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When Kindness Is Repaid with Hatred (Psalm 35) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, the show that gives you a
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shortcut to being well informed by going straight to the source
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material that shapes our knowledge.
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Today we are doing a deep dive into what is, well, a really
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intense and sometimes challenging piece of scripture.
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We're looking at Psalm 35. Our main guide for this is
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Charles Spurgeon's massive work, The Treasury of David.
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And he places this Psalm right in the context of King David
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being viciously persecuted, most likely during that period when
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Saul's court was hunting him down.
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This was a time where David was just relentlessly harassed by
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people who, you know, claim to be loyal citizens but were
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actually seeking his ruin. So our mission for you, our
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listeners, really get a handle on why this prayer for justice
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is put together the way it is. It has this triple pattern.
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There's a complaint, then a prayer, and then a promise of
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praise. Spurgeon himself pointed out
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that this framework sort of mirrors Christ's repeated
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appeals in Gethsemane. But even more than that, we need
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to grapple with the, well, the emotional force of this Psalm.
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David is not asking for a quiet place to hide.
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He is demanding an active armed personal champion.
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That's. Absolutely right, and this text
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becomes a huge assurance for any believer who's facing adversity
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today. It could be, you know, legal
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trouble, slander, a social persecution.
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It really details the reliance of the wrong St. the person who
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is truly innocent of the charges on God's absolute righteousness.
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When all the human institutions in your own defenses fail, the
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appeal goes straight to the divine.
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We're going to spend some time breaking down David's very vivid
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military metaphors. And critically, we have to deal
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head on with the fierce expressions of justice we find
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here. So let's let's just jump right
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in at the top, verse 1. The appeal is so immediate, so
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urgent. Plead my cause, O Lord, with
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them that strive with me, fight against them, that fight against
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me. This opening verse immediately
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sets God up in this dual, very active role.
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First, David is asking God to be his intercessor, his advocate in
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a law court dealing with all the slanderers and accusers who are
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twisting the law against. Him right, the legal battle.
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But then you look at the second-half of the verse, he
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also needs God to be the champion, the defender on the
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battlefield, fighting against the forces using, you know,
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brute strength and organized malice.
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Like a complete handing over of the whole situation, David knows
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he can't possibly defend himself against the legal fraud and the
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physical force at the same time, so he delegates both to heaven.
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That's a great way to put it. And there's real comfort in
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that, the idea that when you're overwhelmed, you don't have to
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go out and hire a new lawyer and a new bodyguard.
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You go straight to the divine, and Spurgeon suggests that this
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specific request advocate in judgement, protection and war.
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It becomes a general promise for all the Saints.
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Yeah, because when we're struggling with that kind of
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opposition, whether it's an unfair system at work or just
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malicious gossip, the fact that God steps in as an actor,
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participant and advocate, that's a critical anchor for your mind.
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It tells you you're not standing alone in this.
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No, not at all. The moment the accuser of the
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brethren shows up, the advocate for the Saints is already there.
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And then the language just shifts, doesn't it?
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From the courtroom straight to the battlefield.
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In verses 2 and 3, David describes the Lord coming forth
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armed. This isn't just passive shelter.
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This is a deployment. And the detail on the weaponry
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in verse 2 is incredible. Take hold of shield and buckler.
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Why does he use two different words for SHIELD?
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I was looking at the source notes, and the differences are
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well, they're pretty technical, but that technicality actually
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shows how complete God's provision is.
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That's where the detail really matters.
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Spurgeon's notes on the Hebrew terms the maegen and the cinna
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are just fascinating because they illustrate this idea of a
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comprehensive defense. I guess break that down for us.
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Well, the maegen is the short buckler.
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It's a light shield. It was flexible, often used by
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cavalry, designed for, you know, quick deflections or close
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quarters fighting. The Cinna on the other hand, is
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this massive heavy double weight shield.
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It was carried by the main infantry line.
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It's for maximum protection, maybe even covering the whole
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body. So David is basically praying
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Lord bring the light gear for the skirmishes and bring the
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full heavy armor for the main assault.
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It's a request for every single conceivable layer of defense.
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He's visualizing the Lord positioning himself right
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between his servant and the enemies.
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Yes, providing both lesser and greater protections, the two
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distinct defenses of Providence. And that visualization, God
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literally standing up and taking hold of these weapons, it shows
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David sees God not as some abstract idea, but as a well, a
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zealous, active person working on behalf of the afflicted,
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especially when the hour is most dangerous.
