Psa 25:16 | KingComments | STEP | What matters is that the eyes of the God-fearing are constantly on Him ( ). It means that he expects everything from Him. When we look on the Lord Jesus, it is the assurance of deliverance from the evil that people want to do to us, for which they have stretched a net for us. David has said that he is continually looking to the LORD. Now he asks the LORD if He will turn to him and be gracious to him ( ). He is aware that he does not deserve that the LORD turns to him. Therefore, he appeals to His grace, pointing out his loneliness and affliction. Loneliness is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. It greatly increases the misery in which a person finds himself if there is no one who cares about him, who shows any interest in him. Affliction – Hebrew ani – means defeated in spirit and trembling at God’s Word ( ) and is a reason for God to turn to someone. With “the troubles” of his heart ( ) David seems to mean his sins and the oppressions and enemies resulting from his sins. He is overwhelmed by them, for they “are enlarged”. They have taken possession of him, as it were. In he asked for the deliverance of his feet from the net his enemies had stretched for him. Here he asks for deliverance from his “distresses”. Outward difficulties can have the effect of bringing past sins back to mind (cf. ). With an urgent “look upon”, David prays that the LORD will yet regard his “affliction” and his “trouble” ( ). He also asks – for the third time in this psalm ( ) – if the LORD will forgive “all my sins”. David was uncertain about this because he did not know of a finished work at Calvary. We, by grace, do know that. Outwardly he is in affliction and trouble and inwardly he is plagued by the thoughts of all his sins. It is not just a single sin. He sees that there are many. It seems that he sees his affliction and trouble as a result of his sins. This can be the case with us as well. Many people want to be delivered from affliction but do not want to break with their sins because they love them. This is not the case with David. Having called God’s attention to his affliction, trouble, and sins with a “look upon” in , he can call God’s attention to his “enemies” with a new “look upon” ( ). His enemies “are many”, they increase in number (quantity), and they hate him “with a violent hatred” (quality). Again, he is not asking God to put them down, but to take note of them. He leaves it up to God how He deals with it. In he asks for the guarding of his soul, which he lifted up to God in , by delivering him from his hopeless position. Again, as he did in , he asks that God will not let him be ashamed. There he expresses that he trusts in God. Here he expresses that he has taken refuge in God. In both cases, all his hope for salvation is completely in God. Therefore, in this prayer not to be ashamed, the certainty that God will hear him is also heard. David also points to his “integrity and uprightness” ( ). We can only expect God’s lovingkindness and goodness ( ) if we ourselves are integrous and upright. He holds these up to God, saying that these qualities are conditions for God to preserve him. This means that he is not appealing to his own merits. He knows that he cannot attribute his integrity and uprightness to himself. His confession of his sins does make that clear. What he means by this is that God has given him integrity and uprightness, that he has lived in accordance with it by His grace, and that God will therefore preserve him. He expects nothing from his own achievements, for he has none, but he “waits for” God. God is the Only One Who can give outcome. The psalm concludes with a prayer for Israel ( ). David has prayed for himself that God will deliver him from his affliction. Now his view widens. He no longer sees only his own troubles, but thinks of the troubles in which God’s Israel finds itself. God’s intention is that the troubles He brings upon His own will cause them to take refuge in Him and become intercessors for others. is a kind of postscript, where the psalmist now gets an eye for the distress of others. In the same way, if we drink of the living water, we ourselves will become a source of water for others ( ).

‏ Psalms 25:16

Prayer for Deliverance and Preservation

What matters is that the eyes of the God-fearing are constantly on Him (Psa 25:15). It means that he expects everything from Him. When we look on the Lord Jesus, it is the assurance of deliverance from the evil that people want to do to us, for which they have stretched a net for us.

David has said that he is continually looking to the LORD. Now he asks the LORD if He will turn to him and be gracious to him (Psa 25:16). He is aware that he does not deserve that the LORD turns to him. Therefore, he appeals to His grace, pointing out his loneliness and affliction.

Loneliness is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. It greatly increases the misery in which a person finds himself if there is no one who cares about him, who shows any interest in him. Affliction – Hebrew ani – means defeated in spirit and trembling at God’s Word (Isa 66:2) and is a reason for God to turn to someone.

With “the troubles” of his heart (Psa 25:17) David seems to mean his sins and the oppressions and enemies resulting from his sins. He is overwhelmed by them, for they “are enlarged”. They have taken possession of him, as it were. In Psa 25:15 he asked for the deliverance of his feet from the net his enemies had stretched for him. Here he asks for deliverance from his “distresses”. Outward difficulties can have the effect of bringing past sins back to mind (cf. 1Kgs 17:17-18).

With an urgent “look upon”, David prays that the LORD will yet regard his “affliction” and his “trouble” (Psa 25:18). He also asks – for the third time in this psalm (Psa 25:7 ; 11 ; 18) – if the LORD will forgive “all my sins”. David was uncertain about this because he did not know of a finished work at Calvary. We, by grace, do know that.

Outwardly he is in affliction and trouble and inwardly he is plagued by the thoughts of all his sins. It is not just a single sin. He sees that there are many. It seems that he sees his affliction and trouble as a result of his sins. This can be the case with us as well. Many people want to be delivered from affliction but do not want to break with their sins because they love them. This is not the case with David.

Having called God’s attention to his affliction, trouble, and sins with a “look upon” in Psa 25:18, he can call God’s attention to his “enemies” with a new “look upon” (Psa 25:19). His enemies “are many”, they increase in number (quantity), and they hate him “with a violent hatred” (quality). Again, he is not asking God to put them down, but to take note of them. He leaves it up to God how He deals with it.

In Psa 25:20 he asks for the guarding of his soul, which he lifted up to God in Psa 25:1, by delivering him from his hopeless position. Again, as he did in Psa 25:2, he asks that God will not let him be ashamed. There he expresses that he trusts in God. Here he expresses that he has taken refuge in God. In both cases, all his hope for salvation is completely in God. Therefore, in this prayer not to be ashamed, the certainty that God will hear him is also heard.

David also points to his “integrity and uprightness” (Psa 25:21). We can only expect God’s lovingkindness and goodness (Psa 25:6) if we ourselves are integrous and upright. He holds these up to God, saying that these qualities are conditions for God to preserve him. This means that he is not appealing to his own merits. He knows that he cannot attribute his integrity and uprightness to himself. His confession of his sins does make that clear.

What he means by this is that God has given him integrity and uprightness, that he has lived in accordance with it by His grace, and that God will therefore preserve him. He expects nothing from his own achievements, for he has none, but he “waits for” God. God is the Only One Who can give outcome.

The psalm concludes with a prayer for Israel (Psa 25:22). David has prayed for himself that God will deliver him from his affliction. Now his view widens. He no longer sees only his own troubles, but thinks of the troubles in which God’s Israel finds itself. God’s intention is that the troubles He brings upon His own will cause them to take refuge in Him and become intercessors for others.

Psa 25:22 is a kind of postscript, where the psalmist now gets an eye for the distress of others. In the same way, if we drink of the living water, we ourselves will become a source of water for others (Jn 7:37-38).