16 Sep Meditations on the Psalms #236
Psalm 109 Part 1
This is the strongest of David’s imprecatory psalms, that call down curses upon his enemies. This is one of those hard passages of scripture to read, but God can still speak to us through it. It is important to remember that these curses are prayers that David never acted on, he committed vengeance to God. (C.f.Matt5:43) When David withheld vengeance, it was because he chose to, not because he lacked the opportunity, skill, or courage.
Look at it this way – if someone broke into your house and murdered a family member and then escaped, and the police went after him to arrest him, don’t you think that you would pray to God that the murderer would be caught and brought to justice? These psalms call for the Lord’s judgment on the enemies of God’s people.
David was confident about his own innocence in reference to his enemies. Their harsh words were spoken ‘with a lying tongue,’ and their ‘words of hatred’ were ‘without a cause’ v3. David felt betrayed when Ahithophel went over to Absalom’s side. Paul felt betrayed when Demas deserted him, but of course, the deepest betrayal in scripture was when Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver!
In all satan’s armoury there are no worse weapons than deceitful tongues. For you, which is worse to bear, the fierceness of foes or the fickleness of friends? The only answer is to remember the one who when reviled, reviled not in return, and when He suffered, He threatened not. At His trial, He astonished His enemies by not speaking a word of defence against His accusers (v4) (satan means the accuser.) David’s response; ‘But I give myself to prayer’ (4b). The following lines are filled with bitter wishes that form something of a prophecy of doom against these enemies. Yet David did nothing to bring this doom. That was God’s work, not his own. As for David, he would give himself to prayer and leave it with God.
Our ‘accuser’ is defeated, and we only need to give ourselves to prayer – through Jesus his final end is assured. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1Cor15:26.)
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