13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord , at an acceptable time ; O God , in the greatness of Your lovingkindness , Answer me with Your saving truth . 14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink ; May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters . 15 May the flood of water not overflow me Nor the deep swallow me up, Nor the pit shut its mouth on me. 16 Answer me, O Lord , for Your lovingkindness is good ; According to the greatness of Your compassion , turn to me, 17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant , For I am in distress ; answer me quickly . 18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; Ransom me because of my enemies ! 19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor ; All my adversaries are before You. 20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick . And I looked for sympathy , but there was none , And for comforters , but I found none . 21 They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 69:13-21
Commentary on Psalm 69:13-21
(Read Psalm 69:13-21)
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need not fear but he will do well for us. And if at any time we are called on to suffer reproach and shame, for Christ's sake, this may be our comfort, that he knows it. It bears hard on one that knows the worth of a good name, to be oppressed with a bad one; but when we consider what a favour it is to be accounted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus, we shall see that there is no reason why it should be heart-breaking to us. The sufferings of Christ were here particularly foretold, which proves the Scripture to be the word of God; and how exactly these predictions were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, which proves him to be the true Messiah. The vinegar and the gall given to him, were a faint emblem of that bitter cup which he drank up, that we might drink the cup of salvation. We cannot expect too little from men, miserable comforters are they all; nor can we expect too much from the God of all comfort and consolation.