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But then the action shifts. It goes from defensive to
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offensive in verse 3. Draw out also the spear and stop
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the way against them that persecute me.
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That image is so strong. It is.
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I mean, think of the phalanx or a narrow mountain pass.
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The Lord isn't just deflecting the enemy anymore, he's actively
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blocking their path. With the Pike's End, he's
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holding the pursuer at a distance, which allows the
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haunted St. to escape. It's a tactical move.
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The source material says the image is from Oriental warfare,
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where one brave warrior defends A narrow pass with his Lance.
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He holds back this whole pursuing army so his weaker
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comrades can get away. Jehovah does this for the
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haunted St. It's an act of loving kindness,
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really, staving off trouble by giving the enemies of Zion some
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other work to do and granting rest to his church in the
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meantime. And what's so critical is that
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after all this external, very vivid military action, the Psalm
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immediately turns inward. It concludes this first section
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with what is maybe the most essential request in the whole
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Psalm, right at the end of verse 3.
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Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
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Exactly. David has seen the shield and
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the spear in his mind's eye, but now he needs a word.
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That is just. It's a priceless quality.
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After all the chaos of battle, the terror of being hunted, the
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weight of the accusations, what he needs most is an express
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assurance from God's own mouth. One word from the Lord just
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quiets. All that fear gives you that
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inward persuasion of security that no circumstance could
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shake. And this is about increasing
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assurance, which is a key idea in Reformed theology.
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The Puritan Thomas Adams has this incredibly detailed
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breakdown of this verse, and he stresses that salvation can be
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made. Sure, David knew he was saved,
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but he wanted to know it more. He wanted a growing experiential
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certainty. We should probably spend some
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time on Adams's analysis because it's so helpful for any of us
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who struggle with doubt today. How does God say unto our soul
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that He is our salvation? Adams lays out six methods that
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the Lord uses to deliver this assurance.
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He does. First, God speaks by his own
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voice, like he did to Abraham, saying, I am thy shield.
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Now, this might not be an audible voice for us today, but
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it's that irresistible whisper of the Spirit that seals our
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adoption. OK, that's the first way.
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Second, he speaks by his works. These are the actual tangible
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mercies and Providence's you experience that prove you are in
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His favor right now. Third, he speaks by his Son, and
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this is the gospel message itself, right?
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That standing invitation, come unto me, all ye that labor, and
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are heavy laden. It's the promise of Christ to
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receive all who come. 4th He speaks by his scripture.
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Adams calls the scriptures the letters patent that grant the
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privileges of salvation. So when you read the promises,
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you're actually reading the legal document that contains
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your spiritual inheritance. And the 5th is through his
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ministers. Yes, who are given the ministry
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of reconciliation. The preached word confirms to
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the believer the privileges they have in Christ.
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But the 6th and maybe the most powerful way he speaks this
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assurance is by His Spirit, which enables us to cry out ABBA
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Father, confirming that we are children, not slaves.
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That's such an exhaustive list. It makes it clear that assurance
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isn't some fleeting emotional high, but a verifiable fact
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confirmed through multiple channels.
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And the final detail Adams points to is the possessive my
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in my salvation. That's the clincher.
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The wicked might acknowledge there's a God or even believe in
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a book of election, but they don't know their own names are
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written there. It's the difference between
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admiring a beautiful city from afar and being able to say Maia
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Civitas, I have a mansion in it. The all sufficient merits of
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Christ don't do you any good unless He is your Savior
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personally appropriated that singular possessive certainty.
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I am thy salvation. That is the spiritual food the
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soul craves most. David's first priority after
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asking God to put on the armor is asking him to speak those
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words of certainty. OK, so now we get to the section
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that often gives modern believers a bit of a pause.
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The imprecatory prayers, We find them throughout this Psalm, and
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it starts right here in verse 4. Let them be confounded and put
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to shame that seek after my soul.
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When we read this, especially thinking about the New Testament
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instruction to bless our enemies, you can sound a lot
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like personal vengeance. And we have to handle these
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verses with great care. Spurgeon's commentary is our
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guide here because he deals directly with this theological
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tension. He says that the psalmist is not
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indulging in personal malice or private revenge.
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He simply craves for justice and foretells the everlasting
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confusion of the haters of the righteous.
