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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?

The righteous person may have many troubles,

    but the Lord delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones,

    not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;

    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The Lord will rescue his servants;

    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Note that there is a self-destructive element to “Evil” (21), and this thought can encourage us today

These final verses reiterate the main themes of Psalm 34, and re-emphasise the truth of there being a great gulf between the people accepted by God, and those rejected by Him. In verses 21,22 the word “condemned” comes from the same verb as ‘make them bear their guilt in Psalm 5:10. (Consider Romans 8:1, and 35ff, and the difference faith in Jesus makes).

There is a realism about verse 19. Being right with God, and therefore committed to right living, is no guarantee of a trouble-free life. (See 2 Timothy 3:12). But God is our ever-available “refuge” (22b). Ultimately, all will be well for those who are right with God. (See the paradox in Luke 21:16,18).

Kidner, (p.159), says of verse 19b: ‘The sweeping affirmation…urges the mind forward to look beyond death, if such a promise is to be honoured.’ That said, the protection spoken of in this verse was literally given to Jesus, the most “righteous’ man ever to live. Not one of His bones was broken:

“The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs” (John 19:32,33).

Verse 36 says, “These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken…” (Exodus 12:46 may also have been in John’s mind at this point).

We leave our rather long look at Psalm 34 with these wonderful words from Derek Kidner’s Commentary:

‘At whatever level David himself understood his affirmation of 22a…the whole verse is pregnant with a meaning which comes to birth in the gospel and which is hardly viable in any form that falls short of this. The Christian can echo the jubilant spirit of the psalm with added gratitude, knowing the unimagined cost of 22a and the unbounded scope of 22b’ (pp.159/160).

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

    and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

    to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

    he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

‘The secret of facing trouble’,( Motyer), is to ‘take it to the Lord in prayer.’

‘The onset of trouble must be matched by the onset of prayer’ (Alec Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.507).

God’s ears are “attentive” (15). As Kidner observes, He takes our prayers seriously.

It is precious to realise that the Lord identifies with those who are overwhelmed by life’s troubles. He never takes our suffering lightly (18).

You will notice, I’m sure, the major contrast drawn between “the righteous” (who pray), and “those who do evil.”

 “The eyes of the LORD are on…but the face of the LORD is against…” Derek Kidner says, ‘The plight of the wicked is put in an equally personal form, in terms of the unwelcoming face of God (16)’ (Tyndale Commentary on Psalms 1-72, p.159).

 He then quotes C.S. Lewis, who wrote in ‘The weight of glory’:

‘We can be left utterly and absolutely outside – repelled, exiled, estranged, finally and unspeakably ignored.’

Eternal issues are at stake, and we will see this again when we come to look at the final section of Psalm 34 next time.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that you take our prayers seriously.

Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Whoever of you loves life

    and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

    for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9);

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:18).

‘At the court of Achish David had wangled his freedom by falsehood and compromise, but a life of reverential fear of the Lord respects his truth and honours his values’ (Alec Motyer: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.507).

It may surprise us to discover the ingredients of the good life, but we will be wise to reflect carefully on these words, and adjust our behaviour accordingly. I find them ironic, set against the backdrop of the Tory leadership contest. At the heart of this lovely paragraph there is a call to live in repentance. For a believer, repentance is not a one-off experience, it is a lifestyle. At the outset of the Christian life we walk through the doorway of repentance; but, in a sense, we then find ourselves living in a house that goes by the same name.

In his early days, David lived by the principles of these verses and urged them on others (e.g. v11, see 1 Sam.24:7; 26:9, 23), at least he did in his dealings with Saul. 1 Peter 3:10-12 quotes 12-16 in a similar context of provocation and persecution. (Also compare verse 13 with 1 Peter 2:1,22).

“Men cannot spit forth poison without feeling some of the venom burning their own flesh” C.H.Spurgeon. (See James 3:1-12).

“That religion promises best which creates watchfulness over the heart and over the tongue. It is not enough not to do hurt, we must study to be useful, and to live to some purpose; we must seek peace and pursue it; be willing to deny ourselves a great deal for peace’ sake.” Matthew Henry

Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

‘When God does something special for you, tell somebody else. The next generation needs to know that God is alive.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.330.

Derek Kidner gives verses 11-22 the title, Learn from me, (having entitled verses 1-10 Rejoice with me).

Alec Motyer points out that “I will teach” sets the tone for the remainder of the psalm, and over the next few days we will follow his helpful outline:

• ‘The secret of the good life’ (11-14);
• ‘The secret of facing trouble’ (15-18);
• ‘The secret of deliverance’ (19-22).

Having already spoken about the fear of  the Lord David now says he will teach it. Derek Kidner  points out that almost every word in the opening of this section is in the style of the wisdom instructor in Proverbs 1-9, with his fatherly tone and stress on “the fear of the LORD” as the beginning of wisdom (Prov.1:7).

