Psalm 119:170 NKJV
Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
Supplication According to the Word
My Notes
Scripture: “Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word.” —Psalm 119:170 (NKJV)
David’s prayer is humble and bold—a beggar’s petition offered with royal confidence. He doesn’t demand; he supplicates. The word “supplication” carries the sense of pleading for mercy, favor, and pity. David knows he has no merit to offer, only need. And yet he dares to ask that his cry come before the Lord—not just heard, but received, considered, and answered.
This is not the cry of entitlement, but of faith. David’s confidence is not in his eloquence or righteousness, but in God’s promises. “Deliver me according to Your word.” He seeks deliverance, but only as it aligns with divine truth. He doesn’t want to escape at the cost of integrity, or relief that contradicts God’s will. His prayer is shaped by Scripture, not by circumstance.
This is the posture of mature faith: to pray not only for help, but for help that honors God’s Word. David’s supplication is fueled by promises like Psalm 50:15—“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you…” He believes that God hears the cries of the righteous (Psalm 34:17) and that deliverance is not just possible, but promised.
But he also knows that access to God is not automatic. Like one seeking an audience with a king, he knocks with reverence. He longs not just to enter the palace, but to be received by the King. His prayer is not casual—it is intentional, persistent, and shaped by covenant hope.
And what kind of deliverance does he seek? Not merely physical rescue, but spiritual protection—from sin, temptation, slander, and folly. He knows that wisdom is often the means of escape, and that God’s Word is both shield and sword. He prays for discernment, for clarity, for strength to walk wisely and faithfully.
This verse invites us to pray with reverent boldness. To bring our supplications before God—not as demands, but as cries shaped by truth. To seek deliverance—not just from trouble, but from sin. And to trust that every promise of God is yes and amen in Christ.
Questions for Today
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What does “supplication” mean in my prayer life?
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Are my prayers shaped by God’s Word—or by my circumstances?
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What kind of deliverance do I most need right now?
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How has God’s Word strengthened my faith in times of trouble?
Prayer
Abba, let my supplication come before You—not because I am worthy, but because You are merciful. Deliver me—not according to my desires, but according to Your Word. Let Your promises guide my prayers, and let Your truth shape my expectations. Rid me of fear, sin, and foolishness. Preserve me from temptation, slander, and despair. Give me wisdom to walk in Your ways, and strength to stand in Your grace. I trust You, my God. Let my cry rise to Your throne, and let Your mercy descend to my soul. I ask for this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Cross References for Further Study (NKJV)
Supplication and Deliverance
Psalm 6:9 The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
Ezra 9:8 And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.
God’s Promise to Deliver
Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.
Psalm 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
Access Through Christ
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart is awake; It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, “Open for me, my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.”
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
Wisdom and Discernment
Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Word as Light and Transformation
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Proverb for Today
In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death. Proverbs 12:28 NKJV
NOTE: Psalm 119 has 22 sections to which each section is represented by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Today, we’re looking at verse 170, which is in the 22nd section, which is called “Tau (ת) ”. Tau (ת) is the 22nd and final letter of the Hebrew alphabet, symbolizing completion, truth, and divine protection.
Tau (ת) is pronounced “tav” in modern Hebrew. Its ancient pictographic form resembled a cross or mark, and in some traditions, it is associated with the shape of a cruciform or seal. As the last letter, Tau (ת) often represents the end, fulfillment, or wholeness of something—whether a word, a covenant, or a spiritual journey. Early Christian writers, such as Tertullian, saw Tau (ת) as a prophetic symbol of the cross of Christ. Its shape and use as a protective mark were interpreted as pointing to salvation through Jesus.
The psalmist is approaching the end of the Psalm, and his petitions gather force and fervency; he seems to break into the inner circle of divine fellowship, and to come even to the feet of the great God whose help he is imploring. This nearness creates the most lowly view of himself, and leads him to close the Psalm upon his face in deepest self-humiliation, begging to be sought out like a lost sheep.” (Spurgeon)
………..Bill
Summary of Commentaries:
Psalm 119:170 is a humble plea for mercy and deliverance shaped by God’s Word. David calls his prayer a “supplication”—a beggar’s cry for favor—and asks that it be received by God without hindrance. He seeks deliverance not on his own terms, but in alignment with divine promises, trusting God’s covenant faithfulness. His request reflects spiritual maturity: he desires rescue from sin, slander, and folly, and prays for wisdom to walk uprightly. Like one seeking an audience with a king, David knocks with reverent faith, confident that God hears and answers according to His Word. His hope rests in grace, not merit.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Let my supplication come before thee.” It is the same entreaty with a slight change of words. He humbly calls his cry a supplication, a sort of beggar’s petition; and again he asks for audience and for answer. There might be hindrances in the way to an audience, and he begs for their removal—let it come. Other believers are heard—let my prayer come before thee.
