19 Your righteousness, O God, is very high; you have done great things; O God, who is like you?
For your mercy is great, stretching up to the heavens, and your righteousness goes up to the clouds.
All my bones will say, Lord, who is like you? The saviour of the poor man from the hands of the strong, of him who is poor and in need from him who takes his goods.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For who is there in the heavens in comparison with the Lord? who is like the Lord among the sons of the gods? God is greatly to be feared among the saints, and to be honoured over all those who are about him. O Lord God of armies, who is strong like you, O Jah? and your unchanging faith is round about you.
For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.
Who would not have fear of you, O King of the nations? for it is your right: for among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? who is like you, in holy glory, to be praised with fear, doing wonders?
But the Lord of armies is lifted up as judge, and the Holy God is seen to be holy in righteousness.
Acting wisely is the way of life, guiding a man away from the underworld.
Such knowledge is a wonder greater than my powers; it is so high that I may not come near it.
There is no god like you, O Lord; there are no works like your works.
Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, the only doer of wonders.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 71
Commentary on Psalms 71 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 71
David penned this psalm in his old age, as appears by several passages in it, which makes many think that it was penned at the time of Absalom's rebellion; for that was the great trouble of his later days. It might be occasioned by Sheba's insurrection, or some trouble that happened to him in that part of his life of which it was foretold that the sword should not depart from his house. But he is not over-particular in representing his case, because he intended it for the general use of God's people in their afflictions, especially those they meet with in their declining years; for this psalm, above any other, is fitted for the use of the old disciples of Jesus Christ.
He is in an ecstasy of joyful praise; and, in the singing of it, we too should have our faith in God encouraged and our hearts raised in blessing his holy name.
Psa 71:1-13
Two things in general David here prays for-that he might not be confounded and that his enemies and persecutors might be confounded.
Psa 71:14-24
David is here in a holy transport of joy and praise, arising from his faith and hope in God; we have both together v. 14, where there is a sudden and remarkable change of his voice; his fears are all silenced, his hopes raised, and his prayers turned into thanksgivings. "Let my enemies say what they will, to drive me to despair, I will hope continually, hope in all conditions, in the most cloudy and dark day; I will live upon hope and will hope to the end.' Since we hope in one that will never fail us, let not our hope in him fail us, and then we shall praise him yet more and more. "The more they reproach me the more closely will I cleave to thee; I will praise thee more and better than ever I have done yet.' The longer we live the more expert we should grow in praising God and the more we should abound in it. I will add over and above all thy praise, all the praise I have hitherto offered, for it is all too little. When we have said all we can, to the glory of God's grace, there is still more to be said; it is a subject that can never be exhausted, and therefore we should never grow weary of it. Now observe, in these verses,