The lesson from this part of the psalm is essentially that true good is to be found by living in harmony with God:

‘It is the answer to the hardest times (19f) and to the most ultimate questions (21f)’  Kidner, p.158.

The suspicion was raised by the serpent, in Eden, that human flourishing is to be experienced outside of the will of God. But not so. That is a flagrant lie. The brokenness of broken people in our broken world testifies to Satan’s dishonesty. ‘For best results follow the Maker’s Instructions.’ When we break God’s laws we find we break ourselves upon them.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus that life to the full is found in you alone. May I never believe the lies that tell me to search elsewhere. I love you Lord. There is no-one like you. I have discovered for myself that you are “the life” (John 14:6).

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

    for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,

    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

In Isaiah 40:29-31, you find a similar contrast to the one drawn here:

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

‘Fearing’ the Lord and ‘seeking’ the Lord belong. David invites others (he invites us!) to experience for themselves what he had known of the Lord’s goodness. These verses are the Old Testament equivalent of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:33:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

This is not ‘prosperity teaching.’ It is about the supplying of ‘needs’ rather than ‘greeds.’ But many believers can speak from personal experience about the Lord’s overflowing generosity to them. They have ‘tasted’ and ‘seen’ that “the Lord is good” – in numerous ways. Consider also Psalm 84:11:

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

It’s been pointed out that defence and supplies were David’s pressing needs in 1 Samuel 21 (the background passage to this psalm. He turns from the first of these, in verse 7, to the second, in verses 8,9, showing the same faith as in Psalm 23:1:

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

I think of Paul’s words in Romans 8:32:

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Prayer: Lord God, we revel in your abundant goodness. You are generous to us beyond any deserving on our part. Thank you, in Jesus’ Name.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

From verse 8 we enter what I’m calling the ‘Preaching’ (or ‘Teaching’) section of this psalm. Here are lessons he wants to communicate.

In this verse we hear a call to personal experience: to know God for oneself and to trust Him personally: “…blessed is the one…”

‘Faith is the soul’s taste…’ C.H.Spurgeon.

When Jilly and I were planning our wedding, we visited a caterer’s, somewhere in the York area, to try out certain of their offerings. As I recall, we didn’t finally opt for this particular caterer, but we did sample their food. However, that was all we did. We didn’t have a feast; we just tried out examples of their food.

Both Hebrews 6:4,5 and 1 Peter 2:3 use this verse to describe initial faith ‘…and to urge that the tasting should be more than a casual sampling’ (Derek Kidner).

‘Those who seek the Lord discover that He not only saves and keeps but that He also satisfies (v.8). “Taste” doesn’t suggest a sip or a nibble; it implies feeding on the Lord through His Word and experiencing all He has for us (1 Peter 2:3; see Heb.2:9; 6:3). It means knowing Him better and enjoying Him more. It was a great blessing for David to be delivered from Gath, and it was a greater blessing for him to be protected by the Lord after he fled, but the greatest blessing was drawing near to God and enjoying His presence, not just His gifts. David found God’s Word sweet (119:103), and he rejoiced in the goodness of the Lord. “Good” is an important word in this psalm (vv.8,10,12,14).’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘OT commentary’, p.915.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

(“GOD’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray” The Message).

There is much more to reality than what we can see!

In Genesis 32: 1,2 we read: “Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.” ‘Mahanaim’ means ‘two camps.’ Jacob saw that angels were camped where he was camped.

‘…the holy angels do us more good offices every day than we are aware of’ (Matthew Henry).

“The angel of the Lord”  is a term regularly used in the Old Testament for God Himself, come down to earth. For example, look at Genesis 16:11 and 13, where, appearing to Hagar, the Angel of the Lord spoke to her about the Lord and yet was the Lord. In Bible College we were taught that these ‘Theophanies’ may well have been pre-incarnational appearances of Jesus. There are Old Testament intimations of diversity within the unity of the Godhead.

Perhaps, because we see this angel as “commander of the army of the LORD” in Joshua 5:14, we are to regard him as surrounding God’s people with angelic legions who are under his leadership. Kidner makes the lovely comment that “Elisha may have based his certainty that ‘those who are with us are more than those who are with them’, on this promise itself, when he asked that his servant might have visual proof of it.” (See 2 Kings 6:15ff). (He is, of course, referring to Ps.34:7).

‘We little know how many providential deliverances we owe to those unseen hands which are charged to bear us up lest we dash our foot against a stone.’ C.H.Spurgeon, ‘Treasury of David’.

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we are truly grateful for all the ways you protect us and minister to our needs. Thank you that reality is so much bigger than anything we can observe. But you see it all, and rule over all. We are content to be in your Hands.