the king of Israel, Saul had the ability to marshal all the resources of the kingdom against David; and human nature being what it is, countless people were willing to take sides with Saul against David. Saul's enmity against David was the only motivation that the people needed to hate David.
The situation regarding the countless people who hated Jesus Christ without cause reflected perfectly the conditions that confronted David. The "false shepherds" of Israel (Zechariah 11:1-8), the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians, were extremely jealous of the meek and humble Jesus, whose life-style they viciously hated; and their position of leadership in Israel enabled them to rally practically the whole nation to their position of hating the Messiah. An outstanding example of that is their maneuvering the Jerusalem mob to cry out for a choice of Barabbas in the crucifixion scene.
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