In it David appeals to a righteous God to send judgment upon the enemies of God, and the persecutors of His righteous people.
WHY DID DAVID PRAY SUCH A PRAYER? It is believed that since Old Testament characters did not have the benefit of the New Testament, they did not have a complete revelation of the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore they believe the wicked had to be judged and to be rewarded in this life for their evil.
Illus: That is, they did not have the benefit of being able to open the New Testament and turning to Romans 14:12 which assures us, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
We find many imprecatory prayers throughout Psalms, but as we examine them, we have to understand what an imprecatory prayer IS and what it IS NOT. It IS NOT a prayer by which someone can use God to carry out a punishment because of a person’s anger toward another person.
God is not going to allow any of us to use Him as an instrument of vengeance just because we do not like someone.
Illus: Let’s all get real for a few minutes and take our spiritual halo’s off. We all, at times, have been confronted with people who were so rude we would love to have been able to backslide for only a few minutes and give them a knuckle sandwich they would never forget. Then, once we would have that done, we could place our halo’s back over our heads and forget it ever happened and we could go sing, “Oh, how I love Jesus!” Or sing, “Trust and Obey for there’s no other way...”
Oh how often we want to take things out of God’s hands and take them into our own hands!
Illus:: We all have heard tales of how, in the days of the “Old West,” lynch mobs would take the law into their own hands.
Supposedly things have changed since then. Most citizens of the great land of America realize that they cannot take the law into their own hands. If people did that this would be a land of anarchy.
In spiritual matters, often Christians forget that they cannot take matters into their own hands. We all need to learn that we must leave certain matters in God’s hands. We need to consider this: WHEN WE FACE THE WRATH OF MAN FOR LIVING A GODLY LIFE, THEY ARE NOT OPPOSING US, THEY ARE OPPOSING GOD!
This is exactly the way God sees it. Look at Romans 12:19 again. We read, “...Vengeance is mine; I WILL REPAY, SAITH THE LORD.” Why does God say, “...Vengeance is mine...”? Because, any time someone opposes someone who is serving God, that person is opposing God. Now, if you are in trouble because you have brought it upon yourself, you have no right to pray to God to take care of your enemies. David was convinced his opposition had come as a result of his living a godly life. Look at verse 7. We read, “For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which WITHOUT CAUSE they have digged for my soul.” Look at the words, “without cause.” David was saying, “If I deserve this kind of abuse, I would not have the right to open my mouth, but they attack me WITHOUT CAUSE.” When evil men oppose us as a result of our living a godly life, we have every right to call upon God to take care of us. Why? God told us to live a holy life. If we obey Him we know we will experience tribulations, but God has promised that HE WILL STAND WITH US!
Illus: Suppose a foreman on your job told you to do something. Suppose you did that job to the best of your ability exactly the way he told you to do it. Then suppose the boss, over the foreman, came along, saw that you were doing what your foreman requested, but jumped all over you and told you how dumb he thought you were for doing that thing. In the meantime, your foreman was standing nearby, listening as the boss was hurling every insult he could hurl at you, and he never opened his mouth to defend you. WHEN ALL OF THAT WAS OVER, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK OF YOUR FOREMAN?
I suspect you would think that foreman was the biggest jerk in town because he knew you were only doing what he requested. You got into trouble because you were doing what he told you to do, but he would not stand behind you.
Listen, God is not going to tell us to live a righteous life and just stand back and watch when someone comes along and attacks us. Those who would attack us are actually attacking God’s plans. God will come to the rescue of those who are living a holy life. We also need to consider that, although you and I may not think so, God can do a better job of taking care of our enemies than we can. In fact, when God gets through with them, you will feel sorry for them.
David prayed a deliberate prayer, asking God to take care of David’s enemies, but actually he was praying for God to take care of His enemies.
Let us look at David’s petition to God.
I. DAVID’S PETITION.
David wanted THREE things from the Lord.
A. David’s plea. If we had been within the sound of David’s voice when he prayed this prayed, it probably would have brought tears to our eyes to hear that great man of God pleading with the Lord to assist him in one of the most difficult times of his life.
Illus: A Christian salesman tells how he went to a house one day. As he approached the house he could hear a mother praying in a bedroom for her lost son. The window was open and he could clearly hear her praying. She was pleading so desperately that the words she spoke were almost impossible to understand. As the salesman stood at the door, he decided not to ring the door bell. He knew that what she was doing was much more important than what he was doing. As he walked back to the car he could still hear her voice as she pleaded with God to save her lost son. He left with tears in his eyes.
