9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble
A sudden change of subject matter occurs in verse 9, as the psalmist follows up his prayer for mercy with a clarification of his need for mercy. He is in trouble, in dire trouble; hard pressed, and distressed both in mind and body. Isn’t that the way it is with the people of God; as soon as they are out of one trouble, they are in another; these troubles are created for them alone, and lie in their pathway to heaven, and are necessary; but when we are experiencing them we have the right to take them to the Lord, who is a merciful God. It is best for them to cast themselves upon His mercy since they have no merit of their own to plead with him; and they may freely tell him all their troubles, as the psalmist does here, and hope for grace and mercy to help them in time of need. The nature and sources of his trouble are specified in the following verses. He seems to have considered all his trouble to be the result of sin, either the sin of his heart, of which he alone was conscious or of some open act of sin that had brought this trouble upon him (v. 10). As a consequence of this, he says that he was subjected to criticism and finger-pointing by his enemies, and shunned by his neighbors and his acquaintances. He was forgotten by them like a dead man who is out of sight and out of mind; he was slandered by some of them, while others conspired against his life (vs. 11-13). In view of all this, he calls earnestly upon God to save him from his troubles, and to be his helper and friend.
Now, this man of God provides a minute description of his unhappy situation. He unburdens his heart, lays bare his wounds, and expresses his inward desolation. This first clause briefly expresses all that follows, it is the text for his melancholy speech. Misery provokes mercy—no more reasoning is needed. "Have mercy" is the prayer; the argument is as powerful as it is plain and personal, "I am in trouble."
Mine eye, is consumed with grief
Psalm 6:7, is almost identical—“My eye is consumed because of grief . . .” David’s grief is that produced by provocation or spiteful treatment. It causes him to weep so much that his eyes are nearly "consumed" or "eaten away." Blurred and sunken eyes are obvious indicators of failing health. Tears seem to draw their salt from our strength, and floods of them are very apt to consume the source from which they spring. God wants us to tell Him the symptoms of our disease, not for his information, but to show we are aware of our need. It was an old idea that the eye could weep itself away. It is an actual fact that the disease glaucoma is very much influenced by emotions. The psalmist may have wept continually because of his trouble, and that was very harmful to his sight.
Yea, my soul and my belly
Perhaps he could not eat his food, or digest it, which caused him internal disorders, and even brought his soul or life into danger. “My soul and my belly” means that both mind and body were suffering. My sorrows are not bogus, or slight, but inward and penetrating: my mind is oppressed, my heart is ready to sink under my burden.
“Yea, my soul”—that is, my spirit, my life, my mind. My powers are weakened and exhausted by excessive grief.
“And my belly”—that is, my bowels (contained in my belly), which is considered the seat of the affections, and source of support and nourishment for the whole body. But others regard the "belly" as denoting "the very center of physical life and of the emotions"—“Behold, my belly is as wine which has no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles” (Job 32:19). The idea is my thoughts and affections work within me, like fermenting wine in a bottle, and must have expression.
Soul and body are so intimately united, that one cannot deteriorate without the other feeling it. We, in these days, are not strangers to the double declining which David describes; we have been faint with physical suffering and distracted with mental distress. Thus the whole man, both soul and body, inside and outside, are consumed. The effect of his grief was to exhaust his strength and to make his heart sink within him. Compare:
• Isaiah 16:11: “Why my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and my inward parts for Kirharesh.” In excessive griefs, the bowels are sometimes rolled and tumbled together, so as to make an audible noise.
• Psalm 22:14: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the middle of my bowels.” The meaning here is that his heart was no longer firm and strong, due to total exhaustion and the weakness brought on by hopelessness.
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing
“For my life is spent with grief.” The word rendered here as "spent" does not mean merely "passed," as it is commonly used now, when we say we "spent" our time at such a place, or in such a manner, but in the more proper meaning of the word, denoting "consumed, wasted away," or "destroyed." (Compare Jeremiah 16:4; Lamentations 2:11; Psalm 84:2; Psalm 143:7; Psalm 69:3 Hebrews 3-4; Job 11:20.) The term grief is used here to express deep sorrow. (Compare: Psalm 13:2; Jeremiah 8:18.)
“And my years with sighing”—that is, my years are wasted or consumed with sighing (groaning). Instead of being devoted to active and useful work, they are wasted away with a grief which entirely occupies his time and preys upon his vitality—“I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6:6).
