December 7
Reading: Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler
and rise for my help!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life!
Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the LORD driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!
7 For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it– to his destruction!
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD,
exulting in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you,
delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.
13 But I, when they were sick– I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 like profane mockers at a feast,
they gnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
my precious life from the lions!
18 I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes,
and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.
21 They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
22 You have seen, O LORD; be not silent!
O Lord, be not far from me!
23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me!
25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who magnify themselves against me!
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad
and say evermore, “Great is the LORD,
who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
Psalm 35 opens with such clarity, “Fight, Lord, with those who fight with me.” This psalm is another imprecatory psalm, a prayer for vindication and a curse upon David’s enemies. Do you remember Psalm 7?
David prays for God’s vengeance upon his enemies because David knows that God is the ultimate judge and avenger. David prays this way because he has been deeply hurt and knows that he is not to be his own avenger. Romans 12:19 says, “Never avenge yourselves.” The Lord says, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” (Hebrews 10:30) In Deuteronomy 32:35 the Lord says, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
So, what do you do when under attack, when hurt, when threatened? You pray. This is the answer that we find in the psalms. This is the example we find in the psalms.
The world tells us to fight, to defend ourselves. And, there are situations where such fighting becomes necessary, when Satan attacks, when we are called to defend others, to confront some injustice. But, when we are under attack, God must be our defender.
Why is this? Well, when I am under attack by other people, I have a difficult time seeing clearly what needs to be done. I lose my objectivity when someone is hurting me. I do not know what judgment they need to receive. But God does.
David is being pursued by people who are seeking his soul without cause. (vss. 4-7) This does not mean that David is sinless, but that he has done nothing to these people to deserve their wrath. They are setting traps for him. (vs. 7) They are responding to his kindness with hatred and violence. (vss. 11-13) They are kicking him when he is down, mocking him. (vss. 15-16) They look at him disdainfully and lie about him. (vss. 19-21) They do not seek peace but instead rejoice over wrong. (vss. 20-26)
So, David brings two requests to God over and over. He wants the Lord to rescue him from their attacks; to be his warrior. Second, he wants God to bring their schemes down upon their own heads.
When you pray this way, like David did, God will answer your prayers His way, and in His time, which is better than our way. That is why we pray.