Psalms 71 Study Notes: Trusting God Into Old Age
An older believer who has relied on God since birth asks for rescue from enemies who claim God has abandoned him. He pleads not to be cast off in old age so he can tell the next generation of God's power, and he ends in joyful praise of God's righteousness and redemption.
General
What stage of life does the psalmist particularly have in mind when he asks God not to forsake him (71:9, 18)?
Answer: His old age, when his strength is failing
Psalm 71 is the prayer of an older believer. He asks God not to cast him away in his old age or forsake him when his strength fails (71:9), and repeats the plea even as he grows old and gray (71:18). The God who held him from birth (71:6) will not drop him at the end. God had promised exactly this: He would carry and sustain His people into old age and gray hair (Isaiah 46:4), and the righteous still bear fruit in old age (Psalm 92:14).
- Psalm 71:9 (BSB)“Do not discard me in my old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.”The psalmist asks God not to abandon him as he grows old and weak.
- Psalm 71:18 (BSB)“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.”He repeats the plea for old age, with the purpose of declaring God's power to the next generation.
- Isaiah 46:4 (BSB)“Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.”God promises to carry and sustain His people when they are old and gray.
- Psalm 92:14 (BSB)“In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain,”The righteous still bear fruit in old age.
Theological
What life stage frames the psalmist's plea not to be forsaken in Psalm 71:9, 18?
Answer: His old age, when his strength is failing
The psalm is an old believer's prayer: do not cast me off in old age or forsake me as my strength fails (71:9), repeated as he is old and gray (71:18). God's faithfulness from the womb (71:6) grounds confidence that He will not abandon His servant at life's end. The plea rests on God's promise to carry His people to gray hairs (Isaiah 46:4), and the righteous still bear fruit in old age (Psalm 92:14). God's preservation of His people is not limited to their years of strength.
- Psalm 71:9 (BSB)“Do not discard me in my old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.”The psalmist asks God not to abandon him as he grows old and weak.
- Psalm 71:18 (BSB)“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.”He repeats the plea for old age, with the purpose of declaring God's power to the next generation.
- Isaiah 46:4 (BSB)“Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.”God promises to carry and sustain His people when they are old and gray.
- Psalm 92:14 (BSB)“In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain,”The righteous still bear fruit in old age.
General
What do the psalmist's enemies claim about him in Psalm 71:10-11?
Answer: That God has abandoned him and no one will save him
The enemies plot against the psalmist and speak against him (71:10). Their claim is that God has abandoned him, so they can chase and seize him, since nobody will come to his aid (71:11). They read his troubles and weakness as proof that God has left him. The psalmist answers by asking God to come near and hurry to help (71:12). David faced a similar taunt in Psalm 22:7-8. God's promise to His people is the opposite of what the enemies claim: He will never leave or forsake them (Hebrews 13:5).
- Psalm 71:10-11 (BSB)“For my enemies speak against me, and those who lie in wait for my life conspire, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.””The enemies conspire, claiming God has abandoned him and no one will rescue him.
- Psalm 22:7-8 (BSB)“All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.””David's mockers similarly taunt that the LORD should rescue him if He delights in him.
- Hebrews 13:5 (BSB)“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.””God has promised never to leave or forsake His people.
Theological
What is the enemies' taunt in Psalm 71:10-11?
Answer: That God has abandoned him and no one will save him
The adversaries conspire and declare that God has abandoned him, so he may be pursued and seized with no one to deliver him (71:10-11). They interpret affliction and weakness as proof of divine abandonment. The psalmist's response is to call on God to be near and make haste (71:12). A similar taunt is found in Psalm 22:7-8. Against it stands God's covenant promise never to leave or forsake His people (Hebrews 13:5), the basis of their preservation.
- Psalm 71:10-11 (BSB)“For my enemies speak against me, and those who lie in wait for my life conspire, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.””The enemies conspire, claiming God has abandoned him and no one will rescue him.
- Psalm 22:7-8 (BSB)“All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.””David's mockers similarly taunt that the LORD should rescue him if He delights in him.
