Psalm 71: “By thee have I been holden up from the womb” – Part 2 (verses 3-8)

Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
Psa 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psa 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
Psa 71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
Psa 71: I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
Psa 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Last week we looked at how God delivers His people through the trials of this life, through the much tribulation, and through the persecution or oppression which all serve to mature us on our journey toward the new country we have been promised.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

2Ti 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

Luk 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife.
Luk 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

The manner in which we die as Christians demonstrates to the world and to ourselves that we are of the generation who have no confidence in the flesh we are putting off.

Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

We are not trying to preserve this life but rather are given “not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake”, as we come to give thanks for the wonderful works to his people that are causing us to put off our ungodly fleshly alliances to this life and to trust our Father without any wavering.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

2Co 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

We will look more closely at how God truly is “our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble”, and our “strong habitation” who we can “continually resort” (in verse 3 of this study).

Psa 46:1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

We know now that this sentence of death spoken of in 2Co 1:9 (above) is what signifies that we are the workmanship of our Father, and that this one seed has been determined from the foundation of the world to bring forth fruit (good works) through that dying to self process.

Psa 46:1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2Co 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth [1Jn 4:17], will draw all men unto me.
Joh 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The truth of the matter is that it is impossible for us to stop trusting our flesh unless we are given trials that bring us to cry out to God, trials which cause us to cease from sinning, which is what we are doing when we act without faith.

1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

It is those trials that can come in many forms that work a glorious purpose that witness that we are His workmanship that God is keeping through Christ. We are His children who are growing in seeing our continual need for our Abba Father who can only keep us wise as serpants and gentle as doves, always aware of men, especially the man we face in the mirror every morning who has been called to die daily.

Joh 18:9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

It is not adding to scripture to say that if we be lifted up from the earth, if we are blessed to be “holden up from the womb” in this age, then we will also share with Christ in drawing all men unto Him within us both in the future and even today.

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Our study starts with verse three:

Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

What a hopeful prayer! The psalmist knows that his enemies are too great for him, and God has made it this way so that he may utter these words “be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort”. This makes me think of how our inheritance is in the saints today, and how we “resort” together as the body of Christ and learn that God is “my [our] rock and my [our] fortress”

Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Psa 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psa 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

We all know who this wicked man is and how unrighteous and cruel we all would be except the Lord stay the hand of Satan and strengthen us through Christ.

2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

Verses 4 and 5 are connected thoughts because it is here that we will know deliverance from the wickedness within us. The ability to hope and trust in God will be made manifest as a result of God dealing with the wickedness within us, the “unrighteous and cruel man”.

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Psa 71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

This verse is very symbolic of the life of Christ and His body who are being matured in the church, with Christ’s mother being a type of the church (Luk 1:28, Luk 2:35).

Christ was “holden^H5564 up from the womb” (which is ‘shown favour’ or ‘established’) not just in the womb of his mother which symbolizes the church but his entire life (Luk 2:40, 2Pe 3:18). And Jeremiah is another example of this predestined conditioned (type and shadow) that God has given to the elect to experience before the rest of humanity (Jer 1:5-7)

H5564
סמך
sâmak
saw-mak’

A primitive root; to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense): – bear up, establish, (up-) hold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay (self), sustain.

We are called to be “holden^H5564 up from the womb” and to go unto maturity so that we may, God willing, be used to help bring in the later harvest of humanity who will also be “holden^H5564 up from the womb” of the earth, earth, earth condition (“my mother’s bowels”) that we all must come out of spoken of in (Jer 22:29).

The connection is made in this verse to praise God for the increase that he gives us in the womb or the church (Heb 13:15). We give thanks and worship him in spirit and in truth because He has mercifully shown favour to us and lifted us, and is lifting us out of the womb or Babylon which is the deliverance that Jeremiah speaks of, in type and shadow, for God’s elect and eventually all the world. Just like any birth there are birth pangs and a natural pattern that demonstrates in the physical birth of a child what we can expect as God’s children who are awaiting our change.

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Psa 71:7 I am as a wonder^H4159 unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

We are a peculiar people or “a wonder unto many”, we who are seated in heavenly places worshipping God in spirit and in truth, a truth that has been taken away from the world for today.

Isa 20:3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder^H4159 upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

God has set in motion this witness being proclaimed throughout the body of Christ and has provided us “strong refuge” so that what has begun within us can and will be accomplished in Christ through whom we can endure all things.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Psa 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

Our last verse this evening is something I pray God will manifest more and more abundantly in his people. We ought to be a people with praise continually on our lips and with a spirit of gratitude that honours God continually but God knows that this also is a gift that has to be formed over time through trials that mature us and take us out of that baby state of murmuring, out of the spiritual crib of the earth earth earth of and into a spirit and truth relationship with our Creator that has us rejoicing always in the Lord and again I say rejoice because we have been “holden up from the womb” “By thee”. Twice we are told to rejoice always to remind us that such a spirit comes only by God granting the increase, and so we cry out and ask our heavenly Father for those purified lips of thanksgiving all the day.

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.