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Day 225

Psalm 109:22a "I am poor and needy..."

Day 225 – Psalm 109

“I am poor and needy…” Psalm 109:22a

A HUMBLE CONFESSION

If there is one thing the wicked would not do, it would be to make a humble confession to God. Wickedness and pride go together. David, on the other hand humbly and freely confessed his personal weakness.

“For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.”
Psalm 109:22-23

1. Contrite words indeed

a) “I am poor and needy”
i) David could have been describing the time when he had to flee from the wrath of Saul.
ii) There was no safe place for him to hide.
iii) He was truly reduced to living by his wits and his trust in God.
iv) There was no material wealth to speak of; he was in dire need at times.
b) “My heart is wounded within me”
i) King Saul was his father-in-law.
ii) He did not know whom he could trust.
iii) He felt very deeply wounded.

2. An assessment of his life

a) “I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens”
i) He must have felt that soon he would die.
ii) Evening shadows are in mind here; the sun was not high above his head
This is a description of one who has entered into the sunset of his life.
b) “I am shaken off like a locust”
David also felt little personal worth. He felt like a locust that no one likes. If a locust attaches itself to a human being (for whatever reason), it would soon be shaken off! He must have fought grim despair at this stage of his life.