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So the key distinction here is that David zeal is for the
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confusion of the devices of God's enemies, not for the harm
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of the individuals themselves out of some personal spite.
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That's it. He sees his cause as inseparable
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from God's cause. If he is God's anointed, then
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those who are seeking his ruin are, at a fundamental level,
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rebels against the divine order. I mean, from a governance
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perspective, that makes sense. Right.
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No loyal subject can wish well to rebels, and so all good men
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should wish confusion to mischief makers.
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If we wish for God's name to be glorified and His Kingdom to
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come, we must by necessity desire the destruction of
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everything that resists that Kingdom.
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Spurgeon frames this as a public judicial wish, not a private
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malicious curse. The source material is so
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helpful here because it shows several ways that historical
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commentators have handled this conflict.
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Some like theater and trap. They just see these statements
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as prophecy, not as cursing. That's a very helpful
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interpretive lens. If they are prophecy, then David
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isn't generating the dorm. He's just declaring the
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inevitable consequence of warring against God's anointed.
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They will be confounded. So he's stating what God is
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already going to do. Andrew Boehner takes an even
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more assertive stance. He suggests the believer, when
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expressing this righteous seal, is actually joining the judge as
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an assessor. An assessor.
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So we're we're picturing the righteous believer standing
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alongside God, ready to affirm divine justice.
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Yes, exactly. Ready to sing Amen.
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Hallelujah over the execution of justice, especially when you
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view judgement from the vantage point of eternity.
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It's an understanding that when God's righteousness is finally
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vindicated, the Saint will agree with the sentence.
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This perspective helps distance the prayer from, you know,
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temporal hot blooded revenge. We also have to acknowledge the
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view that contrasts the covenants.
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Perot notes that the Old Covenant was, well, sterner.
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It focused heavily on temporal recompense.
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They wanted to see God's righteousness shown immediately
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on earth. That's because the terrible
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nature of the world to come was often obscured from their view.
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They needed immediate, visible evidence that sin leads to
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consequence. And that stands in pretty sharp
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contrast to the new covenant spirit, which is exemplified by
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Christ saying, Father, forgive them.
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It does, and we have to hold both truths intention.
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While the general tone of the covenants is different, we can't
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deny the inherent righteousness of the indignation being
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expressed here. And to give the full context,
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the source material explicitly defends David's character.
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It notes his demonstrated meekness towards Saul and
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Shimei. That's a good point.
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David was capable of forgiveness and forbearance in his public
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life. That proves his zeal here was
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for the honor of the Lord, not his own wounded pride.
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That judicial context makes it a lot easier to approach this
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section. So with that established, let's
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look at the specific doom that's predicted for the five.
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It starts with this idea of worthlessness and flight in
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verse 5. Let them be as chaff before the
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wind. Such a great metaphor.
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It speaks volumes about the enemy's character.
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They were swift to attack, so now let them be swift to flee.
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Chaff has no inherent worth, no fixedness, no solidity.
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When that divine wind blows, they're revealed to be light in
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character, restless and just driven from one fear to the
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next. And they're pursued by this
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relentless force, the Angel of the Lord.
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This could mean fallen angels haunting them, or good angels
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afflicting them as avenging spirits.
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The psalmist is painting a scene where the furious foe is first
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held at Bay by the spear and then driven into this headlong,
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unstayed flight, chased by fiery and messengers from whom there
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is no escape. The terror of that divine
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vengeance is just constant. It only gets worse in verse 6.
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Let their way be dark and slippery.
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This is a three fold terror famously broken down by
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Augustine. The three elements are simple,
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but they're devastating. First, you have darkness.
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That's ignorance, confusion, not knowing where they are going.
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Second, slipperiness. No sure footing.
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This could mean a literal path to destruction, or it could mean
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the dangers of luxury and moral softness where they can't stand
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firm. And 3rd, the pursuit, the fierce
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avenger, the Angel of the Lord, hot foot at their heels, serving
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the writ of vengeance without turning aside.
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It's a picture of total psychological and physical ruin.
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They rage and rave today, but their situation will be
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completely altered to one of darkness and slipperiness, where
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they can't even stand all being relentlessly haunted.
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And this leads us to the heart of David's complaint, the
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gravamen of the charge in verse 7.
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It's that they plotted against him without 'cause they acted
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out a spontaneous malice. David hadn't injured them.
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He hadn't provoke them in any way.