This clause shows the continuation of his troubles, and that his whole life had been, as it were, an uninterrupted series of sorrows; “For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing.” The psalmist's grief is long-standing. It dates from the time of his great sin (2 Samuel 11:4-17), which is thought to have preceded the revolt of Absalom by the space of twelve years. This sin necessitated lifelong repentance (Compare: Psalm 38:17; Psalm 51:3).
My strength faileth because of mine iniquity
My strength flounders because of my Iniquity. Iniquity, as used here, refers to the suffering that results from sin rather than the sin itself, a meaning that certainly seems to suit the context better—“For innumerable evils have compassed me about: my iniquities have taken hold on me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart fails me” (Ps 40:12). Because of my iniquity; either through my deep and well-grounded sense of my sins, which have provoked God to afflict me in this manner; or for the punishment of my iniquity, as this word is frequently used. Other causes had, no doubt, contributed to produce the profound depression of the psalmist at this period, but none had the potency of this (Compare: Psalm 38:3-10; Psalm 51:1-14). It caused his strength to fail him and led to a complete breakdown of both mind and body.
David regarded all this trouble, from whatever quarter it came, whether directly from the hand of God, or from man, as the fruit of "sin." Whether he refers to any particular sin as the cause of this trouble, or to the sin of his nature as the source of all evil, it is impossible now to determine. Since, however, no particular sin is specified, it seems most probable that the reference is to the sin of his heart— to his corrupt nature. It is common, and it is not improper, when we are afflicted, to regard all our trials as fruits of sin; as coming upon us as the result of the fall, and as evidence that we are depraved. It is certain that there is no suffering in heaven, and that there never would be any in a perfectly holy world. It is equally certain that all the woes of earth are the consequence of man's apostasy ; and it is proper, therefore, when we are afflicted, even though we cannot trace the affliction to any "particular" offense, to trace it all to the existence of evil, and to regard it as among the proofs of the divine displeasure against sin.
The psalmist’s sin may be the sin of his nature, in which he was conceived and born; indwelling sin, which remained and worked in him; and it may also be the sin of unbelief, which plagued him, and prevailed in him, in spite of the instances of divine goodness, the declarations of grace, the discoveries of love, and the exceeding great and precious promises He had made to him. It also may refer to his daily sins and infirmities, and very likely some great backslidings, which had caused his soul to grieve, and which grief affected several parts of his body. Sin was the cause of the failure of natural strength in Adam and his posterity; of diseases and death, by which their strength is weakened; and was the cause of diminishing moral strength in men to do that which is good, and has a very great influence on the spiritual strength of the Lord's people.
And my bones are consumed
“And my bones” which are the firmest and strongest parts of the human body, and support all of it, “are consumed,” that is, racked with pain, as though they were being gnawed away, and all my strength is gone. (Compare: Psalm 32:3; Psalm 102:3.) There was then some sin which called for chastisement or required the discipline of suffering.
11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies , but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance : they that did see me without fled from me.
I was a reproach among all mine enemies
“I was a reproach among all mine enemies;” rather, I am become a reproach. The psalmist complains of the loss of his “good” reputation. Absalom's rebellion was preceded by a long progression of slanderous and defamatory accusations against David (2 Samuel 15:1-4), by which men's hearts were stolen away from him, and his character blackened. His enemies made the most of these vicious reports and turned them into spiteful malicious reproach (Compare: Psalm 69:18-20). “This,” said they, “is David, anointed to be king of Israel, a goodly monarch indeed! Forsaken by God and men, and in a desperate and perishing condition. He pretends great piety to God, and loyalty to Saul; but, in truth, he is a great impostor and a traitor and rebel to his king.” This is a common state of affairs for the people of God; and though it may be the least of their afflictions, yet it is not gratifying to the flesh; and its impact depends upon how it is made: under divine providence saints rejoice, and take pleasure in reproaches, that they are counted worthy to bear them, and esteem them as great benefits; at other times they seize and feed upon their spirits, and may even break their hearts. “My enemies,” said David, “Had drawn all men to their side; they were against me, even my “best” friends.” He was subjected to their reproaches or was slandered and reviled by them. “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people” (Psalm 22:6).
