Psalms 35
PATing spirits; and at last to ease them of their burdens after they have humbly and patiently submitted to them. " A Psalm of David. This Psalm, we are sufficiently informed by the matter of it, was penned by David, when he was fiercely persecuted by Saul. Whose forces, which were unjustly raised against him, he beseeches the Lord to dissipate; and especially to stop the mouth of his false accusers (such as Docg and the Ziphites), of whom he most heavily complains, in the middle of the Psalm: vowing to God that he should be ever mindful of the benefit, and never cease to give him thanks and praise for his loving-kindness, if he would be pleased to confound them, and deliver him. There may seem to be here, as in other Psalms, such horrid’ imprecations against his enemies, as do not become the mouth of a good man. But they must be considered as an appeal to God in a particular case; for justice * against those whom no court on earth could or would punish: which made it fit, he thought, to desire the Di- " vine Majesty to execute the judgment he had enacted in his law against obstinate and incurable offenders, who else would escape the hand of justice; whereby, also, others would be hardened in their wickedness. Besides, the words may be interpreted, not as a prayer, but as a prediction; and rendered, not let them be, but Uiey shall be, &c.
Psalms 35:1
-i LEAD my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. Take my part, Lord, and maintain my cause against those that contend with me, and have raised a war against me: for I am not able to defend myself, and have none else to appear for me.
Psalms 35:2
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand tip for mine help. Be thou my protector, and preserve mq under the shield of thy almighty providence! oppose thyself unto them, and keep off all the assaults of my enemies.
Psalms 35:3
Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, lam thy salvation. Strike through theiri, as well as defend me; let them run upon the spear and the sword, if they continue to pursue me: and confirm my soul in this belief, that thou wilt at last deliver" me from this persecution.
Psalms 35:4
Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Disappoint them [or, they shall be disappointed] of their hope, which they have to’ destroy me; and make them blush to see all their warlike preparation against me come to nothing: let them all be put to flight, and make a confused retreat with shame and dishonour, who design my ruin.
Psalms 35:5
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let them be dispersed [or, they shall be dispersed, and so of the rest] as the chaff, when it is blown about by a mighty wind: and let the invisible powers, which thou usest as ministers of thy displeasure (especially when thy ministers on earth do not their duty), drive them forward, and thrust them on in that disorder.
Psalms 35:6
Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them. Let them not know where they are in their flight; but wander, as men in the dark, up and down in slippery and dangerous ways: and there let the ministers of thy vengeance still pursue them", and press them on with restless fears, till they tumble headlong into destruction.
Psalms 35:7
For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. For though I have done them no wrong, nor given them any provocation, they hunt and pursue me as if I were some wild beast; and by treachery, -as well as open force," endeavour to take away my life.
Psalms 35:8
Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. Let him, whose hatred hath armed so many against me, (and, when I suspected no danger, sought my ruin, 1 Sam. xviii. 10, ll.21.xix. 10.) meet with unexpected destruction: let him be caught in his own wiles; and, according to the rules of thy righteous judgment, suffer that himself which he thought to do to me. Ver. f). And my sonl shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.] Then shall my soul conceive the highest joy in the love the Lord bears to me, and in his care over me: to him will I give thanks as the author of my deliverance, and rejoice in what he hath done for me.
Psalms 35:10
All my bones shall say, Lord, ivho is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy, from him that sj)oileth him?. The joy shall spread all over me, and from the inmost sense of my heart, with all the power and strength I have, both of body and soul, I will burst forth in thy praise, and say, Lord, who is comparable to thee in mercy, uigmzea py Microsottw [psalm XXXV. and wisdom, and power? who rescuest the poor helpless man, in wonderful ways, from him whom he cannot resist; the man who is miserably in want, and hath none to relieve him, from him who by violence and oppression hath undone him..
Psalms 35:11
False ivitnesses did rise up: they laid to my charge things that I kneiv riot. For which they have no pretence at all, but what is founded on calumnies and lies, forged by men of no conscience, who have accused me of the highest crime, and laid to my charge such things as never entered into my mind, (1 Sam. xxiv. 9.)
Psalms 35:12
They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul. And (which adds to the sharpness of my persecution) they are men whom I have obliged; who are so detestably ungrateful, as, for all the good I did them when I was in power, to make me no other requital, but to endeavour to deprive me of my life. f
Psalms 35:13
Bat as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; a7id my prayer returned into my own bosom. O how unlike is this to the kindness that I shewed to them in their troubles! when they were sick, for instance, I sympathized most heartily with them; and testified my unfeigned grief and SQrrow for them, by putting on sackcloth; in which I humbled myself before God, with prayer and fasting, for their recovery: which I often repeated; and in such an affectionate manner poured out my soul to God on their behalf, in my most secret retirements, that I wish myself no better than I desired God to do for them.:
Psalms 35:14
I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one that monrnethfor Ids mother. I walked mournfully; and went to visit them with the same diligence as if I had been in danger to lose a friend or brother: I could not have looked more dejectedly if I had bewailed the death of the dearest mother.