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And their method was deceitful. Have they hid for me their net
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in a pit? They spent time and labor on
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cunning and deception, net making and pit digging instead
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of Fair open warfare. It's a mean, cowardly approach
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and it just highlights the innocence of the one being
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persecuted. This is all a setup for one of
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the most satisfying principles in the whole Psalm, lex
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talionis, retributive justice, which is applied in verse 8.
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Let destruction come upon him at unawares.
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God's judgments are often sudden, like a southern storm or
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a Thunderbolt leaping from its hiding place.
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Maybe we should clarify lex talionis for the listener.
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This isn't just straight revenge, is it?
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It means the punishment perfectly matches the crime.
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It means the latter. The punishment fits the crime,
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and often the device used to commit the crime becomes the
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instrument of the punishment. It's the poetic fulfillment of
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self undoing. Let his net that he hath hid
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catch himself. That's the crucial element.
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Men set traps and they catch their own fingers, they throw up
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stones and they fall on their own heads.
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And history is full of examples of this.
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The source material names a few that illustrated perfectly.
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Yeah, Maxentius, who tried to stop Constantine by building a
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false bridge over the Tiber, but he drowned himself when the
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bridge collapsed under him. Hammond.
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Haman undone by his own gallows built for Mordecai Charles 9th,
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whose persecution of the Huguenots led to his own
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agonizing death. He was consumed by his own
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devices. So this isn't just a
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coincidence, it's a consistent pattern of divine Providence
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showing that wickedness always contains the seeds of its own
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downfall. Satan often outwits himself and
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burns his fingers with his own coals.
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The eventual condemnation of the wicked will be aggravated by the
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fact that they are tormented by the very malicious schemes they
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once plotted. What's so remarkable is the
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immediate turn from that stark pronouncement of judgement to,
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well, explosive joy. David pivots straight into
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praise in verse 9. And my soul shall be joyful in
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the Lord. It shall rejoice in his
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salvation. And his joy is not in the
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destruction of his enemies, which he just described in
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detail, but solely in his salvation.
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The judge of the right receives all the honor.
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David isn't offering any sacrifice of boasting to his own
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arm. It's a deep, unbroken joy found
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solely in Jehovah. It shows that prayer heard
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always suggests praise. It really does, and we are
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cautioned that we rob God whenever we suppress grateful
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emotions after we've received mercies.
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The transition is so sudden, though, from the anguish of
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being persecuted to this unbridled praise.
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It's absolute. It shows that David isn't just
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wallowing in the suffering. He's using the very description
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of the enemy's doom as a trampoline to launch himself
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into this glorious vision of God's protective might.
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And the physical expression of his gratitude in verse 10 is
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just extraordinary. All my bones shall say, Lord,
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who is like unto thee? It's high poetry, to which
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called it a hyperbolic expression of gratitude.
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Normally, you know emotions are ascribed to the heart or the
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viscera, but here this exulting joy is attributed to the bones.
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Bones, which are typically seen as the most passive, stable,
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even callous part of the human frame.
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So David wants his entire anatomy to be resonant with
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gratitude. Even if he were worn down to
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skin and bone, a skeletal wreck from all the persecution and
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fasting, his very skeleton would magnify the Lord.
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Every single limb, every fiber will bring its tribute,
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ascribing unrivaled excellence to Jehovah.
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And the reason for this immense praise is tied directly back to
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the theme of Part 1, God as the Champion.
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Verse 10 specifies that God delivers the poor from him that
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is too strong for him. Yeah, the poor and the needy
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from him, that spoileth him. This speaks to the
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condescension, the justice, the kindness, and just the sheer
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ability of God. When the poor and the weak are
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utterly incapable of defending themselves against a greater
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enemy, the oppressor, the slanderer, the big organization,
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God steps in. He is the knight errant of all
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oppressed ones. This is so vital for us.
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We were poor and weak, utterly incapable of defending ourselves
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against sin, Satan and death. An enemy far too strong for us.
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But Christ sought us. He delivered us from that
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dominion. Our own deliverance is the
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greatest testimony to the fact that there is no one like the
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Lord. The passage urges every believer
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to look at their own salvation and magnify the Lord with that
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same fervor. OK, so now the Psalm shifts
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back. It starts detailing the enemy's
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vicious tactics again emphasizing the depth of their
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unwarranted cruelty. It starts with slander in verse
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11. False witnesses did rise up.
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They laid to my charge things that I knew not.
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This is the ancient, cowardly, divisive, the ungodly.
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Because they couldn't defeat David in open battle or honest
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argument. They just made-up charges.
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And the crucial point is the depth of David's innocence.
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He was loyal to Saul, even to excess, yet he's accused of
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sedition, of treason, of seeking the throne by violent means.
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He wasn't just innocent, he was literally ignorant of the fault
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alleged that the charges were completely manufactured.
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Which naturally brings up a question that I think vexes all
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believers. If David is God's anointed, why
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does God allow these false charges to even stick long
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enough for him to be haunted and slandered and reduced to writing
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this lament? Why God's patience in this
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moment? This is where we have to turn to
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that secondary analysis, like the detailed 17th century sermon
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by Smith which Spurgeon includes in his commentary.
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Smith broke down the five fold good that God brings out of this
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kind of adversity for his people.
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Instead of just listing all 5, let's focus on, say, the two or
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three most surprising and relevant points for you as a
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modern listener. OK, let's start with the idea of
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it being a preventing medicine against the very crime that's
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alleged. Right.
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So if David is falsely accused of seeking Saul's life, God
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allows that false accusation to humble him.
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Seeing how the wicked rejoice at a lie, how they delight in
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slander, it makes the believer deeply determined not to give
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them just cause for rejoicing. It's a refinement of character.
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They become cautious, striving to be blameless in their conduct
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so that even the most malicious enemy has nothing truthful to
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cling to. That's a challenging thought.
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The persecution doesn't just humble him, it makes him better.
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And Smith also argues it teaches them how to judge others.
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Yes, that's the fifth point. When the believer experiences
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the sting of false reports, they learn not to receive a false
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report against their neighbor. Having suffered under the lash
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of slander, they become uniquely equipped with compassion and
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discernment. They know exactly how to comfort
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others in the same condition. The wicked are unwittingly used
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as a rod to scour off the rust from the believers graces.
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That perspective is revolutionary.
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Now let's look at the wickedness described in verse 12.
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They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul.
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This action, rewarding good with evil, is described as devilish
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behavior learned from the destroyer himself.
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David had shown them kindness and loyalty, yet they repaid it
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with malice and noticed the target of the destruction.
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Not just his estate or his body, but the spoiling of my soul.
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They were robbing his soul of comfort.
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They were attacking his reputation, his name attempting
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to ruin the man himself. The Source calls it a
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bereavement of the Spirit. Human malice really reaches its
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height when it aims at the Spirit, and the only limits to
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that malice are the ones God Himself chooses to place.
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And this intense malice provides the perfect shocking contrast
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with David's Christ like behavior in verses 13 and 14.
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This magnificent contrast magnifies the baseness of his
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persecutors and defines what true godliness looks like.
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David's sympathy was extraordinary, almost
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unbelievable. Verse 13 But As for me, when
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they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.
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I humbled my soul with fasting. He was literally mourning when
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his enemies, including Saul, were in ill health.
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He put on the weeds of sorrow as if for a near dear friend.
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He prayed and confessed as if his own personal sin had brought
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on the evil. That level of identification
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with the suffering of your enemy is radical even before the New
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Testament mandate. And his intercession was never
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wasted. The assurance is given right
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there in the middle of the verse.
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My prayer returned into my known bosom.
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Prayer is never lost. If the prayer, like Noah's dove,
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finds no rest or healing among the enemies, it flies back to
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the intercessor with an olive branch of peace.
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It enriches and blesses the one who prayed it.
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The believer is rewarded by the very act of having interceded,
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regardless of how the recipient responds.
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And to underline the depth of this sympathy, David uses the
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strongest possible measure of natural grief in verse 14.
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I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother.
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I bowed down heavily as one that mourneth for his mother.
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In ancient Eastern households, especially under polygamy, the
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bond with the mother was often the strongest and fiercest
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source of loyalty and grief. The loss of a mother was the
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ultimate foundational level of loss possible, and David felt
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that deepest, most raw level of sorrow for the people who are
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trying to destroy him. This highlights David's rare
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bowels of compassion. This is the highest standard.
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The source notes that under the Gospel we are called to an even
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more tender love than under the Law.
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We are reminded He prayeth best that loveth best.