- Hebrews 13:5 (BSB)“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.””God has promised never to leave or forsake His people.
General
True or False: In Psalm 71:14-15, the psalmist says he can fully measure and count up all of God's righteous and saving acts.
Answer: False
This is false. The psalmist resolves always to hope and to praise God more and more (71:14). He will tell of God's righteousness and salvation continually, even though their extent is beyond his reckoning (71:15). God's saving works are too many to count, which is why his praise never runs out. Scripture describes God's mercies as never failing and new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and each generation has more of His mighty acts to tell the next (Psalm 145:4).
- Psalm 71:14-15 (BSB)“But I will always hope and will praise You more and more. My mouth will declare Your righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot know their full measure.”The psalmist resolves to keep hoping and to praise God's saving righteousness more and more, though it is beyond measuring.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The LORD's mercies never fail and are new every morning.
- Psalm 145:4 (BSB)“One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—”Each generation declares God's mighty acts to the next.
Theological
True or False: The psalmist in Psalm 71:15 claims to know the full measure of God's righteousness and salvation.
Answer: False
This is false. The resolve of 71:14, to hope continually and add praise upon praise, is matched by the confession that God's righteousness and salvation exceed his capacity to reckon (71:15). Their inexhaustibility is precisely the reason for unending praise. The same inexhaustible faithfulness is celebrated in Lamentations 3:22-23, and the passing of God's mighty acts from generation to generation in Psalm 145:4.
- Psalm 71:14-15 (BSB)“But I will always hope and will praise You more and more. My mouth will declare Your righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot know their full measure.”The psalmist resolves to keep hoping and to praise God's saving righteousness more and more, though it is beyond measuring.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The LORD's mercies never fail and are new every morning.
- Psalm 145:4 (BSB)“One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—”Each generation declares God's mighty acts to the next.
General
In Psalm 71:7, the psalmist says he has become a portent, a striking sign, to many. What does he set against this?
Answer: That God is still his strong refuge
The psalmist says his life has become a striking sign that many look upon (71:7). Whatever others make of him, he answers with a contrast: God is his strong refuge. His response is to fill his mouth with God's praise and splendor from morning to night (71:8). The same confidence in God as a stronghold runs through David's psalms (Psalm 18:2), and the sons of Korah sing of God as His people's refuge in every trouble (Psalm 46:1).
- Psalm 71:7 (BSB)“I have become a portent to many, but You are my strong refuge.”The psalmist has become a striking sign to many, but God remains his strong refuge.
- Psalm 71:8 (BSB)“My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your splendor all day long.”His response is continual praise of God's splendor.
- Psalm 18:2 (BSB)“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”David calls the LORD his stronghold and the one in whom he takes refuge.
- Psalm 46:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”God is His people's refuge and strength, a present help when trouble comes.
Theological
In Psalm 71:7, what does the psalmist set against being a portent, a striking sign, to many people?
Answer: That God is still his strong refuge
People regard him as a portent, a striking sign (71:7). Against their perception he sets the confession that God is his strong refuge, and he answers with praise of God's splendor through the whole day (71:8). The same confidence in the LORD as stronghold appears in Psalm 18:2 and Psalm 46:1.
- Psalm 71:7 (BSB)“I have become a portent to many, but You are my strong refuge.”The psalmist has become a striking sign to many, but God remains his strong refuge.
- Psalm 71:8 (BSB)“My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your splendor all day long.”His response is continual praise of God's splendor.
- Psalm 18:2 (BSB)“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”David calls the LORD his stronghold and the one in whom he takes refuge.
- Psalm 46:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”God is His people's refuge and strength, a present help when trouble comes.
General
How does the psalmist describe his own soul as he vows to praise God at the end of Psalm 71 (71:22-23)?