Listen, if our sincere plea can bring tears to the eyes of a mortal, how do you suppose it affects the Lord Who loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us? We can almost imagine the tears in God’s eyes as David prayed his prayer. Look at verse 1. We read, “Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.” David had absolutely no one except the Lord to turn to. He turned to God to plead his case. He was saying to the Lord:
- Plead against those who plea against me.
- Contend with those who contend against me.
- Strive with those who strive against me.
David was pleading for assistance. He was doing something that many small foreign countries often do. For example-
Illus: When Iraq threatened to overrun Kuwait, Kuwait appealed to the United States and other nations to come to their rescue. They wanted Americans to employ troops and provide weapons both of defense and offense.
David knew he could not match the strength of his enemies so he PLEADED with the Lord for assistance. He knew that God could PROTECT HIM. Look at-
B. David’s Protector. What we think of the Lord makes a big difference in the way we call upon Him. David thought of God as a great WARRIOR Who could protect him. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT DAVID THOUGHT OF GOD AS A GREAT WARRIOR. Look at Psalm 34:2-3. We read, “Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” The reason many today do not call upon God is because they do not have a mental picture of God as caring for them. For example-
Illus: We are told that presidential candidate, Steve Forbes, was worth 468 million dollars in 1996. Listen, even though he had more money than he will ever spend, there is not a person in this congregation who has a financial problem who will pick up his phone and say, “Steve, this is your old buddy, Hard Luck Louie. I have a financial problem. I would like you to reach into your back pocket and pull out a couple of thousand dollars and send it to me.” He has the money. He could do that just as easily as you or I could give a nickel to a beggar on the street.
WHY DO WE NOT CALL? I will tell you why. Because we have a mental picture of Mr. Forbes as not caring enough to reach into his treasure to help us. That is why we do not call! This is the same reason many do not call upon God in their distress. They know God has the resources to help them but they have a mental picture of God’s not loving them enough to help them. But they are wrong! The only think that keeps God from helping them is what He says in his Word, James 4:2, “...yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” How we think of the Lord makes a big difference in the way we call upon God.
Illus: One thing every parent ought to do when a child is first born is sing to that child the little chorus we all learned in Sunday school, “JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW; FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!” They should sing it to them often so the truth can become engrained in them that JESUS LOVES THEM!
Then, when that child grows up and faces difficulties in life, he can look the enemy square in the eyes and say, “JESUS LOVES ME AND JESUS WILL PROTECT ME FROM ALL THE HARM THAT CONFRONTS ME.”
David was going through one of the most trying times in his life. During that time he saw God as a WARRIOR Who would interpose Himself between David and his enemies.
David saw God as a WARRIOR Who had empathy for His people and would come to the defense of His people. That was why He said, in verses 2-3, “Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” Having this mental picture of God, as a caring God, David did not hesitate to ask God, as a warrior, to defend him. Then look at...
D. David’s plan. So often, when Christians pray, they are so vague in their prayers that they do not know themselves just what they want from God. If God gave them what they needed, He would not receive the glory because they would not know that was what they needed even if God provided it.
Illus: Suppose someone went to get some ice cream in a parlor that sold 150 different kinds of ice cream. Suppose he walked in and the clerk asked, “May I help you?” Suppose that customer says, “Yes, I want some ice cream.” The store clerk thinks, “Oh really, I thought you came to buy a pair of shoes...” After a few minutes the customer is standing and still has no ice cream, even though that is what he wants. He finally realizes he needs to tell the clerk WHAT KIND of ice cream he wants. He tells the clerk, and in a few minutes he is eating ice cream.
Many people approach God in that manner. They bow, and pray, “GOD, HELP ME!" One may assume they want help, but WHAT KIND OF HELP do they want from God?
We have to be specific in our prayers before God.
Illus: A sailor who was known to pray prayers that were not specific had not received any answers to any of his prayers that he knew of. One day he was standing on the bridge of a ship. He looked across the ocean and saw someone had launched a torpedo and it was heading directly at where he was standing. He knew he would be a dead man in only a few seconds. He called upon God and for the first time prayed a specific prayer. He prayed, “O God, stop that torpedo that is coming due west at thirty knots. Stop it and stop it NOW!”
We need to have a specific plan when we come to the Lord.
No one could ever accuse David of being nebulous when he prayed. David asked God to do some very specific things. Look at verse 4. We read, “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.” Some feel that David had a mean streak, or was very malicious in his prayers, but he was not. He was only asking God for JUSTICE, and this was partly because David was concerned about the honor of God’s name. Listen, it is never wrong to ask for JUSTICE. The godly can not be godly and at the same time wish evil doers well in their evil doing.
