Thursday, September 5 – Psalms 71, 94
1. What does the psalmist compare God to? Psalm 71:3
2. Since when does the psalmist recognize that God has sustained him? Psalm 71:6
3. How many stages of his life does the author acknowledge God’s presence in? Psalm 71:17, 18
4. The believer should not take revenge, as Psalm 94:1 says, “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs.” How does the psalmist express this? Psalm 94:2-4
5. With what assurance about the Lord does the author conclude Psalm 94? Psalm 94:22, 23
Commentary and Reflection:
About the theme of Psalm 71, the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary states,
“Ps. 71 gives counsel to the aged. The prayer of this psalm was called forth by David’s realization that advancing years brought unhappiness to the aged, owing, in part, to the intensification of unhappy traits of character (see EGW, Supplementary Material, on Ps. 71 :9, 17, 19). ‘David was deeply moved; he was distressed as he looked forward to the time when he should be aged… David felt the necessity of guarding against the evils which attend old age’ (IT 423).” SDA Bible Commentary, Introduction to Psalm 71.
About Psalm 94, we read in the Seventh-day Adventists Bible Commentary,
“Ps. 94 appeals to God for an answer to the problem of the apparent triumph of the wicked (vs. 1-7), addresses unjust leaders who boast of God’s apparent aloofness from the problem (vs. 8-11), and finds an ultimate answer in God’s defense of the righteous and the final triumph of the right (vs. 12-23). The psalm is a guarantee that, despite appearances, justice will ultimately prevail (see Ps. 92). The LXX has in the superscription the phrase, ‘for the fourth day of the week.’ Ps. 94 has the earmarks of a liturgical psalm.” SDA Bible Commentary, Introduction to Psalm 94
It seems it was a Jewish tradition to read this psalm on Wednesdays during synagogue meetings or at home.
There are many moments when we feel mistreated by those around us. It’s not easy to resist thoughts or desires to take justice into our own hands. We might think seeking justified revenge wouldn’t be wrong since it’s in our defense. But this psalm urges us to reconsider and leave vengeance in God’s hands. He knows how to handle it better than we do, and in the end, we will see with our own eyes the reward of the wicked without bearing the guilt of having preempted the Lord’s process.
May our prayer be: “Oh loving Heavenly Father, give us the confidence that, in due time, You will raise a banner of victory over us; that ‘You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies.’ Vengeance is Yours! Amen.”
Have a very blessed day.