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I want to add a ‘P.S’ to our look at Psalm 35. We have noticed that although David was undergoing a great trial, he nevertheless held to a conviction that all would be well (10, 18 and 28).

When I was going through a very ‘dark valley’, just over a decade ago, I visited one of my oldest and best friends, Gordon. He lives in Hale, in Cheshire. We spent a special day walking and talking at a National Trust property near his home. But before we went back to his house, he took me to see an old friend of his – an elderly widow. He said a little bit to her about my situation. I guess I had been more honest with Gordon about my true feelings than with anyone else, but I probably hadn’t even let my most trusted friend know the last 20% of the darkness and fear I was in. Then this dear godly lady quoted to me some words of Juliana of Norwich:

‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’

Those words hit me with prophetic force. I believe they were a word from the Lord to my soul at that time. It is true, of course, that this is ultimately true for all believers: in eternity ‘All shall be well.’ But I sensed, that day, as her prayer and her words filled me with peace, that God was going to do something about the heavy burden I was carrying in time, and so it came about. That very evening I received a phone call during which I felt the mist already starting to lift a little, and I want to give God all the praise and glory for the manifestation of His grace and power…

…and for friends! Even in this dark and lonely place, David knew he had friends (27). Let’s treasure our friends and thank God for the ways he works and speaks through them.

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.

21 They 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 defence!

    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.

David, who is a ‘type’ (or foreshadowing) of Christ, was Christ-like both in his experience and his response.

• He was Christ-like in experience in that he was hated “without cause” (19; see also verse 7, Ps.69:4 and John 15:25). ‘Hatred without cause is so basic a response of evil towards good (already emphasised in verse 7) that Jesus saw verse 19 (and 69:4) not as David’s strange misfortune but as his own predestined lot (John 15:25), an authoritative revelation of what must be. The pattern, pure and complete in his case, was recognisable though fragmentary with David, and is appointed for us as well (John 15:18ff.).’ Derek Kidner, p.162.

• But he was also Christ-like in his response. Have a look at 1 Peter 2:19-23, and note in particular verse 23: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” That is precisely what David does here, however imperfectly. He seeks “vindication” from the Lord (24,27). The word “Contend” (see also verse 1) is a word which applied to law suits. David is asking for right to be done. He has done nothing wrong; he has been slanderously maligned. He is confident he can take his case to the highest court, and there find the Judge who sees all and knows all (22).

In everything, David knows he still has some friends who will be so glad and thankful to see him come through this (27).

Whatever God may allow into our lives, and although we may not understand all of it, let’s remember that He “delights” in our “well-being” (27b), and is working all things for our good (Romans 8:28).

David’s cry in verses 23 does not come from mistaken theology. He doesn’t believe God is asleep, I’m sure. But in the life of faith it sometimes feels like He is, and this is an urgent ‘999’ call in the night.

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.

If, as we saw yesterday, ‘you reap what you sow’ is an oft-repeated Biblical principle, the question, ‘How long?’ Is also a bit of a recurring theme. We must learn to not only wait on the Lord, but also to wait for Him. The prayer battle may be long and hard, but faith is confident of there being light at the end of the tunnel (18). It does not, however, deny the length of the tunnel, nor the thick darkness within it.

I am challenged by David’s compassion for the sick, and the personal price he was prepared to pay in order to intercede for their healing (13,14). He cared very much. Someone made the point that it is as if the Good Samaritan himself fell among thieves, only to find the one he formerly helped now being his chief tormentor.

It is right always to do unto others as you would have them do to you. But they don’t always treat you in kind! Thoughtless ways are one thing though; but to deliberately mistreat someone who has only been good to you is quite another. Sadly, it happens. It has happened throughout history; it still happens today. It goes on in churches – even among those who claim to be the people of God. The way some people behave, it’s quite possible to feel savaged by their teeth (12), and mauled by their behaviour. It’s hard to have lies told about you, and to have those untruths believed. (On verses 11,12, see 1 Sam.24:9,17).

‘This is the sad heart of the psalm: to find that people who were considered friends are the source of false report, gloat over misfortune and seethe with hatred.’ (Alec Motyer, ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.508).

It is possible to feel “bereaved” (12) without losing anyone. Loss can come in many forms, and at this time in his life David had lost so much.