But especially among my neighbours
“But especially among my neighbors”—not that they reproached (found fault with) him more than others, but that he felt their reproaches more intensely because he thought of them as friends. The original is as awkward as the translation, and we should probably connect this clause with the preceding one, and read, “I am become an extreme reproach unto my neighbors.” I was reproached by no one whose reproach hurt me more than my neighbors. They showed special distrust of me and displayed special unkindness, even more than my enemies did. They turned away from me. They abandoned me. They would not associate with me. They regarded me as a disgrace to them and forsook me. Compare Job 19:13-15, “He has alienated my family from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. My relatives have gone away; my closest friends have forgotten me. My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner; they look on me as on a stranger. Poor Job; It seems like he never got a break.
It is obvious that David was aware he had become a burden to all his neighbors; which aggravates their sin, and his misery, partly because they were obliged by the laws of neighborliness to treat him in a friendly manner; and partly because they were daily witnesses of his integrity, and therefore sinned against their own knowledge. His neighbors knew him, and knew he did not deserve to be treated so poorly; and who ought, as neighbors, to have loved him, and treated him well; so when they found fault with him, it was an aggravation both of their sin and his misery.
And a fear to mine acquaintance
“A fear” means “a terror.” They were afraid to give me any approval, encouragement, moral support, or assistance, or to be seen in his company; since they had been warned by Ahimelech that they would be punished for it (See 1 Samuel 22). It was not that they were afraid that he would do them any harm; but they were afraid to acknowledge him, and to do him any service; unless the sense is, that they were afraid that evil would befall him, that he would not escape with his life; which, though it may express the affectionate concern of his friends, yet it also shows the danger he was exposed to; that he was such an object of dread or terror, that they fled from him.
David’s acquaintances were afraid of being recognized as friends of his, since that might involve them in his ill repute. They were afraid to recognize him when they met him "out of doors," or "in the street."
They that did see me without fled from me
“Fled from me” (Literally, fluttered away like frightened birds.), to avoid all contact with me, and not wishing to be seen with me: David said, “You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape” (Psalm 88:8). “They that did see me without”—those that met me as I walked outside; fled from me as if he had something very pestilential and infectious about him—to prevent their own danger and downfall, which might have been caused by their appearing to have an acquaintance or friendship with me.” Not only those in my own house—the members of his own family—regarded me in this manner, but the passers-by in the streets—those whom I accidentally met—turned from me and fled in disgust and horror. Fled from me; either loathing me as a monster, and an unlucky spectacle, and that I really was the evil person that my enemies represented me to be; or to prevent their own danger and ruin, which might be caused by it. It is not possible now to determine at what time in the life of the psalmist this occurred or to ascertain the exact circumstances. There were, doubtless, times when with the saddest feelings he could say that all this was true of him. His troubles in the time of his persecutions by Saul, and still more probably his trials in the time when Absalom rebelled against him, and when he was driven away from his throne and his capital, would furnish an occasion when this would be true. If the latter was the occasion, then we can see how naturally he would connect all this with his "iniquity," and regard it as the consequence of his sin in the matter of Uriah—a sin which would probably always be on his mind, and which he would always regard as lying at the foundation of all his afflictions.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind
“I am forgotten,” either by his friends, being out of sight, out of mind; as even the dearest relatives and acquaintances are, with the passage of time, when a person is dead—or by the Lord; which shows the weakness of his faith; the uncomfortable situation he was in, through darkness and desertion—“Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom you remember no more: and they are cut off from your hand” (Psalm 88:5). The same idea is expressed in Ecclesiastes 9:5—“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten”
“I am forgotten”—what good service I have done for the king or kingdom, or to any particular persons, which they have sometimes acknowledged and highly commended, has been forgotten by all of them: or at least they behave toward me like it were so. I have become like a dead man whose name and memory are lost within a few days.
“I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind”—the expression is nearly the same in meaning as our common English proverb: "out of sight, out of mind." The sense is that a man who is dead is soon forgotten. He is missed at first by a few friends, while the rest of the world knows little or nothing about him, or cares little or nothing for him. He is no longer seen where his friends have been accustomed to see him; at his place of business, at the social events, at the places of amusement, in the streets, or in his church. For a short period, a vacancy is created which attracts attention and causes sorrow. But the world moves on. Another comes to fill his place, and soon his absence ceases to be a subject of conversation or a cause of regret; the world says little about him, and soon he ceases to be remembered. At some future time the marble slab with his name on it, falls down. Those passing by cast an eye upon the “name,” but he neither knows nor cares who he was.
