The Cry of Psalm 69 – True Atonement in Yeshua the Messiah

"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck” – this is how King David opens Psalm 69. His words express the heart’s cry of those who come to God in prayer during the Ten Days of Repentance, when the weight of sin, shame, and failure overwhelms the soul. The iniquities of mankind are many, and so like David we cry out from the depths of our hearts: “Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly.”

David admits that his enemies are many, but his deepest pain comes from the reproach and disgrace he bore for the sake of God’s holiness: “For zeal for Your house has consumed me.” This is fulfilled completely in Yeshua the Messiah, whose zeal for the house of the Lord led Him to bear reproach and ultimately our sins as well. He took upon Himself the sins of the world, so that we might find true forgiveness and atonement.

On Yom Kippur, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of sacrifice to seek forgiveness for the entire nation, yet that atonement was only temporary. Yeshua, the eternal High Priest shed His pure and perfect blood once and for all. Through His shed blood, salvation as made available to all mankind "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). He is the One who answers the cry of Psalm 69 — Yeshua’s atonement lifts us out of the deep waters and sets our feet upon solid rock.

And so David concludes with hope: “For God will save Zion… and those who love His name shall dwell there.” We also know that through Messiah Yeshua, those who love the name of the Lord find refuge, salvation, and an eternal inheritance.

In these Days of Awe, as we examine our ways and return to God, we remember that true atonement is not found in our deeds but in the blood of the Messiah. Through Him we are written and sealed in the Book of Life – not only for one year, but for eternal life.