Answer: As redeemed by God
The psalm ends in praise. The psalmist will praise God with harp and lyre for His faithfulness, calling Him the Holy One of Israel (71:22). His lips will cry out joyfully, together with his soul, which God has redeemed (71:23). To redeem means to buy back or set free at a cost. His praise flows from what God has done for him, and he closes by declaring God's righteousness without ceasing because those who sought his harm have been disgraced (71:24). Another psalm praises the LORD who rescues His people's lives from the Pit, that is, the grave (Psalm 103:4), and Peter tells believers they were redeemed at the cost of Christ's precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Psalm 71:22-23 (BSB)“So I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. When I sing praise to You my lips will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.”The psalmist vows to praise God with harp and lyre, and his soul, which God has redeemed, joins his lips in joy.
- Psalm 71:24 (BSB)“My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.”The psalm ends with the psalmist's tongue declaring God's righteousness because his foes are disgraced.
- Psalm 103:4 (BSB)“who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,”The LORD redeems His people's life from the Pit.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (BSB)“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.”Believers were redeemed not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ.
Theological
How does the psalmist describe his soul in the closing vow of praise (71:22-24)?
Answer: As redeemed by God
The concluding vow of praise with harp and lyre, addressed to the Holy One of Israel for His faithfulness (71:22), culminates in the confession that his soul, which God has redeemed, will ring out joyfully with his lips (71:23). Redemption is God's act of deliverance, and the psalm closes by declaring His righteousness, since the psalmist's foes are put to shame (71:24). The LORD redeems His people's lives from the Pit (Psalm 103:4), and the New Testament grounds the believer's redemption in Christ's precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Psalm 71:22-23 (BSB)“So I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. When I sing praise to You my lips will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.”The psalmist vows to praise God with harp and lyre, and his soul, which God has redeemed, joins his lips in joy.
- Psalm 71:24 (BSB)“My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.”The psalm ends with the psalmist's tongue declaring God's righteousness because his foes are disgraced.
- Psalm 103:4 (BSB)“who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,”The LORD redeems His people's life from the Pit.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (BSB)“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.”Believers were redeemed not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ.
General
In Psalm 71:1-3, what does the psalmist ask God to be for him?
Answer: A rock of refuge he can always come to
Psalm 71 opens with trust: the psalmist has taken refuge in the LORD and asks never to be disgraced (71:1). He asks God, in His justice, to rescue him and to listen (71:2), and to be a sheltering rock he can always run to, because God is already his rock and fortress (71:3). A rock and a fortress are pictures of a high, secure place of safety from attackers. These opening lines closely resemble the beginning of Psalm 31 (31:1-3), and David uses the same pictures in Psalm 18:2.
- Psalm 71:1-3 (BSB)“In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your justice, rescue and deliver me; incline Your ear and save me. Be my rock of refuge, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.”The psalmist opens by declaring that he has taken refuge in the LORD and asking God to be his secure shelter.
- Psalm 31:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness. Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance. For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.”The opening of Psalm 31 uses closely similar words of refuge, rock, and fortress.
- Psalm 18:2 (BSB)“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”David praises the LORD as his rock, fortress, and deliverer in whom he takes refuge.
Theological
What does the psalmist petition God to be in Psalm 71:1-3?
Answer: A rock of refuge he can always come to
The psalm opens with a confession of refuge taken in the LORD and a plea never to be shamed (71:1), followed by an appeal to God's justice for rescue (71:2) and the request that God be a sheltering rock where he can always go, since He is already his rock and fortress (71:3). The petition asks God to be what the psalmist confesses He is. The opening closely parallels Psalm 31:1-3, and the rock-and-fortress vocabulary echoes Psalm 18:2.
- Psalm 71:1-3 (BSB)“In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your justice, rescue and deliver me; incline Your ear and save me. Be my rock of refuge, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.”The psalmist opens by declaring that he has taken refuge in the LORD and asking God to be his secure shelter.
- Psalm 31:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness. Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance. For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.”The opening of Psalm 31 uses closely similar words of refuge, rock, and fortress.
- Psalm 18:2 (BSB)“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”David praises the LORD as his rock, fortress, and deliverer in whom he takes refuge.
General
According to Psalm 71:17-18, why does the psalmist ask God not to forsake him in old age?
