Psalm 35 Meditation | How to Pray to God for Vindication скачать в хорошем качестве

Psalm 35 Meditation | How to Pray to God for Vindication

Judgment psalms are embarrassing for people whose chief virtue is pleasantness. But not everyone has the luxury of ignoring injustice. In the real world people are terribly mistreated. And merely being winsome is a feeble and pointless response. What can you do as a Christian when people “revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely?” (Matt. 5:11). Psalm 35 offers a rich answer this question. David’s poem reveals grievous injustice; he is not venting over petty problems. His enemies aren’t mere ideological opponents or critics of his personality. These aren’t like siblings who didn’t clean their half of the room, again. These people “hate [David] without cause,” the way the world later hated Jesus (19; cf. John 15:25). They are wrongfully his foes. They seek his life and devise evil against him (4). They are intent on trapping him (7). They are “malicious witnesses” (11) who repay evil for good (12). David was good to these folks. But they turned on him. He grieved over their sicknesses. He prayed and fasted for their well-being (13). He treated them as he would a friend, brother, or mother (14). Because of his uprightness he could truly pray to God, “Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness” (24). David’s integrity authenticates his prayer for justice, and for salvation from the sin of his enemies. So David simply prays for justice. He asks God to judge his enemies fairly, to treat them according to their own works (1). David’s foes hunted him (3); now God will pursue them (6). The wicked hid a net for the righteous; now they will fall into it themselves (8). Such a prayer is not inconsistent with Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). It recognizes that “God delights in the welfare of his servant” (Ps. 35:27). It expresses believing confidence in Jesus’ promise to judge the living and the dead and to put all his enemies under his feet. It is wrong to seek personal vengeance. But it is also inappropriate to stand by in the face of evil. Good people need to do something. They need to practice personal righteousness and look to the Lord for salvation, praying for his victory and thanking God when he delivers.