For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1O God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2for wicked and deceitful men
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3With words of hatred they surround me;
they attack me without cause.
4In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my friendship.
6Appoint an evil man to oppose him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven from their ruined homes.
11May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15May their sins always remain before the Lord,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come on him;
he found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
19May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me.
21But you, O Sovereign Lord,
deal well with me for your name’s sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23I fade away like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My knees give way from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
25I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O Lord my God;
save me in accordance with your love.
27Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, O Lord, have done it.
28They may curse, but you will bless;
when they attack they will be put to shame,
but your servant will rejoice.
29My accusers will be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng I will praise him.
31For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save his life from those who condemn him.
David spends a lot of time in this Psalm discussing the nature, character and general lousy disposition of his enemies. It seems that everything they do, everything they say, even every beat of their heart is to accuse, curse, and do evil against him. However, while David likely has the justification (especially if one argues wrongly that David is under OT law not grace), that he needs to turn on his enemies and to seek vengeance. Instead, David lays the situation at the foot of the throne of God. Why?
First, David has a proper understanding of who God is. In the very first verse, he gives praise to God. In verse 21 he recognizes God’s sovereignty. In verse 26, he demonstrates that he understands God is the source of help and sustenance. David sees God for who he is…God, sovereign, almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, and Holy.
Second, David realizes that he is NOT God. In fact, David understands that he is (at best) poor, needy, weak, thin and gaunt. In other words, David knows that he is incapable of dealing with those who persecute him. He (and we) would deal with them in an evil manner, rather than with justice. He/we would deal with them for our glory, not God’s.
Finally, David seeks for God to be glorified in the resolution. He understands that God will repay, for us out of His love for us, but more importantly for His name’s sake. As a result, in the end, David will extol the Lord, just as he did in the beginning; proclaiming the truth of the righteous one, the defender of the needy, and savior of the condemned.
God is God and we are not. Yet God chooses to protect and provide for those He loves through Jesus Christ. Do you understand that God loves and wants to have a relationship with you? The result of this relationship may, like David’s life, not result in immediate freedom from difficulties, but it will eventually deliver an eternal life of peace and protection. Have you realized that you are a sinner? That you need a savior? Are you willing to confess and praise His name?