It is sad to think that this will be our lot, but it is. It would cast a gloomy shade over life if this was to be the end of man, and if, when he passed from existence, he also passes from the recollection of the living. The idea of the psalmist here is, that, in the circumstances to which he referred, he had been forgotten by mankind, and he uses the most striking image which could be employed to convey that idea.
Compare:
• Psalm 88:12: “Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?”
• Ecclesiastes 9:5: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten.”
• Job 19:14: “My relatives have gone away; my closest friends have forgotten me.”
I am like a broken vessel
“I am like a broken vessel:” of no value to anyone, only fit to be thrown away; a vessel of hades; a lost vessel; a piece of pottery made of clay that is easily broken and rendered worthless; one entirely useless, entirely lost, and irrecoverable; which can never be put together again; “It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces, not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern” (Isaiah 30:14). It was a sad awareness he had of himself as if his case was desperate, and he was a vessel of wrath—“What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?” (Romans 9:22).
A “broken vessel” was a favorite image with Jeremiah (See Jeremiah 19:11; Jeremiah 22:28; Jeremiah 25:34; Jeremiah 48:38), but not peculiar to him among the prophets. (See Hosea 8:8)
13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
For I have heard the slander of many
“For I have heard (partly with my own ears, and partly by information from others) the slander of many” is a way of saying “there is conspiracy all around.” Both his enemies and neighbors were plotting evil against him. David felt like all his “friends” watched for him to fall, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.” We are informed here of another source of the trouble that came upon him. It was "slander." He had already referred to "two" sources of trouble; one Psalm 31:11 that he was "reproached" by his friends and neighbors, and was shunned by them; a second, that he was "forgotten" by those who ought to have remembered him, they treated him as though he were dead, Psalm 31:12. The third is referred to here; namely, that he was the object of "slander," or of false reports. We are not told the "nature" of those false charges. But it is not necessary that we know precisely what they were. It is enough, for us to see the depth and aggravation of his trouble, to know that he "was" exposed to this; and that, to all that he had to endure from other sources, there was this added—that his name was reproached and snubbed as if he was an evil person—that he was subjected to "slander," and his name defamed as a violent and subversive person, an enemy to the public peace, a conspirator against the king’s life or dignity. Jeremiah 20:10 reproduces word for word the first two clauses. “For I heard the mocking of many, fear on every side . . .”
Fear was on every side
“Fear was on every side,”—in his own heart, and in the hearts of all his friends—when his enemies held a formal council, in which the matter discussed was the best means for taking his life. The particulars of such a council are given in 2 Samuel 17:1-14. From the causes already specified, he did not know whom to trust. He seemed to have no friend. He was afraid, therefore, of everyone that he met. Terror on every side is a favorite phrase with the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 6:25; Jeremiah 20:3-4; Jeremiah 46:5; Jeremiah 49:29; Lamentations 2:22).
While they took counsel together against me
They entered into a conspiracy which concerned how to apprehend him, and what to do with him. “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed” (Psalm 2:2).
They devised to take away my life
“They devised to take away my life” and nothing short of that would satisfy them; but life is in the hand of God; men may plan, but God disappoints, and his counsel stands; hence the psalmist was encouraged, after all, to trust in Him, during this time of imminent danger, when they plotted to kill me. These are the grounds of the earnest prayer which he pleads in verse 9: "Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble." It is apparent from the last clause of verse 2 that they sought to take David’s life; "I will smite the king only."
14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.
But I trusted in thee, O Lord
“But I trust in thee, O Lord,” in these times of trial—when his eye was consumed with grief (v. 9); when his years were spent with sighing, his strength failed, and his bones were consumed (v. 10); when he was a reproach among his neighbors, and dreaded by his acquaintances (v. 11); when he was forgotten as a dead man (v. 12); and when he was surrounded with causes of alarm (v. 13). Then he trusted in God. His confidence did not fail. His faith revived again under all the discouraging experiences he had gone through, with help from the Lord; he committed himself to Him (v. 6), believing He was able to help him in his time of trouble, and deliver him. He believed that God was his Father and Friend; that He was on the throne; that He could protect and defend him; and he left himself and his cause with Him. In such circumstances as these, there is no other sure refuge but God; at such times the strength of faith is shown, and then it is seen that the power and value of religion are pre-eminent.
