psalm 35

David against the world

Me against the world

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 A Longing for Justice (Psalm 35)

If you have ever been falsely accused, bullied, or faced persecution while it seemed as if God had forgotten you, you may understand exactly what David is feeling. Although this psalm certainly speaks to those who have experienced those moments, this psalm goes well beyond that. The persecution David faces is not just about him. He is the anointed king who represents the Lord and has been given responsibility for God’s people. This is about the people of God and the glory of God

Psalm 35:1–28 ESV

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.

emphasis on 11-18

people speaking evil against me

macrinus (denzel)- is hungry for power, he was once a free man, who became a war slave turned gladiator, now wealthy with power and influence.

Lucious- son of Maximus

Lucilla- mother of lucious

she is the daughter of Marcus Aurelious

she prayed for him, even when he openly disowns her for sending him away.. blames her and her husband of killing his wife in battle.

yet she continues to keep him safe the best way she can.

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 A Longing for Justice (Psalm 35)

Main Idea: We long for God’s justice because we love God’s glory.

I. The Persecution of God’s People

II. The Prayer for God’s Action

III. The Passion for God’s Glory

1-10

The Bible Knowledge Commentary A. Prayer For Deliverance From Destroyers (35:1–10)

A. Prayer for deliverance from destroyers (35:1–10)

The psalmist petitioned the Lord to deliver him from his enemies who wished to kill him, who hated him for no good reason.

35:1–6. David’s prayer began with a plea for the LORD to act as his Champion (vv. 1–3) and to rout his enemies (vv. 4–6). Like worthless chaff (v. 5) blown away by the wind in threshing, so he wished his worthless enemies would be cast aside. His prayer, that the Angel of the LORD would drive them away, was a prayer for retributive justice, that the Lord would render to them what they had planned for him.

35:7–10. They had sought to take his life unaware as a hunter hides his net and digs a pit to catch an unwary animal. David prayed that their traps for others would ensnare them (cf. 7:15; 9:15; 57:6) by surprise and bring about their ruin (cf. 35:4; 38:12; 40:14; 70:2). Then, David said, he would praise the LORD with joy, wholeheartedly (my whole being) for rescuing those (the poor and needy) who are at the mercy of the mighty.

11-18

The Bible Knowledge Commentary B. Lament Over Unjust Hatred (35:11–18)

B. Lament over unjust hatred (35:11–18)

With an emphasis on the lament, the psalmist petitioned the Lord for help from those who unjustly hated him.

35:11–18. Here David described his lamentable state. Essentially he had been repaid evil for good (vv. 11–12). He had fasted and prayed for his enemies when they were ill, putting on sackcloth (cf. 30:11 and comments on Gen. 37:34), and when his prayers were not answered, he mourned and wept for them (Ps. 35:13–14). However, when he was in difficulty, they gleefully mocked (vv. 15–16). Because of this injustice he pleaded for help from the LORD, who up till then had not responded (v. 17). (On how long? see comments on 6:3, and on his enemies as lions, see comments on 7:2.) But when the Lord would answer, David said he would praise Him in the … assembly (35:18).

bless those who persecute you

Luke 6:28 “28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

19-28

The Bible Knowledge Commentary C. Petition For Justice (35:19–28)

C. Petition for justice (35:19–28)

Here the psalmist petitioned the Lord for deliverance from the wicked by asking that He render justice against those who stir up trouble by their accusations against peaceful people. Here again the theme of the wicked’s unjust treatment of the righteous forms the lamentable reason for his petition.

35:19–21. David prayed that the Lord would not let the wicked triumph because their vicious words stirred up strife. Again he stressed that they were his enemies without cause (cf. v. 7). They winked at each other (cf. Prov. 6:13; 10:10; 16:30), revealing their malicious intentions. They devised false accusations against those who wished to live quietly, slanderously claiming to have seen them in some wrongdoing.

35:22–26. Though David’s enemies falsely claimed to have seen him in sin and were vocal about it, David knew that the LORD had seen them in their wrongdoing. So he asked God to end His silence (i.e., not be inactive) and rise to the psalmist’s defense. By vindicating David, the LORD would rightly put to shame and confusion all the foes’ gloating (cf. v. 19).

35:27–28. David’s final prayer was that the people who looked for his vindication would have occasion to be joyful and praise the LORD for it. Because his enemies hated him without a cause (cf. vv. 7, 19) he was convinced that the Lord would vindicate him, so that he could exalt and praise Him continually (all day long).

psalm 35 and john 15

John 15:18–25 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. How do the truths from Psalm 35 and the reality of persecution around the world help put your own life and struggles into perspective?

2. When you think about the injustice being done around the world to Christians, what does it stir up in you? Do you long for God to make things right? Pray that God would stir up in you a longing for his kingdom to come.

3. Have you ever had a time when you felt like David did in this psalm—a time when you were falsely accused or treated unjustly? If so, how did you deal with that? How could Romans 12:19 help you with that?

4. What is the difference between wanting God to vindicate your name and wanting him to vindicate his name? Why does that distinction matter? Look at Ezekiel 36:22–38 to see how God vindicates his holy name.