Psalms 61:5 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, we can notice several things.

First, David looks back with joy on what God had already done for him. He says, “You, O God, have heard my vows” (Psalm 61:5). He means that God noticed the vows he made, accepted them because they were sincere, and kept them in mind. God even reminded Jacob of his vows (Genesis 31:13; Genesis 35:1). God sees all our vows, all our good intentions, and all our promises to obey him.

David also means that God heard the prayers that came with those vows. God had answered him before, and that gave him confidence to pray again, “O God, hear my cry.” God has never told anyone from Jacob’s line to seek him in vain, and he will not begin now. David says God gave him “the heritage of those who fear your name.” There is a special people in the world who fear God, that is, who treat his name with holy respect and accept what he reveals about himself. There is also a special inheritance for them, present comfort now and full blessing later. God himself is their portion forever.

Second, David looks ahead with confidence about the length of life God would give him. “You will prolong the king’s life” (Psalm 61:6). This may refer to David himself, whether before he became king or during Absalom’s rebellion when people tried to remove him. He trusted God to lengthen his life, and God did so to a full human lifespan. Since he spent that life serving his own generation according to God’s will (Acts 13:36), it was a fruitful life.

David had already said he wanted to dwell in God’s tent forever, in the way of duty (Psalm 61:4). Now he expects to abide before God forever, in the way of comfort. Those who live before God, serving him and walking in his fear, are the ones who truly live to good purpose. David also speaks of himself in the third person because this psalm was meant for public worship, and he wanted the people to sing with confidence that their king would live, despite his enemies. This can also point to the Messiah, the anointed King whom David foreshadowed. It was comfort to David that the years of the Lord’s Anointed would last through many generations, and that his rule would never end. The Mediator, the one who brings us to God, will remain before God forever, always appearing for us and living to intercede, that is, to speak for us before God. Because he lives, we also will live.

Third, David asks God to keep him safe. “Prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him.” God’s promises, and our trust in them, should not stop prayer. Instead, they should make us pray more earnestly. David is sure God will prolong his life, so he asks God to preserve it. He does not ask for a bodyguard or a fortress, but for mercy and truth to guard him. He means that God’s faithful love would provide for his safety according to his promise. We do not need better protection than God’s mercy and truth. This can also point to the Messiah: let him come at the right time, fulfilling the truth promised to Jacob and the mercy promised to Abraham (Micah 7:20; Luke 1:72-73).

Fourth, David ends by promising grateful praise. “So will I sing praise to your name forever” (Psalm 61:8). God’s keeping us safe calls for our praise, so we should want to live in order to praise him. “Let my soul live, and it shall praise you.” We should make praise the work of our whole time on earth, even to the end. Then it will become the work of eternity, and we will praise him forever. “That I may daily perform my vows” means that praising God was itself part of keeping his vows, and it also stirred him to keep them in other ways.

We must faithfully carry out the vows we have made. We should also make praising God and paying our vows a daily habit. Every day we receive new mercies, so every day we owe him new thanks. And if we think daily praise is too much, we should not expect to praise him forever.