Give myself unto prayer, not revenge.

Introduction

Imprecatory prayers are difficult. Glad I do not address them often. [Chart]

One explanation says the curses are actually the words of the enemy. This would help in one area but is problematic in others. We will see an example of how Peter does not quote these verses in that way.

Important to remember. This prayer ceases to be personal vengeance as he turns all his wishes over to the LORD in a prayer, thereby leaving it to the LORD to deal in justice with his adversary.

The difference in an imprecatory prayer is similar to the difference of murder and the killing that is part of a just war between nations.

David was well known, even praised, for being a nonvindictive, long-suffering, and merciful man.

We have only to think of the two occasions when David could have killed his archenemy King Saul if he had wanted to (1 Sam. 24, 26).

David did not even think of killing Saul. 1 Sam 24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.

All the imprecatory psalms have the intent of Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Psalm 109 (KJV 1900)

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; And fought against me without a cause.

4 For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer.

5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

6 Set thou a wicked man over him:

And let Satan stand at his right hand.

7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned:

And let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few;

And let another take his office.

9 Let his children be fatherless,

And his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: Let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath;

And let the strangers spoil his labour.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him:

Neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

13 Let his posterity be cut off; And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord;

And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the Lord continually,

That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.

17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him:

As he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, So let it come into his bowels like water, And like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, And for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, And of them that speak evil against my soul.

21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: Because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

22 For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.

23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

24 My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness.

25 I became also a reproach unto them: When they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

26 Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

27 That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, Lord, hast done it.

28 Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those that condemn his soul.

Exegetical Outline: A Commentary on the Psalms

An exegetical outline traces the thought-flow of the passage.

A teaching/preaching outline should not deviate from the content but would be develop in a manner to help the listener better understand and apply the text.

I. David calls for help from the LORD against his malicious enemies who surround him with evil (1–5).

A. Call: He calls for help against the deceitful enemies who opened against him (1–2).

B. Complaint: He complains about the evil enemies (3–5):

1. They have surrounded him with words of hatred (3).

2. They are his adversaries who repayed friendship with malice (4).

3. They have rewarded his kindness with evil hatred (5).

II. David pours out his imprecations upon the enemy, appealing to God to make the wicked desolate and dispossessed because of their love for destruction and cursing (6–20).

A. Curse: He details his desire for the enemy to be cursed (6–15):

1. Let an adversary be against him and let him be judged as guilty (6–7).

2. Let his days be few so that his wife is a widow and his children fatherless beggars (8–10).

3. Let him be ruined by the creditor (11).

4. Let no one pity him (12).

5. Let his posterity be cut off by the next generation (13).

6. Let the ancestral sins be remembered on him (14–15).

B. Cause: He explains the reason for the curses (16–19):

1. He hounded to death the broken-hearted and the needy (16).

2. He loved heaping curses on other people (17–19).

C. Conclusion: This is the punishment from the LORD on the wicked (20).

III. David prays to the LORD for help in defending against his enemies because he is in great need (21–31).

A. He prays for help since he is in great need (21–25).

1. The LORD should deal with him according to love (21).

2. He is in need since he is weak and perishing (22–25).

B. He prays for help so that they will know the truth (26–27).

C. He anticipates the outcome (28–31).

1. They will be cursed and shamed (28–29).

2. He will rejoice because the LORD will save the needy (30–31).

Turning to God is the only safe option when we have been offended

David has been feeling the weight of this attack.

David is under an all out, malicious attack on his character, which, as the psalm will show, has taken a great toll on him.

Their deception came from the hate in their hearts. But their attack is completely unwarranted.

Psalm 109:3-5 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; And fought against me without a cause. 4 For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer. 5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

Even though he hath acted loving toward them they have rewarded him with.

Accusers is the same basic Hebrew word that we also translate Satan – the accuser.

God appears to be “silent” when he does not answer; he “speaks” when he intervenes to save and to judge.

Turning inward brings a self-destructing bitters.

This is seen vividly in the life of Ahithopel.

He had a violation of his personal justice system. He didn’t turned to God but turned inward.

Turn to the God of our praise

Psalm 109:1 “1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;”

What a wonderful descriptor for our God.

The prayer is bold. “Hold not thy peace”

David turned to God in Prayer

Psalm 109:4 For my love they are my adversaries: But I give myself unto prayer.

A quick study on the this expression will show you how intense it is.