What a blessed saving clause this is! So long as our faith, which is our shield, is safe and sound, the battle may be difficult, but its ultimate result is never in doubt; but, if our faith could be torn from us, we would be slain as surely as were Saul and Jonathan upon the high places of the field.
I said, thou art my God
“I said,” rather “I have said,” “Thou art my God.” In all my sufferings, dangers, and difficulties, I have always clung to thee, and said, "Thou, and thou alone, art, and ever shalt be, my God." Thou art all that is implied in the name "God;" and thou art mine. He felt assured that God would not forsake him, though men did; that he might confide in Him, though his earthly friends all turned away. There is always one (God) who will not leave or forsake us, and the friendship and favor of that One are of more value to us than that of all other beings in the universe combined.
He proclaimed aloud his determined allegiance to Jehovah. He was no fair-weather believer. "Thou art my God," has more sweetness in it than any other utterance which human speech can express. Note that this amazing faith of David is mentioned as an argument with God to honor his own promise by sending a speedy deliverance (v. 15). Men turn from him, but he turns to God. Compare.
• Psalm 16:2: “I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.
• Psalm 140:6: “I say to the LORD, "You are my God." Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.”
• Psalm 7:1: “. . . LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me.”
15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
My times are in thy hand
The expression “My times,” refers to the course of life; “all the varied events, happy or sad, which make up the discernible web of life.” Every one of them, all the affairs and events of my life, is designed and controlled by thee. “Time” is often used when referring to things done or accidents that have happened. (Compare: 1 Chronicles 29:30; Job 11:17; Psalm 37:18; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Daniel 2:21; Acts 17:26.)
“My times are in thy hand” means “the ups and downs of my life (my destiny)” are all under Thy control, and at Thy disposal; and not at all in my enemies’ power, who can do nothing against me, unless it is given them from above. The same can be said of his death, which was only by the direction and appointment of God, was in His power, and at a time fixed by Him; nor could his enemies take away his life before his time, and without the will of his covenant God: the time of his coming to the throne, and all that had gone on thus far during his reign—“With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries” (1 Chronicles 29:30); and all his times of trouble; times of prosperity and of adversity; of darkness, desertion, and temptation; and of joy, peace, and comfort; these were all in the hands of the Lord, at his disposal, and directed by Him for the good of His servant, and for the glory of His own name; and this was a calming influence for the psalmist under his present trials and problems. So, all the maneuverings and scheming of the foe cannot prevail against one whom God intends to deliver.
We “live” as long as it pleases God for us to do so. It was His to give life; His to preserve it; His to take it away. Everything that relates to life—its origin—its continuance—its changes—its phases—childhood, youth, middle age, old age—all was in God’s hands. No one, therefore, could take his life before the time that had been appointed by God, and he might calmly commit his whole life to Him. This we may feel free to do in all phases of life and in all times of danger; of sickness; of weakness. We shall live as long as God has appointed; we shall pass through such changes as He directs; we shall die when and where and how He chooses. In the faithful performance of our duty, therefore, we may commit all these things to Him, and leave it all at his disposal.
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me
“Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me” (vs. 1, 2, 4). The great need under his existing circumstances was deliverance. David looked daily for Absalom to “pass over Jordan, and all the men of Israel with him” (2 Samuel 17:24). A battle was imminent. If the day went against David, and his army was defeated, he would very likely fall into the hands of his “enemies” and “persecutors,” in which case he could have little hope that they would spare his life (2 Samuel 17:2, 12). A good man has many enemies, and even his very goodness creates them; for wicked men are enemies to all that is good; and they are persecutors, in one way or another; either by words or actions; and deliverance out of their hands is by the Lord, who sometimes gives his people a break from adversity, and does not allow the rod of the wicked to continue to hurt them; and therefore it is best to apply to Him for help. “Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies”—that is, since all these things are under thy control; since thou hast power over my life and over all that pertains to me, I pray that thy power may be exerted in my behalf and that my life may be rescued from danger. This was his prayer in the midst of his troubles, and this prayer was heard.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant
Turning from himself and his current unfavorable circumstance, he calls upon God to show His displeasure with the wicked and prays that their malicious persecution of him may be stopped. He prays for the gracious presence of God, the indications of Himself unto him, the discoveries of His love, the enjoyment of Him in Christ, communion with Him, the comforts of His Spirit, and joys of His salvation. This expression was used first in the blessing of Moses: “The LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25). It may be regarded as equivalent to “Be thou favorable and gracious unto thy servant.” Its intrinsic beauty and poetry made it a favorite of the psalmist, who used it frequently. Compare:
• Psalm 4:6: “There be many that say, Who will show us any good? LORD, lift you up the light of your countenance on us.”