But again, he points the way to navigate such circumstances. He does not take matters into his own hands, but entrusts His cause to God. He knows the Lord will intervene on his behalf (17a). What he doesn’t know is when.

PRAYER: Lord, in this time of waiting, let me not lose heart. Put within me the conviction that all will be well – in your way and time

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.

If, as we saw yesterday, ‘you reap what you sow’ is an oft-repeated Biblical principle, the question, ‘How long?’ Is also a bit of a recurring theme. We must learn to not only wait on the Lord, but also to wait for Him. The prayer battle may be long and hard, but faith is confident of there being light at the end of the tunnel (18). It does not, however, deny the length of the tunnel, nor the thick darkness within it.

I am challenged by David’s compassion for the sick, and the personal price he was prepared to pay in order to intercede for their healing (13,14). He cared very much. Someone made the point that it is as if the Good Samaritan himself fell among thieves, only to find the one he formerly helped now being his chief tormentor.

It is right always to do unto others as you would have them do to you. But they don’t always treat you in kind! Thoughtless ways are one thing though; but to deliberately mistreat someone who has only been good to you is quite another. Sadly, it happens. It has happened throughout history; it still happens today. It goes on in churches – even among those who claim to be the people of God. The way some people behave, it’s quite possible to feel savaged by their teeth (12), and mauled by their behaviour. It’s hard to have lies told about you, and to have those untruths believed. (On verses 11,12, see 1 Sam.24:9,17).

‘This is the sad heart of the psalm: to find that people who were considered friends are the source of false report, gloat over misfortune and seethe with hatred.’ (Alec Motyer, ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.508).

It is possible to feel “bereaved” (12) without losing anyone. Loss can come in many forms, and at this time in his life David had lost so much.

But again, he points the way to navigate such circumstances. He does not take matters into his own hands, but entrusts His cause to God. He knows the Lord will intervene on his behalf (17a). What he doesn’t know is when.

PRAYER: Lord, in this time of waiting, let me not lose heart. Put within me the conviction that all will be well – in your way and time

Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;

    fight against those who fight against me.

2 Take up shield and armour;

    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.”

Psalm 35 is comprised of 3 sections (1-10; 11-18 & 19-28), and in each one David concludes with a promise to give God thanks when he comes out the other side. Note he is clearly confident he will, even though the prayer battle may be long and hard.

‘An outpouring rather than a coherent, organised poem, this psalm belongs to a time when enmity and suffering were seemingly endless. The long period of Saul’s paranoiac hatred is suitable, the sad figure of the king attracting round him, as he did, many who sycophantically identified with him and gratuitously aggravated David’s sufferings. As in Psalm 34, prayer alone is seen as the solution, but in that crisis the answer came with the prayer: the poor man cried and the LORD heard him (34:6). Now, notwithstanding persistency in prayer, the answer is prolonged and the answer is deferred. Prayer submits our needs to the Lord’s resources and also our timetable to his…As in Psalm 34, the crisis, though here prolonged, is met by prayer, leaving all to the Lord’ (Alec Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.507).

Although he was in mortal danger, David did not intend to take up arms. Instead, he committed his cause to God (in a Christ-like way, as we will see in the next section). The references to war and weapons (1,2) point to the strength of God, which is more than a match for all the power of the enemy (10). David is not ashamed to acknowledge his own weakness in the face of his foes. But at the heart of this section we see that the Lord Himself is David’s salvation (3b). I am reminded of the wonderful words of 1 John 4:4: “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (‘New Living Translation’).

Verses 6,7: see Psalm 34:7. Derek Kidner points out that “the angel of the LORD” is either our salvation or our doom (Exodus 23:20-22).

Verses 7,8: It is an oft-repeated Biblical principle (especially, though not exclusively, found in the Old Testament) that you reap what you sow. It’s been pointed out that in praying like this, David was not expressing personal animosity, but asking according to the revealed will of God. In Deuteronomy 19:18,19 it says: “The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.” (For a further gospel insight, though, see Matthew 5:43-48).

It has been pointed out that there is an echo of the Song of Moses in the cry, “Who is like you, LORD?” (Exodus 15:11) – perhaps a deliberate recalling of a much greater crisis and its triumphant outcome.

Thought: Who/what do I need to commit to God today, trusting Him to work it out?