(Psalm 109:1-31)
1 God of my praise,
Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened a wicked and deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And have fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they act as my accusers;
But I am in prayer.
5 So they have repaid me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked person over him,
And may an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, may he come out guilty,
And may his prayer become sin.
8 May his days be few;
May another take his office.
9 May his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg;
And may they seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.
11 May the creditor seize everything that he has,
And may strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 May there be none to extend kindness to him,
Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be eliminated;
May their name be wiped out in a following generation.
14 May the guilt of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be wiped out.
15 May they be before the Lord continually,
So that He may eliminate their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the afflicted and needy person,
And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it entered his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19 May it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself,
And as a belt which he constantly wears around himself.
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name;
Because Your mercy is good, rescue me;
22 For I am afflicted and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like the locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a disgrace to them;
When they see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, Lord my God;
Save me according to Your mercy.
27 And may they know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 They will curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they will be ashamed,
But Your servant will be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And may they cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And I will praise Him in the midst of many.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened a wicked and deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And have fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they act as my accusers;
But I am in prayer.
5 So they have repaid me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked person over him,
And may an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, may he come out guilty,
And may his prayer become sin.
8 May his days be few;
May another take his office.
9 May his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg;
And may they seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.
11 May the creditor seize everything that he has,
And may strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 May there be none to extend kindness to him,
Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be eliminated;
May their name be wiped out in a following generation.
14 May the guilt of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be wiped out.
15 May they be before the Lord continually,
So that He may eliminate their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the afflicted and needy person,
And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it entered his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19 May it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself,
And as a belt which he constantly wears around himself.
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name;
Because Your mercy is good, rescue me;
22 For I am afflicted and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like the locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a disgrace to them;
When they see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, Lord my God;
Save me according to Your mercy.
27 And may they know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 They will curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they will be ashamed,
But Your servant will be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And may they cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And I will praise Him in the midst of many.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
I'm sure most of us have had some enemies, as well as "frenemies". in our lives at one point or another. With outright enemies, at least one knows where they stand with them, but it hurts more when a friend or loved one suddenly turns on us. From other Bible verses, we know that God tells us to love our enemies, pray for them, and even be kind to them; so how do we justify these verses above?
We see how merciful and patient God is just from how He allowed David to vent. But in his venting, David was not wrong. First of all, David was not the one who was going to seek vengeance or retribution, he asked God to take care of that; and verses 4-5 demonstrate that David did show love and goodness to them. In fact, while everyone is able to experience God's goodness in their lives, not everyone responds to that.
Some people need to get really uncomfortable before they see their need for God, and then realize and accept His goodness and mercy. So when we pray for our enemies (and "frenemies"), it's not to ask that they experience success or live healthy, happy, trouble-free lives... Not at all! We should be praying for their salvation!!! And this doesn't even go for just enemies, but all our loved ones who are not yet believers.
Verse 28 demonstrates that God blesses, even though people curse. God does not tempt or hurt, but He will allow consequences to fall on people, and one day He will judge all unbelievers for the sins they have committed. And even the act of sending them to hell... it is not of God. God created hell for the demons. And if a person decides to reject the Lord, it stands to reason that they wouldn't even want to live in the Lord's home for all eternity.
God created us to have a personal relationship with Him, and desires that all come to know Him; but because He is love, He does not force anyone to love Him back. Because God is holy, He cannot have a relationship with sin, but because He is love, He came in flesh to pay the price for sin, to provide a way. When we accept His free gift of salvation, all our sins are forgiven, and we are clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, able to call God our heavenly Father.
At the end of this passage, though, David comes back to how he realizes his need for God! The "needy" is not referring to those who are necessarily financially poor, but those who recognize their need to be saved by the Lord, and have a personal relationship with Him. They are those who realize their need to have God in their lives each and every day, for every breath they take. They are those who need to show their appreciation for God by praising and thanking Him in and for everything! And in this, according to verses 26-27, David hopes that the unbelieving enemies will see how God does rescue and help!
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