The King Comes to Rescue
Psalm 69:1-18
"I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.'"
(Isaiah 43:1-2)
If you've ever been rescued from great danger, you'll always remember it. I'll never forget when I was recovering from a serious illness in West Africa and unwisely set out to swim with a friend around a headland. As I rounded it, my strength suddenly left me, and I knew I could drown. I called out to my friend, and he rescued me in my weakness, pushing me up on a rock.
When Jesus appeared to need rescuing Himself on the cross, He was in fact rescuing all of us who were "without hope" (Ephesians 2:12). That point of maximum humiliation was the greatest, most kingly act ever done: rescuing us from the guilt and power of sin. He put us safe on the "rock that is higher than" we are. Can we doubt that He who is King of the universe will rescue us from any oppression, demonic attack, or disobedience that afflicts us?
He comes in power when we need rescuing and call on Him. The rescue may not be in the removal of the immediate problem, but it will always be in giving us the strength to handle it.
INSIGHT
"O loving wisdom of our God When all was sin and shame. A second Adam to the fight. And to the rescue came."
(J. Henry Newman)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 11-12
Proverbs 10
Hebrews 13
Psalm 69:1-18
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
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