Psalm 35

SLIDE 1 David Seinbenaler’s father is septic and may need to have his foot removed. David is in Ohio. Please pray for David’s father and family. Sam Koze’s father passed away yesterday in Kentucky. Sam is the youth minister at Central.

A young boy in Korea was a houseboy for some American soldiers. Sometimes they thought it was funny to play harmless jokes on him. They would tease him. They would tie his shoe strings together. They would lock him out of the house. Eventually they realized that their practical jokes were not viewed as funny by the boy so they apologized. He said, “That’s okay, I will stop spitting in your soup now.”

You may remember the story of a woman who was bitten by a rabid dog. It looked as if she was going to die of rabies, so the doctor told her she should make her will. Taking her pen and paper she began to write; in fact she wrote and wrote. Finally the doctor said, “That is surely a long will you’re making.” She snorted, “Will nothing! I’m making a list of all the people I’m going to bite!”

While checking his bags at the airport, a man became indignant with the employee who handled luggage. For several minutes he belittled the young man and criticized his every move. Surprisingly, the curbside porter didn’t seem troubled by this man’s verbal abuse. After the angry man entered the airport, a woman approached the luggage handler and asked, “How do you put up with such injustice?” The young man said, “It’s easy. That guy’s going to New York, but I’m sending his bags to Brazil.”

Turn to Psalm 35. In this psalm, David is asking God for help with his enemies. David does not take things into his own hands and those in these stories did. Instead, he asks God to intervene and help. I want you to remember a comment I made a few months ago about praying scripture. Praying scripture, especially the psalms, can help us when we pray. They can teach us how to pray and enhance our prayers. As we go over this psalm I want you to think about how you might make this psalm personal and make it your personal prayer. We’ll discuss that aspect of the psalm at the end.

The superscription simply says about this psalm:

Of David.

So, we know this psalm was written by David but we do know when or under what specific circumstances. Whatever the specifics were, David found himself in a dangerous situation. Perhaps, David was surrounded by hostile military forces on the field of battle. Maybe it was written during a time when David was king and about to be attacked by a foreign power. Or, it could have been when David was being pursued by Saul and his men. Verse 1 sounds a lot like what David told Saul in 1 Samuel 24:15 when he spared Saul’s the first time. In that difficult situation, David calls to God for help.

In this psalm we see: SLIDE 2

David’s Appeal (1-3)

David’s Adversaries (4-10)

David’s Accusation (11-18)

David’s Allegiance (19-28)

SLIDE 3 First, there’s David’s appeal.

David calls upon God to destroy his enemies who are attempting to destroy him.

1 Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. 2 Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. 3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.” (Psalm 35:1-3)

SLIDE 4 David appeals to God to contend with or oppose David’s enemies on his behalf. Sometimes, that’s not a good prayer. For example, it’s not a good prayer before the start of a football game. “God, defeat the other team for me.” However, because David generally lived by God’s commands, those who fought against how were also fighting against God. It was because they fought against God that they didn’t like David. Therefore, he was safe when making this request. “Fight against those who fight against me,” David prays because he needs God’s help as he deals with those who are fighting against him.

SLIDE 5 As David asks God to come to his aid, he calls on God to be his armor. David mentions a shield, a spear, and a javelin. David wanted God to protect him with the shield as he used the spear and javelin against his enemy. I’m reminded of the spiritual armor Paul mentioned in his letter to the Ephesians: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the shoes of the gospel, and the sword of the Spirit. God provides armor for us even as he did for David.

SLIDE 6 And then, David asks that God would comfort him. It sounds like David needed to be reminded that God indeed was with him and would give him victory.

When Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John he was immediately met by a crowd. It seems a man had brought his son with an unclean spirit to be healed, but the disciples were unable to help. The man asked Jesus if he could do anything. SLIDE 7

“ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)

I believe, help me overcome my unbelief. Haven’t you felt that way at times? We want to believe. We want to trust God. It’s just that sometimes we need help to trust him more. It is a statement of faith and an admission that our faith is far from perfect. As the hymn says, “O for grace to trust him more.” That’s what David asked for and God granted it. That’s what the father asked for and Jesus healed his son. That’s what we need to ask for occasionally as well.

SLIDE 8 Second, there are David’s adversaries.

David goes into some detail about what he wants God to do with his enemies. He wanted God to take of them.

SLIDE 9 David asked God to disgrace them.

4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. (Psalm 35:4)

They were trying to make David look bad. Saul did that on more than one occasion. Las week we looked at how David fled to the town of Nob to hide from David where after he lied about what he was doing there the priest gave David food and a sword. When Saul found out he sent for the priest. SLIDE 10

Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?” (1 Samuel 22:13)

David had not rebelled against Saul, nor was he trying to kill the king. For Saul to say he was was a lie. People were saying untrue things to make look David look bad. David asks that God protect him by making his enemies look bad. He wanted everyone to know his innocence and that what had been said about him wasn’t true. They were the evil ones.