Answer: So he can declare God's power to those who come after him
The psalmist says God has taught him since his youth, and he still declares God's wonderful works (71:17). He asks God not to forsake him in his old age until he has declared God's power and might to those who come after him (71:18). His request is not for his own comfort but so that others will know God. The same concern runs through Scripture: Psalm 78:4 resolves to tell the children of the LORD's praises and might, Psalm 145:4 speaks of each generation passing on God's works to its children, and Israel was commanded to teach God's words to their children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
- Psalm 71:17-18 (BSB)“O God, You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.”Taught by God from youth, the psalmist asks to live long enough to declare God's power to those who come after.
- Psalm 78:4 (BSB)“We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.”Asaph resolves to declare the LORD's praises and mighty works to the next generation.
- Psalm 145:4 (BSB)“One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—”One generation commends God's works to the next.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (BSB)“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”Israel was commanded to teach God's words diligently to their children.
Theological
What purpose does the psalmist attach to his plea for preservation in old age (71:17-18)?
Answer: So he can declare God's power to those who come after him
Instructed by God from youth and still declaring His wonders (71:17), the psalmist asks not to be forsaken in gray-haired age until he has proclaimed God's power and might to the coming generation (71:18). The purpose is to praise God and teach others: to hand on the knowledge of God. This intergenerational witness is a covenant duty in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 and a theme of Psalm 78:4 and 145:4.
- Psalm 71:17-18 (BSB)“O God, You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.”Taught by God from youth, the psalmist asks to live long enough to declare God's power to those who come after.
- Psalm 78:4 (BSB)“We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.”Asaph resolves to declare the LORD's praises and mighty works to the next generation.
- Psalm 145:4 (BSB)“One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—”One generation commends God's works to the next.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (BSB)“These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”Israel was commanded to teach God's words diligently to their children.
General
In Psalm 71:20-21, what does the psalmist say about his many troubles?
Answer: God has shown them to him, and God will also revive him
The psalmist says it is God who has made him see much hardship and calamity, and in the same breath says God will revive him and bring him back up from the lowest depths (71:20). God will increase his honor and comfort him once more (71:21). He does not see his hardships as outside God's control; the same God who made him see the trouble will bring the restoration. God says of Himself that He wounds and heals and no one can deliver from His hand (Deuteronomy 32:39). Even when He brings sorrow He shows compassion (Lamentations 3:32-33), and Paul teaches that God makes everything work for the benefit of all who love Him (Romans 8:28).
- Psalm 71:20-21 (BSB)“Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes, You will revive me once again. Even from the depths of the earth You will bring me back up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.”The psalmist says God has shown him many troubles, yet he is confident God will revive and comfort him again.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”God declares that He wounds and heals and that no one can deliver from His hand.
- Lamentations 3:32-33 (BSB)“Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”Though the LORD causes grief, He shows compassion and does not willingly afflict.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.
Theological
How does Psalm 71:20-21 relate the psalmist's afflictions to God?
Answer: God has shown them to him, and God will also revive him
The psalmist attributes his many troubles and calamities to God, who has made him see them, and in the same verse expresses confidence that God will revive him and raise him from the lowest depths (71:20), increasing his honor and comforting him again (71:21). The affliction lies within God's sovereign providence, and so does the restoration; the one hand that wounds also heals (Deuteronomy 32:39). God afflicts not willingly but with compassion (Lamentations 3:32-33), and He makes all things serve the benefit of all who love Him (Romans 8:28).
- Psalm 71:20-21 (BSB)“Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes, You will revive me once again. Even from the depths of the earth You will bring me back up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.”The psalmist says God has shown him many troubles, yet he is confident God will revive and comfort him again.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”God declares that He wounds and heals and that no one can deliver from His hand.
- Lamentations 3:32-33 (BSB)“Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.”Though the LORD causes grief, He shows compassion and does not willingly afflict.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.
General
According to Psalm 71:5-6, how long has the psalmist relied on God?