Illus: That would be like standing on the outside of a liquor store and asking God to bless those who sell liquor to people who are destroying lives.
Illus: C. H. Spurgeon’s response, to those who object to David’s plea in Psalm 35 on the grounds they feel it was too malicious, was, “Squeamish sentimentality may object to the strong language here used, but in their hearts all good men wish confusion to mischief makers.”
David pled with God to send only CONFUSION and SHAME to the evil men. Then look at Psalm 35:5. We read, “Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.”
Illus: David was speaking of the man who had just swept his floors and then all of a sudden the wind blew the pile of chaff back so it again covered the floor.
With this in mind he says, “...as chaff before the wind...”
That is, they were quick enough to “blow” into his life and ATTACK HIM, so David pleaded with God that He might cause them to be just as quick to FLEE. Some people face the same problems decade after decade. David did not want to do this. He asked God to end that thing and end it fast. He continued to pray for some very specific things. Look at verse 6. We read, “Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.” David had been chased all over the country by those wicked men. He prayed that the ANGEL OF THE LORD WOULD CHASE THEM. Now look at the specific details he requested of the Lord. His enemies had caused him much pain, but look at the words in verse 6. We read, “...let the angel of the LORD persecute them.” David was saying, “God, they have PERSECUTED ME, now You PERSECUTE THEM. Make the path they travel DARK and SLIPPERY."
Illus: David was telling God those people had planned nothing except bad things for him, and he wanted God to allow all of their plans to boomerang and come back to attack them.
The things David asked for may seem malicious, but that is because we can not feel the pain and agony he was feeling. We are only bystanders, reading of the incident. HOW EASY IT IS FOR US TO JUDGE HIM AS BEING HARSH WHEN WE DO NOT FEEL ANY OF THE PAIN HE FELT.
Illus: It never ceases to amaze most Christians how a man can brutally rape and kill a woman, or women. Then, when he is sentenced to die, all these bleeding hearts stand around with placards stating they protest his being executed. They do not feel the pain of the mother or father who lost their child. They do not feel the pain of the brother or sister that the murderer has inflicted misery on their family. How pure the protesters want to appear as they leisurely, or sometimes forcefully, express their views that the rapist/murderer should be spared.
If there was an ounce of justice in them, they would be standing with the victim’s family members, holding placards that state, “HE WHO TAKES A LIFE SHOULD FORFEIT HIS OWN LIFE.” In other words, those who protest the execution of one who would deliberately murder are saying that their definition of justice is to imprison the murderer and ask the victim’s family, who have been left with nothing but a broken heart, to give tax money to feed, clothe, shelter, and provide free health care to the murderer of their loved one. It is so easy for people who are standing by to see someone in AGONY and accuse him of being MALICIOUS.
Illus: How would they feel if it was their mother, wife, daughter, or sister that was raped and/or killed? I can almost guarantee that they would not be standing with the bleeding hearts then, asking the courts to have mercy on that murderer.
How easy it is for Christians of our day to read what David said, as he was going through one of the most difficult times in his life, and judge him to be mean-streaked in his praying. Justice sometimes is cruel, but the alternative is injustice. David was being attacked WITHOUT CAUSE! He told God, “I am only doing what You told me to do. So actually they are not attacking me. They are attacking You!” That was why he prayed, “Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.”
D. David’s pleasure. Look at verse 9. We read, “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.” This is a very important verse. Notice David’s reaction when God does what David asked Him to do. David said, “...my soul shall be joyful in the Lord...” Notice, David’s joy was not in the sufferings of his enemies. His joy was in the Lord, Who loved him enough to take care of him. We do not find our joy in the destruction of others, but in the salvation given to us by God. Look at verse 10. We read, “All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?”
David rejoiced in the Lord of justice.
Conclusion: A young man was on a date with his girlfriend. They were parked in his car. A man, who just happened to be traveling through, saw them, sneaked up behind the car, and shot the boy in the head. He then brutally raped the girl and then killed her. He was later indicted, and finally sentenced to die in the electric chair in Columbia, S. C.
The young girl that was killed was from a very close-knit family. When the sentence was passed for the man to die, they were there. When the time came for him to be executed for the heinous crime he had committed, they were also there. As an uncle came from that execution, he had an expression of contentment on his face. He was asked if he rejoiced over the death of the man. He said, “I do not rejoice at any man’s dying, but I do rejoice that I live in a country where my nephew could get the nearest thing to justice he could possibly get for what was done to him.”
(Part 1 of 2)
I. DAVID’S PETITION
A. David’s plea
B. David’s protector
C. David’s pleasure
