Psalm 70 is the second of three prayers for deliverance when surrounded by enemies. Some point out that the short Psalm 70 is a repetition of Psalm 40’s ending, verses 13-17, with a few variations. “Lord” (YHWH) is changed into “God” (Elohim), except in verse 70:1b, and “Elohim” is changed into “YHWH” in verse 70:5b. By a change of one letter in the Hebrew word “turned back” is substituted for “desolate” in verse 70:3, and “make haste unto me” appears instead of “think of me” in verse 70:5.
Something I add to that insight is that the first part of Psalm 40 seems to be a conclusion and completion of Psalm 69, the first in the prayers for deliverance trilogy at the end of David’s psalms (Psalms 72:20). Examples: First, Psalm 40:2 declares, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry,” which is an answer to David’s request, “Do not hide your face from your servant,” in 69:17.
Second, 69: 14-15, referencing 69:1-2, requests, “Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink… deliver me from the deep waters… do not let the flood waters engulf me or the depths swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me,” which is answered in 40:2, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand.”
Third, the Lord, not wanting sacrifice and offering but rather songs of praise and thanksgiving, is in both psalms, with Psalm 69 being the revelation and Psalm 40 the reaction to the revelation (40:6, 69:31). I could go on with more parallel examples in these two psalms.
In conclusion, strong evidence exists that Psalms 40, 69, 70, and 71 are connected in some way for David, written in his later years, a conglomerate of emotional experiences, captured in these four acts of an emotional musical-drama or opera. These psalms are connected to David’s trials because of his sins with Bathsheba and the consequences borne out in Absalom’s rebellion. If so, then Psalms 3 and 63 should be added to the four in this rescue from hopeless depression drama. The final act is the Messiah’s tragedy turned to triumph, the melody of hope flowing in these deeply dreary psalms, the embedded prophecy fulfilled in Christ.
The drama is a help to the depressed, lonely outcast. Those who are tired of trying to keep their head above the waterline. Those whose last hope is a flickering candle in the dark night, reaching for the Mighty Hand of God to pull them to his safety.
