16 Sep Meditations on the Psalms #237
Psalm 109 Part 2
When David prophesied doom over his enemy, he began with the wish that in judgment his enemies would be ruled by a wicked man. Ungodly leadership is a form of God’s judgment upon a people (v6). The root word for sin (an archery term) is ‘to miss the mark’ and so v7 could be translated, ‘may his prayer become misses.’ This indeed was the answer rendered, when Absalom did not take the advice of Ahithophel, thus giving David time to escape.
This begins a long and intense set of curses that David pronounced against his enemies (probably those allied to Absalom.). There are some who think that vs6-20 describes the lying words that David’s enemies spoke against him and that the use of the singular in that section proves it – as well as later in verse 20. Peter in Acts1:20 quoted Psalm 109:8, applying the verse to an evil man rightly condemned (Judas) and not to an innocent man wrongly convicted. The hateful enemy described by David was certainly a preview of Judas, who fought against Jesus without cause (v3) and rewarded the good Jesus did to him with evil (v5).
These words have the element of righteous anger and rhetorical hyperbole and are comparable to the outbursts of Jeremiah and Job voicing the cry of the innocent. It is fair to note that the tone of these curses is generally in the form of prophecies rather than immediate curses. David predicted the righteous judgment to come rather than pronouncing it – though, he certainly wished for this judgment.
All the imprecatory psalms have the flavour of Romans12:19: ‘“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.’ They leave the execution of justice in God’s hands. David’s prayer was rooted in simple justice. He wanted God to do to this enemy what that guilty man had done to others. David wanted the man to be clothed with curses. Retaliation, not for private revenge, but as a measure of public justice, is demanded by the Psalmist and deserved by the crime. Surely the malicious man cannot complain if he is judged by his own rule.
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