Psalms 69:10-12 “Turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies” – Part 3

Psa 69:10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
Psa 69:11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
Psa 69:12 They that sit in the gate^H8179 speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.

There is a right way to mourn for the sins of this world, and we ought to be ‘sighing and crying’ for the abominations that the Lord is showing us in this life (Eze 9:4). The emphasis as always is to first look within and be sure that we are not adhering to any of the traditions of the world that represent the vanity of our flesh (Mar 7:7).

Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

We are to do good unto all men as we have opportunity and as verse 7 of Isaiah 58 shows us, but especially unto the house of God who is “thine own flesh” that we hide not ourselves from (Col 1:24, Heb 10:20, Eph 5:30, Heb 10:25, Mal 3:16).

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Isa 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

It is when we are given to live the acceptable fast of (Isa 58:5-7), then we will know for ourselves what is this “reproach” unto our “soul” or what it is to become “a proverb unto them” as our Lord was (1Sa 8:7, Psa 44:14, Isa 53:3, Luk 6:23, Heb 11:25-27).

Zep 3:18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
Zep 3:19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth[^H6760 Gen 32:31], and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

We certainly are “the song of the [spiritual] drunkards” of verse 12 and their song is the opposite of ours. This is every man’s song at first, until we become sober, spiritually, by the grace and faith of God.

Jer 51:7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Eze 2:1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
Eze 2:2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Eze 2:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
Eze 2:4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 2:5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
Eze 2:6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
Eze 2:7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
Eze 2:8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
Eze 2:9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
Eze 2:10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

We sing a song to the world that speaks of a narrow way: “lamentations, and mourning, and woe”, written both “within and without” to remind us that this message is as much for our first man Adam ‘within’ who is being given the ability to heed the admonition, as opposed to those who we witness to ‘without’ who may like the fruit of our life, but are not willing or able to see the need to wear “sackcloth” as our “garment” or to heed the warning being given, by not just hearing the word but eating the roll that is sweet in our mouth but bitter in our belly (Rev 11:3, Eze 33:31-33, Eze 3:1-8, Rev 10:9).

To the unconverted world, this is the time to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die (Luk 12:19-22), whereas the elect know that we die daily (1Co 15:31, Heb 9:27, 1Pe 4:17), and that it is better to be in the house of mourning where we are reminded that better is the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth (Ecc 7:1-2) or than it is to spend a thousand days without (Psa 84:10-12) with those who are on slippery ground that God has delivered us from (Psa 73:18).

“They that sit in the gate”

With a negative and positive application revealed, the word “gate” is symbolic either of the heart of man that stubbornly withstands God or one that becomes compliant to God through judgment. But God has promised that one day we will “possess the gate of his enemies” (Gen 22:17), meaning the counsel of God will stand after our hearts have been judged, which is what happens symbolically at the gate (Pro 19:21).

Deu 21:19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

Deu 22:15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

Deu 25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.

Jos 20:4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.

Rth 4:11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

We are given power to rule over or not rule over our own hearts or gates, that which enters into a man, and that which goes out of our gates, depending on where Christ our kinsman redeemer is situated in our life (Mat 15:9-14, Rth 4:1-11).


The most encouraging promise of our Lord concerning the church which is Christ’s body is that “the gates^G4439 of hell will not prevail against it” (Mat 16:18). In other words, all the ungodly counsel of evil men who are God’s sword (Psa 17:13) will accomplish only that which God has predestined for them to accomplish to His glory (Act 4:27). We overcome the negative Babylonian gate that Samson carries away (Jdg 16:3) by suffering with Christ outside the gate in this life we’re called to lose (Heb 13:12, 13).
gates^G4439

– Original: πu^G965 ́u⁹⁵⁵ ηpar
– Transliteration: Pule
– Phonetic: poo’-lay
– Definition:
1. a gate
a. of the larger sort
1. in the wall of either a city 2. a palace
3. a town
4. the temple
5. a prison
2. the gates of hell (likened to a vast prison)
3. metaph. the access or entrance into any state
– Origin: apparently a primary word – TDNT entry: 21:22,0
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Feminine
– Strong’s: Apparently a primary word; a gate that is the leaf or wing of a folding entrance (literally or figuratively): – gate.
Total KJV Occurrences: 4
•gate, 4
Luk_7:12; Act_3:10; Act_12:10; Heb_13:12