SLIDE 11 David then asks God to drive them away and get rid of them.

5 May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away. (Psalm 35:5)

I think you probably know that the chaff is the dry protective outer covering of gain. SLIDE 12 While livestock can eat it, it is not digestible by people. As a result, it’s removed after the grain is harvested. At that time, after putting pressure on the grain the chaff would come off but then it had to be separated. With a breeze the chaff would blow away when the grain was tossed into the air.

That’s the picture David is describing. David wants God to just blow away his enemy like the wind blows away the useless chaff. It’s interesting that David imagines an angel of God taking care of this. In Psalm 34, David mentioned how an angel of God surrounds and defends those who fear God.

SLIDE 13 David then asks God to defeat them.

6 May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. 7 Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, 8 may ruin overtake them by surprise – may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. (Psalm 35:6-8)

Born in the late 1800s, Sir Robert Watson Watt was a British pioneer in radar technology. In fact, his technology lies behind the radar detectors. After he was caught in a radar trap and ticketed for speeding he wrote this poem:

Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt,

Strange target of his radar plot,

And this, with others I could mention,

A victim of his own invention.

He helped create what eventually caught him. He got caught in his own trap.

David talks about how his enemies were plotting to trap him. He compares their plans to setting a net to catch him or digging a pit they hope he’ll fall into. David claims there was no reason to treat him like this. They plotted “without cause.” So, David asks God to foil their plans and allow them to be caught in their own traps.

Then David gives a vow of praise. This will be the first of several. He disrupts his prayer for help to offer praise to God.

9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. 10 My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” (Psalm 35:9-10)

David was anticipating God’s actions to defend him and defeat his enemies. As a result, he turns to praise. He was thanking God for answering his prayer before God had answered it and even before David had finished praying it. This is how certain he was that he could trust in God. After all, David says, who is like God? Who else helps the poor, the weak, the needy, and those the world overlooks as insignificant? Only God takes care of those that can’t take care of themselves and the world ignores. We know God does and he expects us to do the same. James wrote: SLIDE 14

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

That’s the kind of God we serve. He is unique in this way.

SLIDE 15 Third, there is David’s accusation.

David has been pleading his case before God as if he were in a courtroom. In fact, he has used some legal terms that came from the courtroom. Having asked God for help, David presents his formal charges against his enemies. There are two.

SLIDE 16 First, David says his enemies reward evil for good.

11 Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. 12 They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved. (Psalm 35:11-12)

What do you call Boaz before he married Ruth? He was ruthless. Bad joke. I don’t think that’s what David was talking about. The word he uses describes those who are violent, cruel, and unjust. It’s the word God used to describe the world before the flood. SLIDE 17

So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (Genesis 6:13)

SLIDE 18 That they are asking him about things he doesn’t know sounds like they are trying to accuse him of activities he didn’t do or was even aware of. “Why did you rob the bank Tuesday? How did you do it? Who helped you?” “I didn’t know the bank had been robbed.” How do you defend yourself?

Yet notice David’s reaction when the circumstances were reversed. He prayed for them when they were sick.

13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, 14 I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. (Psalm 35:13-14)

The mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, “There, there, she didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that it hurts.” He nodded his acknowledgment, and she left the room. As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, “What happened? The little boy replied, “She knows now.”

That’s not the way David acted. He didn’t kick them when they were down. When his enemies were ill, David sought their good. David said he prayed for them to get better. He acted like they were his best friends. Many believe they were his friends who for some reason have turned on him. But that wasn’t the response he received from them when he needed their help.

rejoice

SLIDE 19 David said they cheered when the situation was reversed. They rejoiced in David being harmed.

15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing. 16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me. 17 How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. (Psalm 35:15-17)

Instead of helping him, they made fun of him. They told lies about him and laughed about him. They rewarded his good with evil.

Yet still, David offers praise to God.

18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. (Psalm 35:18)

Even while they are making fun of him and publically mocking him, David will trust in God and worship him.

SLIDE 20 And fourth, there is David’s allegiance

David makes two final requests.

SLDIE 21 First, David sought God’s vengeance on the ungodly.

19 Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye. 20 They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. 21 They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.” (Psalm 35:19-21)

David talks about the way his enemy was treating him.

They gloat or rejoicing over him troubles (19a)

They hated him (19b)

They were telling lies about him, making up false accusations (20)

They were staring at him (21)

David asked God not to allow these ungodly men to get away with their evil.

SLIDE 22 Second, David sought God’s vindication of the godly.

22 Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. 23 Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. 24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God; do not let them gloat over me. 25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.” 26 May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace. (Psalm 35:22-26)

Every convicted of a crime needs an alibi, a witness stating the defendants innocence. David asks that God stand up for his defense. He doesn’t want these evil men to think they got away with defaming him.

And then David ends with another vow of praise.

27 May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” 28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long. (Psalm 35:27-28)

David calls on those who still with him to join him in his worship of God.

