PSALM 35 IN 28 DAYS
Introduction
Petition for Protection from Persecutors | 1-8
Confidence in God’s Deliverance | 9-10
Lament for Being Repaid Evil for Good | 11-16
Petition | 17 Praise | 18
Petition | 19
Lament | 20-21
Petition | 22-27
Praise | 28
Introduction
For so many years, people have been singing, reading, praying, and meditating on the Psalms. Through all ages, believers have rejoiced in the Psalms, repented through them, and found immense comfort in them. In the sixth century B.C, Jews in captivity sang them tearfully in Babylon. Five hundred years later Jesus and his disciples sang them in the upper room. Christians in Rome, meeting in secret, began the day by singing Psalm 73 and closed it by singing Psalm 141.
After the persecution of Christians ceased, one church father remarked,
Of other Scripture, most men know nothing, but the Psalms are learned by heart and are repeated in homes, streets, and shops.” In 1512 Martin Luther began his public career with lectures on the Psalms. In 1620 Pil- grims launched the Mayflower by singing a psalm and landed in the New World singing another one. One of the first books printed in America was The Bay Psalm Book.
The Psalms are exquisite poetry, crisp theology, and stirring history, but they are far more than all that. Most of all, they are intensely personal. The Psalms meet us where we are, and they take us to where we ought to be. You don’t have to dress up for the Psalms. Come as you are. The writers were honest, sometimes embarrassingly honest, about their thoughts and feelings.
They were often baffled by what was going on, just as we are. They fell short, just as we do. They got discouraged and disheartened-so what else is new? The Psalms mirror life as it really is, presenting the whole drama of humanity in a few pages. And somehow, when you finish, you end up trusting and praising God who is your protector, your hope, and your friend.
Ps. 35 A CURSING PSALM
In this psalm David calls on God to act, to help him against his enemies But God is silent and seems far away (vv. 22-23). What makes it even more difficult for David is that those who seek to kill him are his enemies without cause: they hate him without reason (v. 19). This was not an iso- lated experience (see Psalms 38:19; 69:4; 109:3; 119:78, 86, 161; and Lamentations 3:52). Jesus applied the same thought to Himself in John 15:25: “But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: They hated me without reason.” Similarly we may be in the same situation ‘John 15:20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.’
The Psalms of Vengeance
There are seven psalms in which the psalmist hurls God’s curses on his enemies, in no uncertain terms (Psalms 6; 35; 59; 69; 83; 109; 137). For example,
May his days be few;…
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
—PSALM 109:8–14
These psalms are also called the imprecatory psalms because the psalmist showers imprecations (curses) on his enemies. Fourteen other psalms include an imprecatory prayer (for example, 3:7; 5:10; 7:14– 16). The expression of hatred and the desire for vindication are also found in the prayers of Jeremiah (11:18–20; 15:15–18; 17:18; 18:19– 23; 20:11–12) and Nehemiah (6:14;13:29).
What are we to do with these psalms that seem to squarely contradict Jesus’ command to love our enemies (Luke 6:27–28)? Some people simply write them off. They feel that the Old Testament preaches law and vengeance, whereas the New Testament teaches love for God and neighbor. Therefore these psalms have no place in the Christian life.
But they forget that Jesus took the two great commandments (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and…soul and…mind…and…your neighbor as yourself,” Matthew 22:37–39) directly from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). And His command to love our enemies is also found in the Old Testament:
“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice…If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink” (Proverbs 24:17; 25:21).
And “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24) is not, as is often assumed, a legalization of vengeance. Rather, it limits those who have been wronged to the recovery of actual damages rather than punitive damages. It is a humane law, designed to prevent an ever-escalating spiral of revenge.
The Old Testament already contains the key teachings of Jesus—and the New Testament clearly does not teach only “sweetness and light.” Jesus condemned Korazin and Capernaum (Matthew 11:21–24) and severely criticized the leaders and the unbelief of the Jews (Matthew 7:23 [compare with Psalm 6:8]; Mark 11:14; 12:9). The apostles also had very strong words for heretics and evildoers (1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 1:8–9; 5:12; 2 Timothy 4:14 [compare with Psalm 62:12]; 2 Peter 2; 2 John 7–11; Jude 3–16).