Giving yourself to prayer means not giving yourself to vindicating yourself.

While my enemies are uttering false words about me to other people, trying to do me harm, I am speaking to God. I am praying to God always

We should only want God would provide for them for their ultimate good and His glory

Ungodly leadership is a form of God’s judgment upon a people.

Psalm 109:6 Set thou a wicked man over him: And let Satan stand at his right hand.

Peter, in Acts 1:20, quoted Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; And let another take his office. Applying the verse to an evil man rightly condemned (Judas) and not to an innocent man wrongly condemned.

Ungodly advice is a form of God’s judgement upon a man.

Psalm 109:6 Set thou a wicked man over him: And let Satan stand at his right hand.

Instead of wise counsel give him ungodly counsel.

Discernment by those around the enemy is a form of God’s judgment.

Psalm 109:7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: And let his prayer become sin.

Two fold. Court of law and before God.

Sin is missing the mark. “Let his prayer miss their mark!”

Not allowing the sin of this man to continue for years would be merciful

Psalm 109:10-15 10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: Let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. 11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let the strangers spoil his labour. 12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: Neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off; And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before the Lord continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

We are staggered to find the children included in the father’s sentence, and yet as a matter of fact children do suffer for their father’s sins, and, as long as the affairs of this life are ordered as they are, it must be so.” - Spurgeon

He is able to explain pure motives in his appeal.

His accuser is described as someone who not merciful, persecutes the poor and needy, and slays the broken hearted.

Psalm 109:16 “16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.”

The hateful ways went beyond the wrong done to David

Cruelty against the broken in heart goes against the nature of God.

Psalm 34:18 “18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Psalm 51:17 “17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

His accuser loved heaping curses on other people.

Psalm 109:17-19 “17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: As he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. 18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, So let it come into his bowels like water, And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, And for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.”

Since he loved cursing—may it come to him; since he had no delight in blessing—may it be far from him.

Concern for God’s name and based on God’s mercy

Psalm 109:21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: Because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

Even though David was in a pitiful situation is plead was based upon God’s reputation not David’s shame Psalm 109:24-25 My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness. 25 I became also a reproach unto them: When they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

Help requested with a heart for God’s glory.

What did He want his enemies to know.

Psalm 109:26-27 “26 Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy: 27 That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, Lord, hast done it.”

He didn’t want to them to know..

They had messed with the wrong man.

That he is was smarter

That he was stronger

That he was right and they were wrong

It was very important to David that his enemies and all who looked on him knew that his rescue was from God’s hand; the LORD had done it.

He didn’t want deliverance only for his own sake, but also for the glory of God.

David wanted God’s blessings not his accusers approval

Psalm 109:28 “28 Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.”

David understood that the curses of his enemies could never triumph over the blessings of God in his life.

This would make David rejoice and his enemies be clothed with shame, wearing their disgrace as if it were a mantle.

Psalm ends with praise being given to God. Thought the enemy curses His name he will praise the Lord.

His praise to God will define his life, not the cursing from his enemies.

Psalm 109:30 “30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.”

God is nearer to us than the enemy can ever be.

Psalm 109:31 “31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those that condemn his soul.”

“The psalm began with addressing ‘the God of my praise’; it ends with the confidence and the vow that the singer will yet praise Him. It painted an adversary standing at the right hand of the wicked to condemn him; it ends with the assurance that Jehovah stands at the right hand of His afflicted servant, as his advocate to protect him.” (Maclaren)

Conclusion

Here are some practical lessons when you are going through a time of criticism and unjust accusation.

No matter what the enemy may prevent you from doing they cannot stop you from praising our God. God should be the God of our praise.

Turning to God will keep you from turning inward and becoming bitter. Give yourself to prayer not debating.

Trust God to provide what is needed to bring correction to your accuser. Do not take matters into your own hands.

Don’t only be confident they are on the side of wrong but you stand in the truth. There is room for both of you to be wrong.

We know who is at the right hand of your accuser but are you resting knowing that God stands at your right hand. You can trust Him. Do not move, respond, or act without His guidance.

Psalm 109:6 (KJV 1900)

6 Set thou a wicked man over him: And let Satan stand at his right hand.

Psalm 109:31 (KJV 1900)

31 For he (God) shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those that condemn his soul.

Knowledge of this allows you to give yourself to prayer. Because you know He is the only one that matters. You do not need your accusers approval nor do you desire to act without God guidance.