SLDIE 23 Having heard the psalm, do you think you could pray it? In the psalm David asks God to destroy his enemies. This is called an imprecatory psalm. Imprecatory psalms are those in which the author calls down calamity, destruction, and God’s anger and judgment on his enemies. The word imprecatory comes from a word that means to curse or to invoke damage against someone. There are about fourteen of them in the Psalms. Perhaps the most stunning example is found in Psalm 137 which says: SLIDE 24

Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. (Psalm 137:9)

There’s also Psalm 58, another psalm of David, in which he says: SLIDE 25

Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions! (Psalm 58:6)

SLIDE 26 Really, David is asking God to break their teeth? And the previous psalmist asks God to take the children of his enemy and kill them. Remember how I’ve mentioned that the psalms can teach us how to pray. We can pray the psalms as our own prayers. But is this how we are to pray for our enemies and those who don’t like us? We’d have a difficult time praying that, or at least I hope we would. How do we do that with the imprecatory psalms in light of what we’re taught in the New Testament? SLIDE 27

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)

I think the meaning is pretty clear. We are not to curse others or wish bad things to happen to them. We’re to bless them and pray for good things. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught: SLIDE 28

43 You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” SLIDE 29 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. SLIDE 30 He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45)

We are to act towards others as God acts. And how does God act? He takes care of the unjust even as he provides for the just. And then, just one of many more, from Luke: SLIDE 31

27 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28)

SLIDE 32 There are all these passages in the New Testament about how we are to deal with our enemies and those who just don’t like us. What do we do then with the imprecatory psalms that curse their enemies? What do we do with Psalm 35? This is certainly not how Jesus taught us to pray or treat our enemies.

Some completely write off psalms like this one. They often give one of the following for why it should be ignored.

SLIDE 33 Some say these words were not inspired by God. However, if we consider Psalm 35 and the other imprecatory psalms to have not been inspired by God, where do we stop? How do we determine what is and what isn’t?

SLIDE 34 Some say these words were aimed at the devil and not at people. The only problem is Psalm 52 is specifically directed at Doeg the Edomite. He is mentioned by name so we know who David was talking about in that psalm. It was not against the devil. Too, the Bible also warns us about condemning even the devil.

SLIDE 35 Some chalk it up to the difference between law and grace. They say that in the Old Testament God was all about law but in the New Testament he changed to be all about grace. I hope you can see the problem with that. The Bible tells us that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Too, we see God’s grace throughout the Old Testament. Just read the Book of Hosea. Too, we read about curses in the New Testament. Do you remember what Jesus said about the religious leaders of his day? Those were not kind and gentle words of grace. They were condemning words because of their hypocrisy. Paul wasn’t very kind when talking about false teachers either. The prayer of the martyrs in Revelation 6 sounds similar to what David asks for in this psalm. There are several more examples. There is no difference in God between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

SLIDE 36 Some say these psalms are examples of how not to pray. Now only are psalms often quoted in the New Testament, but so are the imprecatory psalms. They didn’t view these psalms as something to avoid. Peter quoted an imprecatory psalm when talking about Judas after he had betrayed Jesus. And Paul quotes one when talking about God’s judgment coming upon those Jews who refused to trust in Jesus.

SLIDE 37 Some use these psalms as justification for cursing their enemies. They’ll pray for the people they don’t like using the words of the imprecatory psalms. In light of what Jesus said about how we should treat our enemies, I don’t we should use the imprecatory psalms as an excuse for seeking vengeance or harm for others, even those who seek us harm.

SLIDE 38 What do we do with these psalms in light of what Jesus taught us? While this psalm may sound like one of those stories I opened with it isn’t. It may sound like David is praying for vengeance and revenge, but that isn’t the case. David was known for forgiving his enemies, not harming them. On two separate occasions, David had an opportunity to take Saul’s life. Saul had been hunting David down to kill him. Additionally, Saul had been spreading lies about David, saying he was conspiring behind his back to take his throne. None of that was true. It would have been understandable if when given the opportunity David had taken Saul’s life. Saul was his enemy trying to kill him. But on both opportunities David refused to harm Saul and instead spared his life. Surely, David is an example of how we should treat our enemies.

In this psalm, David asks God to stand up for him and defend his cause before his enemies. That meant the destruction of his enemies. However, this request is not made for his own benefit but for the glory of God. Everyone knew of David’s trust in God. If they defeated David it would show that David’s trust was unfounded. It would look like God couldn’t be trusted. So, David makes this prayer so that the glory of God would be advanced.

Likewise, we should seek the glory of God. Our desire should be that others would come to trust in God. As one commentator noted:

When studying the imprecatory psalms, it is important to note that these psalms were not written out of vindictiveness or a need for personal vengeance. Instead, they are prayers that keep God’s justice, sovereignty, and protection in mind.

Therefore, when dealing with those who don’t like us or seek our harm, remember it’s not about us, it’s about God and his glory. It’s about us making God look good not making sure everyone thinks well of us. We should also remember that the battle belongs to God and leave vengeance with him.