Psalms Chapter 70

Chapter Overview

Psalm 70 is a compact urgency psalm—one of the shortest in Scripture—bursting with immediacy: “Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.” It’s a plea intensely focused on rescue, a cry from the brink that blends personal need with communal affirmation. The speaker desires swift vindication against those who seek harm and shame. The mood shifts quickly to a note of communal blessing: those who seek God should rejoice, and those who love salvation should declare God’s praise. Yet the speaker remains deeply personal: “But I am poor and needy.” The psalm thus operates on two planes—urgent plea and steadfast trust—reminding readers that prayer, both public and private, can be a shared act of faith that models reliance on God in the face of danger.

Structurally, Psalm 70 is a microcosm of the Psalter’s approach to lament: it is brief, pointed, and theologically sharp. It doesn’t linger in complaint but moves toward a reaffirmation of God’s sovereignty and a call for communal worship to accompany deliverance. The psalm ends with an appeal for no delay in God’s response, leaving the reader with a sharpened sense of expectancy.

Historical & Literary Context

The superscription is absent in many manuscripts, and the psalm’s brevity suggests it functioned as a liturgical response—perhaps a private prayer that could be added to communal processions of worship or to temple liturgies during times of danger or need. The genre is lament, but its compact form gives it a sacramental bite: a cry that becomes a chorus of praise as soon as deliverance arrives or is anticipated with confidence.

Placed in the Psalter between longer laments and celebratory psalms, Psalm 70 serves as a reminder that prayers for deliverance can be both intimate and public, personal and communal. It emphasizes trust in God’s readiness to act, a theme that resonates with the broader biblical witness about God’s eagerness to save those who call on Him.

Key Themes

- Urgency of prayer: Make haste to deliver and help.

- Personal poverty and God’s rescue: The speaker’s vulnerability grounds the plea in humility.

- Community response to deliverance: Those who seek God should rejoice and praise.

- God as reliable helper in crisis: A God who is swift to respond to need.

Modern Application

Psalm 70 speaks to moments of acute crisis—whether health, financial, or relational—when we feel pressed to cry out with immediacy. It validates the rhythm of “cry and respond” in faith communities: silent, personal prayers meeting loud, public declarations of God’s goodness. It also challenges believers to cultivate hospitality toward the poor and the needy—those who feel “poor and needy” in today’s climate of anxiety, reminding communities to be ready to respond with tangible support and prayers that translate into concrete acts of mercy.

- Psalm 40:13–17 (deliverance and praise)

- Psalm 35:1–3 (vindication and rescue from enemies)

- Psalm 72 (righteous king and blessing for the nations)

- Psalm 145 (God’s readiness to help all who call)

- A Devotional Leader (to guide short, powerful prayer)

- Jesus (as the compassionate savior who responds to the needy)

- David (for personal lament and urgent cry)

- The Worship Leader (to turn lament into communal praise)