Psalms 35:15
But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together; yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not. But these very men (such was their iuhuinanity) could not dissemble the joy they conceived, *when the news was brought of any evil that befel me; but ran to tell one another, and assembled themselves together, that they might publicly testify how glad they werfc to hear it. The very scum of the people, who were so vile, that I did not so much as know there were such men in the world, met together, by their example, to revile me; and there was no end of their reproaches. Ver. 1G. With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.] They joined themselves to the profane flatterers and trencher-bufToons; who maintaining themselves by saying any thing which they think will please their lords and masters, made me the subject of their abusive jests, ridiculous sayings, and scofls,in their tabletalk; which they accompanied with such rage, as if they could have eaten me up..
Psalms 35:17
Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destruction, my darling from the lions. Lord! thou seest all this, I know very well; but how long wilt thou bear with it, and be a spectator only? be pleased at length to vindicate my innocence, and deliver ine (who ain desolate, and have none to relieve me, but thee alone) from those that have already despoiled me of my goods and good name; and now seek, like so many capacious lions, to devour me, and take away my life.
Psalms 35:18
1 will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. I will ever preserve a grateful remembrance of it, if thou wilt vouchsafe this mercy to me; it shall be acknowledged with the mosthearty thanks before all thy people, as soon as thou shalt restore me to thy tabernacle; in the most frequent assem-* blies, when the whole nation meet at their solemn feasts,. I will celebrate thy power and goodness with my praises.
Psalms 35:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all~\ Many of these afflictions there may be (for such prosperity they must not promise themselves, as will exempt them from troubles, for a trial of their fidelity): but in this they ought to think themselves happy, that they know the Lord will put an end to them when he hath sufficiently proved them. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.] Let not those, therefore, that unjustly persecute me, have the pleasure of getting any advantage of me: let them no longer make signs one to another with their eyes and their heads, as if they had done their business, and should satisfy their causeless hatred of me.
Psalms 35:20
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. And while they lie under them, he sustains, upholds, and defends them: so that they receive not the least hurt by any of those sufferings, which otherwise would cnish them in pieces. For they speak not peace; but they devise deceitfttl matters against them that are quiet in the land.] For they are men of a turbulent spirit, that give not their sovereign peaceable counsel, but devise false stories, to incense him against those that would gladly serve. God quietly under his government, without doing the least harm to* any body.
Psalms 35:21
Evil shall slay the wicked; and they that hate tlie righteous shall be desolate. Whereas the wicked, who for the present flourish, shall at last be seized by some calamity or other; which shall stick to them, till it hath destroyed them: they that spitefully persecute the righteous bring such a guilt upon themselves, that they shall not escape without their justly-deserved punishment. Yea, they opened their’mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha! our eye hath seen it.] Nor are they content to do this secretly; but now they bawl against me with open mouth, and boldly accuse me as a traitor, rejoicing, at any colour they can meet withal for their calumnies; and saying, So, so,, we have found him out; his treasonable practices are-discovered; we ourselves are eye-witnesses of it.
Psalms 35:22
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. And by that very means the Lord ofttimes rescues his faithful servants from those mischiefs which their enemies intended to them; and, you may be sure, will not suffer any ofthem, since they rely entirely upon him, to perish, like those ungodly wretches. This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.] But thou knowest me better than they, O’Lord; to whom I appeal as a witness of thfe wrong they do me; beseeching thee to. declare my innocence, by affording me thy help, and delivering me from their hands now that they hope to seize on ine".:
Psalms 35:23
Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord. Thou hast seemed hitherto to neglect me, though I have so often made my appeal to thee; but I beseech thee at length, O.my God and my Lord, who art the only judge that can give me relief, the only sovereign that can protect an injured subject, to take cognizance of my cause; and pass sentence on me according to my doings..'
Psalms 35:24
Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. I desire only that thou wilt do me right; and not that thou shouldest, in favour of me, forbear to condemn and punish me, if I be guilty of what they accuse me. Deal with me according to thy unspotted justice, O Lord (whom the fear of none can overawe) my God, who art a judge whom none can corrupt; and then I know they shall never have the better of me.
Psalms 35:25
Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would’ we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. Prevent so great a mischief, Lord, lest they should applaud themselves in their wickedness. Let them have no occasion to think within themselves they shall prevail;’ saying to their souls, So, now all goes well; cheer up, wo ■ shall have our desires: much less let them prevail so far,