The fact is that in both the Old and the New Testament we find the requirement to love as well as the requirement to hate evil.
What bothers us about the imprecatory psalms is their concreteness. “God hates sin but loves the sinner” was as true in the Old Testament as it is now. But in the Old Testament, sin and evil are not viewed as abstractions; rather, they exist in their concrete manifestations—real actions by real people.
In the Old Testament, God’s people, the nation of Israel, is a concrete reality. The nation lives in a specific place, the Promised Land. The temple is an actual place where God is present. And above all, the God of Israel is known through His concrete acts in history, foremost among them the Exodus from Egypt. And just as God’s presence is known through His concrete acts in history, so evil is known through its concrete manifestations.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask, “Deliver us from the evil one” (or, “from evil”). The psalmists make the same request, but in more concrete form: deliver us from evil by delivering us from the evil ones. In the New
Testament, evil and sin oppose the coming of God’s kingdom. In the Old Testament, evil and sin oppose the kingdom of God’s people, Israel. But in both cases, sin and evil are an assault on God Himself by opposing that which is dearest to His heart.
The imprecatory psalms are a constant reminder that evil is not an abstraction but a stark, everyday reality. They remind us that God hates evil, not in the abstract, but in people’s actions or failure to act— whether these are actions of unbelievers or of God’s own people. (Note how often the psalmists cry out for forgiveness for their own sins!)
Petition for Protection from Persecutors | 1-8
DAY 1
Verse 1
1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me:
fight against them that fight against me.
So, David begins by asking the Lord to return to his enemies only what they are doing to him.
The word plead is the verbal form on the word translated strive in this verse. So, strive or contend with those who strive or contend with me is what David is saying.
And David’s request is even clearer in the second statement that he makes in this verse. He asks God to fight against those who fight against him. So, there’s this reciprocal nature of David’s request. He’s not the aggressor here. He’s only asking the Lord to return his enemies’ own evil back to themselves. To show them what it feels like to have someone contending and fighting against them – because that’s exactly what they were doing to David
– contending and fighting against him.
The exact inspiration for this psalm is unknown. However, Saul and his men were major antagonists in David’s early life (1 Samuel 19:1–2). David asks the Lord to act on his behalf, using the Hebrew root word rib. This implies conflict or opposition, but can also be used in legal settings, such as an attorney in court. Isaiah 49:25 contains a promise from God that He will “contend” with those who “contend” against Israel.
The Hebrew word ‘’lacham’’ more literally refers to a physical fight, leading into the next several verses of warlike imagery. David knew the Lord had fought in the past on behalf of His people. When Gideon and his men attacked the Midianites, they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon” (Judges 7:20). Psalm 24:8 depicts the Lord as “strong and mighty … mighty in battle.” In his song of praise for the Lord’s victory over Pharaoh’s cavalry, Moses depicted the Lord as “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3).
Believers today are linked by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ as their advocate (1 John 2:1) and defender (Romans 8:37). They are also equipped with the armour of God and called upon to stand firm in Him (Ephesians 6:10–18).
Prayers
Dear Lord,
We come before you in reverence and thanksgiving. Fill us with strength and courage to chant your praises and glorify your name.
Help us to learn your paths, that we may follow them throughout our lives. Lead us in the ways of righteousness, so that we may depend upon your word.
Grant us the ability to be just and truthful in all that we do. Grant us the courage to defend the oppressed and humble those who are full of pride.
Be our protector, Lord. Cover us in your love when we are in need. Surround us with righteousness and goodness, so that we may cling to it in times of regret and mourning.
We ask, Lord, that you defend us against all those who would do us harm. Silence the mocker and the troubler of our peace and let truth be the victor in every situation.
Give us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change and the courage to seek for justice.
We give you thanks for all of your blessings, Lord. Amen.
Purchase the full book from the link bellow
Comments
Post a Comment