Psalms 71:22

My Notes

What Does Psalms 71:22 Mean?

"I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel." The ELDERLY psalmist's commitment (Psalm 71 is the psalm of old age — verse 9: 'cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth'): I will praise WITH INSTRUMENTS and I will praise YOUR TRUTH. The worship includes both the MUSIC and the CONTENT. The psaltery plays. The truth is declared. The harp sings. The holiness is addressed.

The phrase "I will praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth" (odekha vikhliy nevel amittekha — I will thank you with the instrument of the psaltery, your truth/faithfulness) combines INSTRUMENT and ATTRIBUTE: the psaltery (nevel — a stringed instrument) accompanies the declaration of God's TRUTH (emet — faithfulness, reliability). The instrument serves the content. The music carries the theology. The psaltery doesn't play randomly. It plays God's TRUTH.

The phrase "O thou Holy One of Israel" (qedosh Yisrael — Holy One of Israel) is ISAIAH'S title for God appearing in the Psalms: the 'Holy One of Israel' is Isaiah's most characteristic name for God (used 25+ times in Isaiah). Its appearance here connects the psalm-worship to the prophetic tradition. The worshiper and the prophet address the SAME God by the SAME name. The worship-hall and the prophetic oracle share vocabulary.

The OLD-AGE context makes this commitment DEFIANT: the psalmist is aging, weakening, being abandoned (verse 11 — enemies say 'God hath forsaken him'). And IN that aging, the psalmist commits to CONTINUED praise. The instrument doesn't fall silent because the body weakens. The singing continues into the declining years. The worship outlasts the vigor.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What worship will you maintain into your aging — what instrument will you keep playing?
• 2.What does praising God's TRUTH (emet) from OLD AGE teach about decades-tested faithfulness?
• 3.How does the 'Holy One of Israel' connecting worship to prophecy describe the shared vocabulary of singers and prophets?
• 4.What physical commitment to worship (playing an instrument, maintaining a discipline) will you sustain despite declining strength?

Devotional

The AGING psalmist commits: I WILL praise. With the psaltery. With the harp. The instruments don't fall silent because the body weakens. The music continues into old age. The worship outlasts the strength. The commitment to praise DEFIES the decline.

The TRUTH is the content of the praise: 'even thy truth' — God's faithfulness, His reliability, His consistency. The old psalmist has decades of evidence. The aged worshiper has a LIFETIME of observations about God's truth. The praise isn't young and untested. It's OLD and proven. The emet that the psalmist sings about has been verified across decades.

The 'HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL' is the title that connects worship to prophecy: the name Isaiah uses 25+ times for God appears here in the psalms. The worshiper and the prophet address the SAME God. The worship-hall vocabulary and the prophetic-oracle vocabulary OVERLAP. The singing in the temple and the declaration in the court use the same name for the same God.

The INSTRUMENTS in old age represent INVESTMENT: the psaltery and harp require SKILL — years of practice, maintained dexterity, continued musical discipline. The aging psalmist still PLAYS. The hands that may tremble still hold the instrument. The fingers that may stiffen still pluck the strings. The musical worship is a physical COMMITMENT that the aging body maintains despite its decline.

What worship are you committed to maintaining into your aging — what instrument will you keep playing when your strength fails?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture