PSALM 35 Written by David. This is a lament psalm though some classify it as an imprecatory psalm which would ask God to come against your enemies in judgment. But the majority think it is a lament psalm working through a problem in life. No one is sure when it was written but some think it is when David was fleeing Saul.
1 Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid.
3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise— may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.
10 My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11 Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14 I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.
19 Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.
20 They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.
21They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22 Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord.
23 Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God; do not let them gloat over me.
25 Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.
SECTIONS are from: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Psalms/Psalm%2035.html
I. First Cycle: The Attacks He Was Experiencing (35:1-10).
II. Second Cycle: The Perjury He Was Experiencing (35:11-18).
A. He Prays that God Would Examine the Evidence (35:11-16);
B. He Prays that God Would Act without Delay (35:17);
C. He Pledges Praise (35:18).
III. Third Cycle: The Mockery He Was Anticipating (35:19-28).
A. He Prays for Judgment concerning Them (35:19-21);
B. He Prays for Justice concerning Himself (35:22-26);
C. He Pledges Praise (35:27-28).
THEME: asking God to fight against those who are attacking
QUESTIONS:
Who is the enemy of all believers?
What are David’s enemies doing?
What requests does David ask of the Lord?
When a person sets a trap for someone what can happen?
Which of these accusations from the enemy are similar to ones Jesus suffered through?
What questions does David ask God?
What had David done for his enemies before they started attacking him?
What does David promise God he will do if God fights for him?
ADDITONAL VERSES:
Deut. 32:36 “For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free
Luke 18:7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
Is. 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 51:10 The Lord has brought about our vindication; Come and let us recount in Zion. The work of the Lord our God!
41:9-13. “All those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them- those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing. For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.”
Many adversaries fought against David, and many were the times he prayed, “Fight against those who fight against me.” He could rightly pray this prayer because he generally lived in God’s will, and those who fought against him were opposed to God. David asks that God contend or litigate (legal term) for him. “Every saint of God shall have this privilege: the accuser of the brethren shall be met by the Advocate of the saints.” (Spurgeon). The Lord is likened to a warrior who contends on behalf of his own. Through the psalms in general, we see that David did not think of himself as perfect in a sinless sense. Yet in many of the disputes with his enemies, he had no problem seeing that he was on God’s side and they were not.
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation”: David needed to hear it again and again in his soul – that God was his salvation, and no one else. David was not his own salvation; God reminded his soul, “I am your salvation.”
“Let his net that he has hidden catch himself:” David prayed that the guilty one would be caught in his own trap – and the guilty one was his adversary. David prayed that destruction would come upon his adversary unexpectedly. We can pray on the same principle against our spiritual adversaries, the principalities and powers that battle against us in the spiritual realm. The devil has snares (1 Timothy 3:7, 2 Timothy 2:26) and he has strategies (2 Corinthians 2:11) set against us. We may rightly pray that the devil is caught in and by his own snares and strategies.
To be misunderstood or be made the deliberate target of false accusation is great sorrow. Smyth (cited in Spurgeon) suggested several reasons why God might allow such a sorrowful trial: to humble his people, to cause them to seek him in urgent prayer, to test his people to see if they will rely on him in all things, to teach them how to behave toward others when they are falsely accused, to warn them against making false accusations against others.
https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Psalms/Psalm%2035.html
(David prayed the enemy would be caught in their own trap). The psalmist prays that the same thing may occur to his enemy which his enemy had designed for him. It’s a prayer that they might be treated as they want to treat him. Haman was hanged on the same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. And this often happens to those who plot wickedness. The wicked fall into the same calamity they have intended to bring to others.
This is also what happened to Joseph’s brothers. They were caught in their own net of deception. They had told their dad that Joseph had been killed by wild animals, but in the end they had to tell Jacob of their lies. To keep their families from starving to death, they had to go to Joseph for help. When a person sets a trap for someone else, he usually gets caught in the trap himself.
“They laid to my charge things that I knew not”- David was accused of trying to kill Saul, when in fact, David could have killed him and didn’t. This has been the same all through the ages. The accusers of Jesus were false witnesses as well. The same is true today. If you are trying to live for God, there will be false accusers who try to tear your reputation down. We should rejoice when they accuse us falsely, because they did the same thing to Jesus. David felt the hurt in his soul that those he had been loyal to would do evil to him. But Satan has never changed his ways, it is the same today.
“They rewarded me evil for good” -In many cases it seems the more you try to help someone, the more they try to do harm to you. We need not worry about these things. God will take care of it for us, just like He did for David.
“But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee” -The world rejoices when a Christian falls. In fact, it is front line news. The television is full of it as well. The sad thing is that the Christian brothers and sisters take no wounded, they kill their fallen brothers. The wicked in David’s time, and even now, rejoice when those trying to live for God have problems. My own personal belief is; they believe when someone falls that it makes them look better.
“I will praise thee among much people”This is the resolution with which David ends. He promised that if he was delivered from his enemies, he would give God thanks in the most public manner. He’d acknowledge God’s mercy, though he was unworthy of it. And he would ascribe glory, honor, blessing, and thanksgiving to God in the midst of the church and people of God. They would join with him in praise.This is very similar to giving your testimony in church today. When God has delivered us from a terrible situation, we need to go before the people in church and tell of the wonderful thing God has done. To God be the glory!
Christians should rejoice at the success of others who are working for God. No jealousy should exist between brothers and sisters in Christ. Any minister will tell you that his or her ministry is just as successful as those who pray for them. The success of David should be a rejoicing time for all of his followers. We all benefit when one of God’s children win a victory.
David’s not the aggressor here. He’s only asking God to return his enemies’ own evil back on themselves-to show them what it feels like to have someone contending and fighting against them – because that’s exactly what they were doing to David. They’re the one who dug a pit for David to fall into – and they did this without cause. David didn’t do something to provoke them to these actions. That’s why he feels justified in continuing to ask the Lord to come to his defense And He’s not seeking his own vengeance… The reference to a shield is that of a small shield held on your arm in combat. Buckler refers to a larger shield. David is painting a picture of warfare, calling God to action against his enemies.
David struggles with the fact that he’s done good and he’s being repaid by his enemies with evil. This fact pushes David beyond the limit. He’s done them good. And they turn around… and repay him with abuse! Their treatment of him will result – if unchecked – in the spoiling of his soul. That is, in the bereavement of his soul – his very life is in jeopardy because of their lies and unjust treatment.
What’s interesting is that at the end , David’s petition about his enemies turn to petitions concerning the joy of God’s servants. David doesn’t want his focus on protecting his life and his prevention of his enemies winning. No, he wants to get to the joy that God’s people should have in God deliverance from trouble.
https://www.sethbarnes.com/post/god-will-vindicate-you-if-you-wait
Go to the website to read an amazing story of how God vindicated a woman, who by reading her story, you wold not think “worthy” of vindication. But in reality, who of us is really “worthy” before a holy, righteous God. She is prostitute and drug abuser who is reaped by a crooked policeman who then tells her to keep quiet about it. She reports it and, though another policeman believes her, it goes nowhere in the justice system. But she meanwhile changes her life around, and 10 years later she is finally vindicated and the policeman who raped her is convicted.
http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/the-plumb-line/15562-god-will-surely-vindicate-you
This is another testimony of someone who didn’t seem a likely person that God would vindicate in life, yet God is merciful and loving toward his children and, though it may take a long time, he does move in our behalf.
My Reflections:
I can think of so many times that God has vindicated me when people have wronged me. It’s not always in the timing that I hope for, but it does eventually happen. Sometimes things don’t always turn out the way I’d like, of course. Life isn’t like that. But even if I don’t see someone getting justice for the wrong they’ve done, I know that none of us can get away with intentionally hurting someone. Somewhere along the line, God will mete out either justice or payback because what we reap, we will sow—myself included! How many times I’ve been on the receiving end of God’s justice or payback for wrongs I’ve done and hurts I’ve dished out to someone. I learned fairly quickly I better think twice before I say or do something that will hurt someone.
Being bullied in school I learned not to gossip or say unkind things about another person. That doesn’t mean that I’m perfect. Sometimes I’ll share exactly what’s on my mind with my husband. I can vent with the best of them! But then it’s over. I try hard not to carry grudges or stay angry or mull over hurts. I let it go and let God deal with it. It’s not my job to vindicate myself. When I carry anger and grudges it only hurts me. I let God teach the lesson that the other person (or myself) needs to learn. God has always stood by me and I trust him just as David did. It’s a good place to be. And if I happen to forget in a heated moment, God has a way of reminding me one way or another and sets me in the right direction and gives me his perspective on the situation.
I can look out at this world today and get very angry and deeply sad over the way God is being treated, ignored and mocked, with his commandments and his church and people attacked. I cry out, “Vindicate us Oh Lord. Contend for your people.” God will not ignore what is being done for long. God is not mocked. Just as when David called out, God heard his cries. But I need to wait, like David, for God’s perfect timing. He wants no one to perish and all to come to salvation. He’s in the business of saving his fallen people because he loves all of us so much. We serve such a wonderful God. This is why David could always end with so much praise in his psalms!