• Psalm 67:1: “God be merciful to us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine on us; Selah.”
• Psalm 119:135: “Make your face to shine on your servant; and teach me your statutes.”
Save me for thy mercies' sake
“Save me for thy mercies' sake”—on account of thy mercy; or so that thy mercy may be shown—not for any merit and righteousness of his own, but for the sake of the grace and goodness of the Lord; which is putting salvation, whether physical or spiritual, upon its right footing and foundation; which is never produced by, or is for works of righteousness done by men, but according to the grace and mercy of God. This is always a good ground for appeal to God by a sinner or a sufferer, that God would make our sins and trials an “occasion” for displaying His own character. There are, indeed, many other grounds of appeal; but there is none that is more pure or glorious than this.
17 Let me not be ashamed , O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed , and let them be silent in the grave.
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord
The petition is the same as in verse 1; “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.” While my prayers are answered, let my enemies be silenced and consigned to Sheol. A similar prayer is found in Psalm 25:2-3, and Jeremiah 17:18.
“Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon thee”—that is, I have placed my entire confidence in thee, and in thy promises, in the time of trial; let the results show that I had good reason to trust in thee; that thy character is such that the persecuted and the afflicted may always find thee to be a safe and secure refuge. In other words, let me not be disappointed, and made "ashamed" in front of men, as if I had put my trust where no help can be found, or where there was nothing worthy of unreserved confidence.
For I have called upon thee
The Lord is close to all that call upon Him in sincerity, and is abundantly generous to them, and has promised to help and save them; but if He didn’t do it, not only would he be made ashamed, but the promise of God would seem to fail: because the psalmist does not mention any obligation on his part, nor does he claim that his prayers deserve to be answered; but he places his confidence in the promise and faithfulness of God. “I have called upon thee;” and therefore thy honor will have a shadow cast over it by my disappointment, as if You did not hear prayers, or keep Your promises, or make any difference between good and bad men. David could honestly say, “I have always been a true worshipper of You. Even when I have sinned (v. 10), my sins have not been ‘sins of unfaithfulness,’ but lapses, sins of unpremeditated yielding to temptation.
Let the wicked be ashamed
“Let the wicked be ashamed,” as they will be, sooner or later, of their wickedness, and of their false trust and confidence; of their being enraged against Christ, and their rage against His people, and their persecution of them.
“Let the wicked be ashamed”—Let them be disappointed in that on which they had put their trust; let it be seen that they, in their wicked plans, had no safe ground for confidence. They rely on their own strength; their skill; their courage; their resources; and not on God. Let it now be seen that these things constitute no safe ground for trust, and do not let others be encouraged to follow their example by any success that shall come to them and their plans.
“Let the wicked be ashamed;” frustrated in achieving their wicked plans, and worldly confidence. Seeing they are merciless and relentless in their hatred and rage against innocent and good men, cut them off by Your just judgment; and since either the righteous or the wicked must be cut off, let destruction fall upon them, who deserve it the most.
“Let the wicked be ashamed.” Bring shame upon those who are my enemies and Yours—the wicked and unrepentant generally—and, among them are my present adversaries, those who have come together in order to wage war against me.
And let them be silent in the grave
“And let them be silent in the grave,” as all are that are there; and the sense is, let them be brought to the grave, where they will be silent; that is, from their evil words and works, and particularly from burdening the saints, “There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest” (Job 3:17). Some render it, “Let them be cut off by the grave.” The Hebrew for grave is “Sheol.” The more correct translation is that which is in the text, "Let them be silent." That is, let them go down to the grave—to “Sheol”—to the "underworld"—to the “land of silence.” “Sheol,” the grave, is represented as a land of “silence.” This idea is derived from "the grave," where the dead rest in silence; and the meaning here is, let them be cut off and consigned to that land of silence. Let a stop be put to their slanders (ver. 13) and lying speeches (ver. 18); let them he silenced by removal from this world to the land of the departed. Let death destroy them to the intent that they may hurt no more. It is a prayer that the wicked may not triumph. Compare:
• Isaiah 14:9: “The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones—all those who were kings over the nations.” The ghosts of the departed were regarded as weak and nerveless, in comparison with living men.