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The tragedy and the human reality of the Psalm is the
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enemy's cruel, malicious response to all this generosity
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versus 15 and 16. But in mine adversity they
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rejoiced. David's suffering, his downfall,
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or even his physical sickness was treated as sport.
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They gathered like vultures around a dying creature, finding
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recreation in his sorrow. And this wasn't organized
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honorable opposition. It was a conspiracy of the base.
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Yay, the abjects gather themselves together against me.
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These were vile, marginalized men, smitten in their own
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estates or credits, The kind of people who deserved a good
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beating, gathering like curs around a sick lion to plot
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behind his back. Spurgeon's notes get very
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specific and almost humorous here.
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Hypocritical mockers and feasts. They gnashed upon me with their
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peace. The source suggests the literal
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translation is cake. Scoffers or loafers?
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So these were essentially mean hireling gestures, the paid
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political trolls of their time. They made a business of jeering
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at the Goodman, often just to get a belly full from Saul's
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table, a reward of cake or wine. That level of petty paid malice
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just to earn a meal makes you realize how cheap some people's
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souls are. It demonstrates, creates a
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violent, insatiable hatred. They didn't just mock, they
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gnashed upon me with their teeth, a physical expression of
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rage and this desire to consume the victim.
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And this whole scene, the mockery and the gnashing, it
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draws a clear line forward directly to the New Testament.
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Absolutely. It brings Calvary and the ribald
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crew around the cross right before our eyes.
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It is the despised and rejected of men painted the life, the
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perfect innocent victim being attacked by the very lowest
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elements of society, all for entertainment and a scrap of
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reward. So having suffered this
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profound, undeserved malice, David cries out in verse 17.
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Lord, how long will thou look on?
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This isn't him questioning God's existence, but his observation.
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Why are you standing by as a mere spectator?
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Why this apparent neglect? It's a moment of permitted human
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impatience. It's an appeal to the Father for
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intervention, and he sharpens the request dramatically.
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Rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from
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the lions. His soul is called my darling, a
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very tender term. Critics translate this as my
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only one, my solitary 1 desolate, deserted.
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David is alone. The enemies, in contrast, are
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fierce, cunning, and strong as Young Lions.
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David's faith rests on a simple premise.
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His soul is his darling, but it is also God's dear one.
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And if it is God's, then God must deliver it from those jaws.
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And that realization that God cherishes his soul provides the
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impetus for the reciprocal promise David makes in the very
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next verse. When Deliverance arrives, it
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will be celebrated publicly. Verse 18 I will give thee thanks
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in the great congregation. I will praise thee among much
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people. Deliverances should never be
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acknowledged only in private. They must be publicly celebrated
25:39
and their fame emblazoned. David saw his experience as a
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subject fit for an assembled universe to hear about.
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This call for public praise is also part of the judicial
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process, isn't it? God's reputation as a righteous
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champion is vindicated publicly when his servant is restored
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publicly. And this vow marks the end of
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the second major movement of the Psalm, concluding, as all true
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prayer should, in a commitment to perpetual gratitude and
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magnifying Jehovah. David then renews his appeal
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against contempt and mockery in verse 19, focusing on the lowest
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expressions of malice. Neither let them wink with the
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eye that hate me without a cause.
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The winking eye. It's that low bred scornful sign
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of congratulation that the ruin of their victim.
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It's a secret shared gesture of malicious pleasure.
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David is praying that God prevents their malice from ever
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reaching the point where they can share that little
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congratulatory low triumph moment.
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And the motivation for the hatred is reinforced yet again.
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It is without a cause. The righteous often suffer
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hatred simply because they are righteous, which makes God their
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natural protector and the enemy of their oppressors.
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Verse 20 reveals the practical deceit of the wicked, for they
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speak not peace. They devise deceitful matters
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against them that are quiet in the land.
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David's desire was just to be an orderly citizen, but they were
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working to brand him a rebel and a sower of sedition.
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This is the ancient trick of the enemy.
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We see it deployed across history and even against Christ,
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who is charged with seeking to overturn Caesar.
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Those who stand for truth are constantly misrepresented,
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branded as troublers, even when all they want is peace.
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When mischief is intended, it is soon manufactured and
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distributed. Their arrogant exaltation just
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bursts forth and verse 21 yeah they open their mouth wide
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against me. Our eye have seen it they.
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Open their mouths wide, as if they would swallow the victim
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whole. They're uttering great lies,
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which, as Bridge and says, need wide mouths to contain them.
