Psalms 35

Psalms 35THEME: A plea for deliverance from his enemiesThis is a psalm that David wrote during the days of the persecution by King Saul. First Samuel 24 probably contains the background for this psalm. It is David’s powerful appeal to a righteous God to execute judgment upon the enemies of God and the persecutors of His righteous people. There are folk who say that this is not the kind of prayer a Christian should pray and that the Lord Jesus did not talk like this. However, the Lord Jesus did give a parable about a widow who went to a judge saying, “Avenge me of mine adversary.” That judge took a long time to do it, but he finally saw that the widow got justice. It is a parable by contrast. God is not an unfeeling, hardheaded judge. God is gracious, wonderful, and eager to help His children, and we are to turn over to Him our grievances. And Paul gives believers this admonition: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom_12:19).

You and I are not to take vengeance. We are to turn that over to Godit is His department. He will handle it better than either you or I will handle it. I want to speak quite frankly. I have turned several people over to the Lord when what I wanted to do was smack them in the mouth. There is no use beating around the bushI have that feeling sometimes. I know a man who is a liar; yet he pretends to be an outstanding Christian and carries a big Bible under his arm! God told me, “Vernon, don’t hit him in the mouth. That would be wrongyou wouldn’t be walking by faith. You trust Me. Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” So I turned that man over to the Lord. I think the Lord will spank him. We need to learn to walk the pathway of faith. When David wrote this psalm, he was in trouble. He was running away from Saul. Yet when David had an opportunity to kill Saul, he refused to do it. Saul knew that David had spared his life, and in 1 Samuel 24 Saul even said to him that he knew God had given the kingdom to David and admitted that David was more righteous than he was. Yet he continued to treat David as an enemy instead of bringing him home in peace. David’s imprecatory prayer is not only personal but prophetic. David’s persecution pictures the remnant of Israel during the Tribulation period. The cry for righteous judgment will be answered when the Lord Jesus Christ comes the second time. He will execute judgment and will deliver God’s elect.

Psalms 35:4

David wanted to turn it over to the Lord, you see. Here is the second mention of the “angel of the LORD"the first was in Psa_34:7. Again let me say that I believe the Angel of the Lord is none other than the preincarnate Christ. He is the deliverer and the executor of judgment.

Psalms 35:6

This sounds extreme! It is an imprecatory prayer. I do think it is inconsistent for a Christian to pray a prayer like that today since God has told us to turn things over to Him. But if you think God is not going to take vengeance on evildoers, you are mistaken. He will do it without being vindictive. He will do it in justice and in righteousness and in holiness. We do well in turning over to God our grievances because He is going to make things right. This is a great psalm, a great comfort and solace for the soul of man. Now listen to David after he has prayed that prayer.

Psalms 35:9

At this time in David’s life he was a very poor man. While he was in exile there came to him men who were in debt, men who were in distress, and men who were discontented. These were his companions, and they shared his rugged existence and his poverty. But God was with them, and He “delivered the poor from him that was too strong for him.”

Psalms 35:16

A mocker in that day was a court jester who was hired to amuse the guests at a banquet. In this case they would make fun of David for running away and hiding from Saul. They probably would say, “He could slay the giant Goliath, but he is afraid of King Saul.” Hypocritical mockers are about us today, and you will find them in the church. I was a pastor for a long time, and I have seen them. Since I am no longer a pastor, I am in a position to say some things that need to be said. Mockers hurt the testimony of the church. The church is the bride of Christ; God still has a purpose for her, and somebody needs to do some cleaning up on the inside. We are not to judge the world, but we are to judge the things inside the church. There are those who ridicule God’s men, and they lie about God’s mendoing it in a most pious way. They are hypocritical mockers. They are jesters in the court of God, ridiculing God’s men. My friend, it is good to know that although the righteous do suffer ridicule and even affliction, and although the enemy rejoices over their suffering, the end is always deliverance. In God’s kingdom the righteous will have their share.