On the whole, because the headings of the psalms are such a permanent fixture in the manuscripts, we take them to be an original part of each poem. But there are those times that make us wonder, and Psalm 69 is one of those times. The heading says David wrote it, but the writer speaks of God saving Zion, rebuilding the cities of Judah, and people settling there.
This is the most cited Psalm in The New Testament.
The writer is “up to his neck” in trouble. Perhaps it is because of his own sin because he never refers to own righteousness. His appeal is not that he isn’t a bad person. On the contrary, he knows that God knows he is a sinner. On the other hand, it is likely that the opposition to him is because of his faithfulness to God – despite his acknowledged sin (vs. 5).
He faces great opposition from all quarters, including his family. Perhaps living in a foreign land, his orthodoxy and unwillingness to embrace the culture and religion of his captors has made him anathema to both them and his compatriots. In any case, he is in a pitiable condition. No wonder when Christians thought of Jesus’ trials they thought of this poem.
Most folks, facing a similar situation, and despairing of God’s rescue – and the writer is in despair – would give up on God. But it is to the Psalmist’s credit that he does not. Instead, he draws nearer the Lord and you see that closeness as the psalm ends and the writer expects the restoration of his beloved homeland. His total hope is in God, as was that of Jesus . . . and as ours should be as well.