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They're glad to find a fault, or they swear they've seen evil
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where there was none. Malice is blind to all virtue in
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its enemy. It sees only what the heart
27:43
wishes to see. When they mock a good man's
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slips, they are acting like a devil laughing a hyena laugh.
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But the comfort of the Saint immediately follows.
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In verse 22. It rests entirely on divine
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witness. This thou has seen, O Lord, keep
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not silence. O Lord, be not far from me.
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That is the believer's anchor. Omniscience is the Saints candle
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which never goes out. God sees the sorrow, the lies,
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the sneering and the silent winks.
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So David pleads with God not to keep silence, not to merely be a
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spectator. A father will not long endure to
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see his child abuse without stepping in.
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David begs God to rebuke the enemies, to clear his character,
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and most of all to comfort his heart with his sweet presence,
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the divine cordial for the persecuted.
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And then he escalates the final judicial call to action in
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verses 23 and 24, demanding the final verdict.
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Stir up thyself awake to rail judgement.
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David is demanding that the suit be brought on, heard, tried and
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verdict given now. And that dual appeal, my God and
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my Lord. It shows a full, possessive
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grasping of Jehovah with both hands.
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It's an utterance of deep faith, claiming ownership of all that
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is in the great I am, even when viewing him as a judge.
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This confidence in impartial justice then leads to the
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guaranteed disappointment of the wicked in verse 25.
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Let them not say in their hearts, so would we have it.
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Let them not say We have swallowed him up.
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This is a prayer that operates as a promise.
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God will not give His sheep over to the wolfish jaws of
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persecutors. Just when they are tuning their
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mental pipes for victory and whispering their secret malice,
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so would we have it. They will be silenced.
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Their heart, speech, their secret wishes will be
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forestalled, their tricks exposed.
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A living child of God is too dear a morsel for the malice of
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hell to swallow and digest. The final verses then contrast
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the outcome for the wicked and the righteous.
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The wicked face disgrace in verse 26.
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They shall be clothed with shame and dishonor.
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Their self magnification will be inverted, leading to weeping,
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wailing and gnashing of teeth, just as they gnash their teeth
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at David earlier. The Saints, however, can afford
29:46
to wait. Their joy is public and shared
29:48
in verse 27. Let them shout for joy and be
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glad that favor my righteous 'cause this includes not only
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David, but also those whose hearts were quietly supportive.
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They too shall be rewarded for their faithfulness.
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And their gladness contributes to God's glory.
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Let the Lord be magnified. They recognize David as the
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Lord's servant, and the assurance is given that the
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master hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
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The song then concludes where it began, really in a vow of
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perpetual praise, verse 28. My tongue shall speak of thy
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righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.
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We often wonder how it's possible to praise God all day
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long amid our daily tasks. Spurgeon often brought in
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Augustine on this point, who offers wonderfully practical,
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simple advice. Augustine suggests that whatever
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you do, do well, and you have praised God, Do not be drunken.
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You have praised God. Rise not to do evil, you have
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praised God. Do no wrong, raise no strife.
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By preparing yourself through the innocency and faithfulness
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of your daily works, you are in effect praising God all day
30:50
long. It makes the daily grind A
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continued act of worship and a testimony to God's
30:55
righteousness. Hashtag tag tag tag outro.
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So this deep dive into Psalm 35 has really shown us that the
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believer facing adversity is not asked to retreat into spiritual
31:04
isolation. We're asked to look to God not
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just as a passive refuge, but as an active, armed personal
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champion of justice who steps into both the law court and the
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battlefield on our behalf. And it forces us to confront the
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truly high standard of David's sympathy for his persecutors,
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grieving for them, fasting on their behalf, and praying for
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their deliverance with the intensity you'd reserve for the
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loss of your own mother. So the thought for you to carry
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away is this. Since we as believers live under
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the full light and teaching of the Gospel, what should be the
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required measure of our own love and compassion, even for those
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who reward US evil for good? How does our prayer for the
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confusion of their destructive, malicious devices coexist with a
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genuine desire for their eventual repentance and
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spiritual salvation? That tension between righteous
31:49
justice and gospel level mercy is certainly a theme worth
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careful thought for you to carry forward long after this deep
31:56
dive concludes. We hope this has equipped you to
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approach this powerful Psalm with a greater appreciation for
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the complex nature of divine justice and the extraordinary
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devotion of King David.