There are times in life, when the Scripture seems to jump from the white pages with such lucidity that we wonder how it could be we read that a hundred times before and never noticed those words. That is how I felt this past Monday reading Psalm 35. A simple title, “A Psalm of David” whereas the previous Psalm 34 explains its own context as when David pretended madness before Abimelech who drove him away, and he departed. What is the context of Psalm 35? I am not sure if we could ever be certain, but the occasion of this inspired Psalm is obviously due to the disloyalty of those whom David called “friend.” Is there anything more painful than to be hurt by one whom you have called “friend”?
In the first part of the Psalm David is crying out to God to plead his cause with those who strive against him. “Fight against those who fight against me.” Throughout verses1-8, you can sense the frustration of a broken, hurt man. It has poured out over his soul to the point where he simply wants them to go away. He wants those who are slandering him, pursuing him, hurting him, to just stop. He wants them to be confounded, to be destroyed, to be thwarted in their continual attacks. There is not just a hint of frustration as David does not spare words in his request for his opponents failure.
Progressing forward in his heart, David points to the joy he expects from the Lord’s deliverance (vs. 9-10). There is a real sense of his rest in God that even though these individuals mean it for evil, God will accomplish good through their merciless onslaught of his character and even life. He reminds himself that God is the Sovereign who is unlike any man, and unlike these attackers, God is deliverer.
But then in verses 11-14, he plunges back into the negative, but this time, instead of frustration and anger against these unjust attackers, we see a man of God in deep pain. He is in deep pain because all he has ever sought for them is good, but they reward his good with evil. His soul is in deep sorrow, he is remembering how when they were sick, he mourned with sackcloth. He paced for them concerned about them as one would be for his friend or even his brother. His broken heart over their pain and misery reached epic proportions as he mourned as one would for his own mother, the one who bore him, who is at death’s door. But while he is pacing and praying; fasting and mourning; interceding and weeping for them. They are plotting and mocking against him. They are slandering and laughing. All the while he knows nothing of this.
Have you felt the pangs of praying for someone while unknown to you, they are plotting and gnashing at you? If you have, you would completely understand, as I do, the question David asks, “Lord, how long will You look on?” We may not know that they are slanderously plotting our demise, that they are seeking for ways to exploit and destroy our ministry, reputation, or even our very life; but God, you know and yet it seems as if you do nothing. What is going on? By the way, this is not the prayer of a faithless one, but rather the prayer of a servant of God who has a real relationship with God. He want’s to know and understand, not accuse God falsely.
David pleads for justice. He pleads for deliverance in verses 18-21, and repeats in verse 22 his previous question, now as a statement and request. “This you have seen, O Lord; Do not keep silence. O Lord, do not be far from me.” Praise God that God cannot be moved, and that while at times it seems as if he were far from us, he is right here with us. . . Emmanuel! Verses 23-26 he once again asks God to thwart their wicked plans and to vindicate him from the slander and character assassination. Then in verses 27-28, David turns from the negative and asks God to bless those still loyal to him. He seeks God’s favor and prosperity upon those who have shunned their slander, who are unwilling to listen to the lies and gossip. He asks for God’s joy and gladness to clothe those who have stood by him and acknowledged him as God’s servant. And in conclusion, “My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.”
Wow, what a fascinating, encouraging, troubling, beautiful Psalm. Is it possible for it to be all of those? Certainly. These imprecatory Psalms are never easy to fully comprehend. Realizing David is God’s man for the hour to lead his people, yet is being attacked viciously on all sides helps understand them. But I do notice a few things we can glean.
- First, it is not wrong to be real with God and ourselves. How often our prayers take on the form of either a false bravado or a pitiful “poor me” sound. Yet what I see here in this Psalm is a real man with real problems, real pain, who has really been attacked basically saying, “Lord, here is what is going on, you know the situation. I am struggling in understanding why. Deliver me, I want to praise you; but it is hard right now.” God knows our hearts, why come before him with putting on of airs? I am not speaking of charging God foolishly, and rebelliously, but simply exposing our heart before God. . . which he already knows anyways.
- Second, I notice that David is earnest about justice. He wants right to prevail. He is zealous for the truth to come out and he wants the record set straight. Further he wants the falseness to stop.
- Third, David prevails upon God to handle the situation. We know from the history of David, that he did not set out to right the wrongs committed against him. This is something important for those in leadership who face slander and attacks. We do not have to right every wrong. We don’t have to defend ourselves from every accusation, but we have a God who in the end will vindicate righteousness. We can seek God to plead our cause, we don’t have to plead it for Him.
There is no balm for the hurting soul, like the sweet Psalmist. No one comforts like the Holy Spirit applying the salve of David.
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