David’s Plea With The Lord For Mercy

Commentary

The tone of the Psalm changes dramatically to that of urgent prayer (vv. 11-12). David is no longer thinking about the past, but of the present troubles, he is facing. Facing trouble was certainly nothing new for him. He faces it as a fugitive from Saul and he faced it as a fugitive from his son, Absalom. It would seem that this Psalm was written during the time he was going through difficult hours. He explains how the Lord never fails to have pity on him (v. 11). He says that his sins even outnumber the hairs of his head (v. 12). He cries out for the Lord to hurry and help him (v. 13). We find him taking comfort in the following thoughts:

1. God is mighty (v. 14). It seems that David was writing this during Absalom’s rebellion against him. If so David’s counsels had gone over to the other side and it was as if everyone was against him.

2. God is magnified (vv. 15-16). Our tendency is to scale God down to our size and make Him just a little bigger than we are. We need to think of Him in all of His greatness.

3. God is merciful (v.17). In our society people are always crying out for justice when we should be crying out to God for mercy. The reason the Lord came to this earth is that we are poor and needy, David asks the Lord to “Please hurry and help.”

Application

As I face trials and suffering in my life, I need to think of how I can use these experiences to give thanksgiving. An example was when I was held up at gunpoint in Paupa New Guinea and afterward, we prayed and thanked the Lord we were still alive