Psalms 71:17

PLEADING A LIFE SPENT IN GOD'S SERVICE

"O God, thou hast taught me from my youth;

And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

Yea, even when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not,

Until I have declared thy strength to the next generation,

Thy might to every one that is to come.

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high;

Thou hast done great things,

O God, who is like unto thee."

In these verses there is a dramatic shift to the past tense, thence to the present, and again into the future. The psalmist here makes a triple argument as the grounds upon which he pleads for God's help.

(1) Serving God is no new thing to David. God had instructed him from his youth; and he had heeded that instruction and had walked uprightly before God all of his life, "hitherto."

(2) "I am old and grayheaded" (Psalms 71:18). This argument is that the infirmities of age are encroaching upon him and that there is therefore "a special need" of God's help; hence the appeal, "Forsake me not."

"Among sensitive men and women of high culture and Christian feeling, there is a beautiful sacredness about the `hoary head,' that wins for the aged abundant honor and care,"[12] but even under the most favorable and sympathetic circumstances, the infirmities and incapacities of age are among the very saddest things that can happen to the human pilgrim; and in situations where Christian care and concern are not available, the wretched misery of the aged is pitiful beyond description.

(3) "Until I have declared thy strength to the next generation" (Psalms 71:18). The psalmist here is not thinking primarily of himself and his troubles, but of the coming generation who are in desperate need of instruction in the truth. He needs strength and time in order to do this most necessary work for God; hence the appeal, "Forsake me not."

"To every one that is to come" (Psalms 71:19). Can a request like this be limited as applicable only to a single coming generation? No! All the coming generations of the human family are to be taught by this psalmist provided God does not forsake him. Has it happened? Indeed it has! Almost three millenniums after these words were written, and this prayer was uttered by him whose Greater Son is the Christ of Glory, these immortal psalms are still being loved, studied, appreciated and honored in the lives of men and women.

The Psalter is the most beloved and popular part of the Old Testament.; and Christians of all generations have found its inspiring pages a never-failing source of encouragement, strength, and sacred motivation.