• Job 10:21-22: “before I go to the place of no return, to the land of gloom and utter darkness, to the land of deepest night, of utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.” Job's idea of the receptacle of the dead, while it has some analogies with the Egyptian underworld, and even more with the Greek and Roman conceptions of Hades or Orcus, was probably derived from Babylonia, or Chaldea, on which the land that he inhabited bordered (Job 1:17).
• Psalm 16:10: “Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.” The confidence in a future life shown here is beyond that exhibited by Job. Job hopes that he may not always remain in Hades, but may one day experience a "change" or "renewal" (Job 14:14); David is certain that his soul will not be left in hell. Hell (Sheol) is to him an "intermediate state.”
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence ; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
Let the lying lips be put to silence
“The lying lips” are the slanderous tongues; the lips which speak lies.
“Be put to silence,” either by Thy discovery and vindication of my integrity; or by some looming judgment, which may either convince them, or remove them.
“Let the lying lips be put to silence”—“They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things” (Psalm 12:2-3). The men who flatter with their lips, beguiling and cheating, deceiving, and tricking their victims in order to get them completely into their power, shall be "cut off" from the congregation (see Genesis 17:14; Exodus 12:15, 19; Leviticus 7:20, 27; Leviticus 17:10). The reference here is especially to those who had spoken in this manner against the psalmist himself, though he makes the language general, or prays in general that God would silence all liars: it is certainly a prayer in which all persons may well join him. These liars, having been convicted of the lies told by them, and subsequently silenced and confounded; or cut off and destroyed, as all such liars will be in the Lord's own time—“The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things” (Psalm 12:3). It is very likely the psalmist may have in mind, either Doeg the Edomite, who loved lying rather than righteousness; or to others that were in Saul’s court, who told him that David wanted to harm him, even to take away his kingdom and his life—“You love evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah” (Psalm 52:3).
Which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous
By dividing this clause into 3 parts we will have a clearer understanding of the thing the Holy Spirit intends to convey: “Which speak grievous things”— “proudly and contemptuously”—“against the righteous.”
“Which speak grievous things”—the Hebrew means ‘what is hard,’ or ‘hard things,’ or words which are “bold, impudent, wicked;” he means those things which were grievous and hard to bear, such as bitter slander, cruel mocking, terrible threatenings, and the like. Arrogant may be better than grievous here, as in 1Samuel 2:3. (Compare Psalm 94:4; Psalm 75:5) The phrase means, to speak wickedly, or to speak in a bold, reckless, impudent manner; that is, without regard to the truth of what is said. David may have been referring to the hard and lying speeches, which were spoken against him, in a proud, haughty, and contemptuous manner. And it is not unusual for such false charges to be brought against righteous men: such hard speeches were spoken by ungodly men against Jesus Christ the righteous himself—“to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 1:15). The sense appears to be, to convince all that are ungodly; those who are without God, the fear of Him, love for Him, or faith in Him; who have lived without worshipping Him, or in a false worship; and particularly false teachers, as in Jude 1:4; who will be convicted in their own consciences, by that clear evidence, and full light, in which things will be placed. (Compare: 1 Samuel 2:3; Psalm 60:3; 94:4)
“Proudly and contemptuously”—literally, in pride and contempt; with great arrogance, and confidence of success, and contempt for me and my friends, whom they look upon as a small number of helpless fugitives, which they can blow away with their breath. They converse in a manner which shows that they are proud of themselves and despise others. Slander may always imply this. People are secretly proud of themselves, or they “yearn” to have an exalted opinion of themselves, and to have others manifest the same opinion of them; and therefore, since they cannot exalt themselves by their own excellence, as they desire, they attempt to humble others below their real merit, and to a level lower than themselves, by slander.
“Against the righteous”—that is, against us, whom You know to be righteous, in spite all their false accusations, and therefore for Your love of righteousness save us, and silence our unjust enemies. Though he may refer here to the righteousness of his cause before men, and assert himself righteous, as he might truthfully do with respect to the “grievous things;” not that he thought of himself as righteous in the sight of God due to any righteousness of his own, but by the righteousness of Christ imputed to him—“Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 143:2).