“Deliver me according to thy word.” Rid me of mine adversaries, clear me of my slanderers, preserve me from my tempters, and bring me up out of all my afflictions, even as thy word has led me to expect thou wilt do. It is for this that he seeks understanding. His enemies would succeed through his folly, if they succeeded at all; but if he exercised a sound discretion, they would be baffled, and he would escape from them. The Lord, in answer to prayer, frequently delivers his children by making them wise as serpents as well as harmless as doves.
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Enduring Word
Let my supplication come before You: This is another reference to prayer by the psalmist, this time a prayer for deliverance according to Your word. He wanted deliverance, but wanted it only as it was consistent with God’s revealed word and will. He did not want an unrighteous or unwise deliverance. (Guzik)
i. He also asked for this deliverance according to the promises of God’s word. “It is beautiful to observe the oil of the Psalmist’s faith feeding the flame of his supplication. Every petition is urged upon the warrant of a promise – according to thy word.” (Bridges)
ii. “Many prayers hath he made to God in this Psalm: now in the end he prays for his prayers, that the Lord would let them come before him.” (Cowper, cited in Spurgeon)
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Albert Barnes
Let my supplication come before thee – The word here rendered “supplication” properly means “favor, mercy, pity,” Joshua 11:20; Ezra 9:8; then, that by which favor or mercy is sought – prayer or petition, Psalms 6:9; Psalms 55:1.
Deliver me according to thy word – From my enemies, my sins, my dangers. According to thy promises, according to the arrangements in thy word.
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John Gill
Let my supplication come before thee,…. The same with his “cry” in Psalm 119:169; only expressed by another word, signifying a petition for grace and favor, in a humble and submissive manner; which it is entreated might be received and accepted, as before;
deliver me according to thy word; of promise, such as that in Psalm 50:15; meaning from all troubles and afflictions; out of the hands of all his enemies, and from the power of sin, Satan, and the world; and from all fears of wrath, ruin, and destruction. Kimchi observes that this is not to be understood as a deliverance of the body from distress, but of the soul from the stumbling block of sin.
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Matthew Henry
That God, by his providence, would rescue him out of his troubles: Deliver me, that is, with the temptation, make a way to escape, 1 Co. 10:13.
The same general plea to enforce these requests-according to thy word. This directs and limits his desires: “Lord, give me such an understanding as thou hast promised and such a deliverance as thou hast promised; I ask for no other.” It also encourages his faith and expectation: “Lord, that which I pray for is what thou hast promised, and wilt not thou be as good as thy word?”
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Miscellaneous Comments
“Let my supplication come before thee,” etc. The sincere worshipper cannot be contented with anything short of actual [active interaction] with God. The round of duty cannot please where the spirit of grace and supplication has not been vouchsafed. A filial disposition will pour itself forth in earnest longings after communion with God. Nor will the hope of gracious audience be founded on any other plea save that of the sure word of Jehovah’s promise. It is in accordance with that word, and not in opposition to it, that the child of God expects to be heard. All his deliverance he feels to be from the Lord, and all that he looks for from heaven he anticipates in answer to prayer. O for more of that faith which makes its appeal to the divine veracity, and which looks with steadfast eye to the promise of a covenant-keeping God.
—John Morison.
“Let my supplication come before thee.” Observe the order of the words here and in the preceding verse. First we had, “Let my cry come near;” then “Give me understanding,” and that “according to thy word,” and now we have “Let my prayer enter in (LXX., Syr., Arb., Vulg.,) before thee.” Just so, if you wish for an interview with a man of very high rank, first you come near his house, then you ask for information and instruction as to his intentions, then you ask permission to enter, lest you should be driven away and refused admittance. Knock therefore at the door of the heavenly palace: knock, not with your bodily hand, but with the right hand of prayer. For the voice can knock as well as the hand, as it is written, “It is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh:” Sng 5:2. And when you have knocked, see how you go in, lest after entering you should not get the sight of the King. For there are many who make their way into palaces, and do not at once get an audience of an earthly sovereign, but have to watch constantly to obtain an interview at last. Nor have they the choice of the opportunity; they come when they are sent for, and then present their petition, if they wish to be favorably received.
—Ambrose, in “Neale and Littledale.”
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