Answer: Since his birth, when God brought him from the womb
The psalmist calls God his hope and his confidence from his youth (71:5). He goes further: he has leaned on God since birth, and it was God who brought him out of his mother's womb (71:6). His whole life, from its very first moment, has been held by God, and so his praise is continually for Him. David confesses the same in Psalm 22:9-10. God promises His people that He has carried them since birth (Isaiah 46:3) and will carry and sustain them into old age and gray hair (Isaiah 46:4).
- Psalm 71:5-6 (BSB)“For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You since birth; You pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.”The psalmist traces his trust in God back to his youth and even to his birth.
- Psalm 22:9-10 (BSB)“Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.”David likewise confesses that God brought him from the womb and has been his God since birth.
- Isaiah 46:3-4 (BSB)““Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.”God reminds His people that He has carried them since birth and will sustain them even into old age.
Theological
To what point in his life does the psalmist trace his dependence on God in Psalm 71:5-6?
Answer: Since his birth, when God brought him from the womb
God has been his hope and confidence from youth (71:5), and more than that, he has been upheld by God from birth, the One who took him from his mother's womb (71:6). The psalmist sees his entire life as sustained by God's providence from its first moment, which grounds his continual praise. The same confession appears in Psalm 22:9-10, and Isaiah 46:4 presents God as the One who made, carries, and sustains His people to old age.
- Psalm 71:5-6 (BSB)“For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You since birth; You pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.”The psalmist traces his trust in God back to his youth and even to his birth.
- Psalm 22:9-10 (BSB)“Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.”David likewise confesses that God brought him from the womb and has been his God since birth.
- Isaiah 46:3-4 (BSB)““Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.”God reminds His people that He has carried them since birth and will sustain them even into old age.
General
Whose righteousness does the psalmist say he will proclaim in Psalm 71:16?
Answer: God's righteousness alone
The psalmist says he will go forward in the might of the Lord GOD and proclaim God's righteousness, His alone (71:16). He does not boast about his own goodness; he points entirely to God. Later he says God's righteousness rises as high as the heavens, and asks who is like God (71:19). Here God's righteousness means His perfect justice and faithfulness, shown in rescuing His people. Isaiah says the LORD alone is the source of righteousness and strength (Isaiah 45:24), and the song at the sea asks who is like the LORD (Exodus 15:11). Paul likewise gave up trust in his own righteousness in order to rest in the righteousness God gives to those who trust in Christ (Philippians 3:9).
- Psalm 71:16 (BSB)“I will come in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.”The psalmist will come in God's strength and proclaim God's righteousness, His alone.
- Psalm 71:19 (BSB)“Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You?”God's righteousness reaches the heavens, and no one is like Him.
- Isaiah 45:24 (BSB)“Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.”Isaiah declares that righteousness and strength are found in the LORD alone.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”The song at the sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD.
- Philippians 3:9 (BSB)“and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.”Paul rests not on his own righteousness but on the righteousness God gives to those who trust in Christ.
Theological
Whose righteousness does the psalmist resolve to proclaim in Psalm 71:16, a theme 71:19 amplifies?
Answer: God's righteousness alone
Advancing in the might of the Lord GOD, the psalmist will proclaim God's righteousness and His alone (71:16); that righteousness reaches the heavens and belongs to the incomparable God who has done great things (71:19). The exclusive focus sets aside any boast in the psalmist's own merit and ascribes both saving strength and righteousness wholly to God, in harmony with Isaiah 45:24 and the incomparability confessed in Exodus 15:11. The same exclusivity is fundamental to Paul's gospel, where the believer renounces his own righteousness for the righteousness God gives to those who trust in Christ (Philippians 3:9).
- Psalm 71:16 (BSB)“I will come in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.”The psalmist will come in God's strength and proclaim God's righteousness, His alone.
- Psalm 71:19 (BSB)“Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You?”God's righteousness reaches the heavens, and no one is like Him.
- Isaiah 45:24 (BSB)“Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.”Isaiah declares that righteousness and strength are found in the LORD alone.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”The song at the sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD.
- Philippians 3:9 (BSB)“and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.”Paul rests not on his own righteousness but on the righteousness God gives to those who trust in Christ.