EXPOSITION OF PSALM 35 (2)
Verses 1-10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This psalm may be divided into three prayers: 1. when enemies persecute (vv.1-10); 2. when enemies reward good with evil (vv.11-18); 3. when enemies rejoice (vv.19-28).

I. Prayer when enemies persecute (vv.1-10). The keynote to this division is found in the phrase "Say to my soul, I am your salvation" (v.3b). Three things regarding this salvation are set forth in this division: it comes from Jehovah alone (vv.1-3); it implies the damnation of the wicked (vv.4-8); it receives the praise of the saved (vv.9f).

35:1 "Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; ..." Christ is the saint's Exemplar in this regard (1 Peter 2:23): "who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously." His people today, when assailed by their enemies, do not strive and fight against them, but rather turn to Him as both their Advocate (1 John 2:1) and Judge (John 5:22). He will as their Advocate answer every charge laid against His saints by "the accuser of our brethren", and then as Judge cast him down for all eternity (Revelation 20:10).

"... Fight against those who fight against me." In the first half of this verse we observed that the saint is to neither plead against those who plead against him nor strive with those who strive against him. Here we observe that he also is not to fight against those who fight against him. Saints must ever remember that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12). And they must heed the admonition "do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written [Deuteronomy 32:35], 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord'" (Romans 12:19). He requires His people to "Pursue peace with all people" (Hebrews 12:14), while assuring them that against their enemies "The LORD is a man of war" (Exodus 15:3). And as He fought against Pharaoh and his army when they pursued His people (Exodus ch.15), so will He fight against the enemies of His people today.

35:2 "Take hold of shield and buckler, / And stand up for my help." These are defensive weapons. When the saint is confronted by his spiritual enemy, he is to "stand against the wiles of the devil" with "the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" (Ephesians 6:11, 16). But when the saint is confronted by a mortal enemy, he is to rely upon Christ to take hold of His own shield and stand in his defense. Christ Himself is "a shield to all who trust in Him" (Psalm 18:30), the saint's "shield of your help" (Deuteronomy 33:29) and "shield of your salvation" (2 Samuel 22:36). Saints therefore confess, "For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12).

35:3 "Also draw out the spear, / And stop those who pursue me. ..." As the "shield" is a defensive weapon, the "spear" is an offensive weapon, much like the sword. The saint when attacking his spiritual enemy wields the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). But against his mortal enemy in spiritual matters he obeys Christ's command, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52). He furthermore relies upon Christ to be his "sword of the LORD" (Jeremiah 12:12), of whom it is written "Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations" (Revelation 19:15). As surely as Christ in His defensive mode will "stand up for my help" (v.2), He will in His offensive mode "stop those who pursue me" (here). The saint can with confidence declare to his enemy - as the psalmist said to the giant Goliath, "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's [not the saints', as in 2 Chronicles 20:15], and He will give you into our hands" (1 Samuel 17:47).

"... Say to my soul, / 'I am your salvation.'" Jesus Christ is not only the saint's Savior, but also his Salvation! He is not only the One performingsalvation, but also the salvation wrought! But although the saint has known this from the very first day of his salvation, he requests Christ remind him of it in the day of persecution. Christ will come riding on "chariots of salvation" with His "bow made quite ready" (Habakkuk 3:8f), and manifest Himself as "the God of my salvation" (Psalm 18:46), "the Rock of my salvation" (2 Samuel 22:47), "the tower of salvation" (2 Samuel 22:51), the "horn of salvation" (Luke 1:69), "the strength of my salvation" (Psalm 140:7). "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). He will again turn the day of trouble into "the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

35:4 "Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor / Who seek after my life; / Let those be turned back and brought to confusion / Who plot my hurt." "Let ..." appears nine times in verses 4-8 (vv.4a,b, 5a,b, 6a,b, 8a,b,c). 1. These are not malicious words against men, for as men we desire their salvation (as in Romans 10:1). But if they are determined to do that which will destroy themselves, we must "let" them because we are powerless to prevent them. 2. Rather, these are justified words against Christ's enemies. And Christ Himself is our Exemplar in this regard (as in Matthew 27:37f): "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate." Saints lovingly go forth into the world with the good news that Christ will receive sinners; but if they reject Christ and persecute His messengers, then let them in justice receive the desolation they are determined to bring upon themselves. 3. And these are prophetic words of what will occur at the last day (Revelation 20:7-9): Satan will lead the four corners of the earth in an assault against those who have found refuge in Christ, but Christ will come to their aid and destroy their enemies - forever turning them back and bringing them to confusion, and putting them to shame and bringing them to the dishonor.

35:5 "Let them be like chaff before the wind, ..." If men refuse to come to Christ (Psalm 1:1-3), they shall be "like the chaff which the wind drives away" (v.4). It is said of Christ, "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).

"... And let the angel of the LORD chase them." Christ is this Angel of Jehovah (as in Exodus 3:2ff). He "encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7). But in so doing He also chases away their enemies (here) and pursues them to their final destruction (v.6).

35:6 "Let their way be dark and slippery, / And let the angel of the LORD pursue them." If men refuse to come to Christ the Light (John 3:19f) and to stand securely on Christ the Rock (Psalm 40:2), Jehovah says "their way shall be to them like slippery ways [cp. Deuteronomy 32:35]; in the darkness they shall be driven on and fall in them [cp. Job 18:18]; for I will bring disaster on them, the year of their punishment" (Jeremiah 23:12).

35:7 "For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, / Which they have dug without cause for my life." They did so against Christ (as in Matthew 26:4; 27:1). They will do so against His people (as in Acts 23:12ff).

35:8 "Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, / And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; / Into that very destruction let him fall." The wicked are like Haman (in the Book of Esther), who erected a gallows for a godly man and plotted the destruction of a godly nation, but outwitted himself and fell victim to his own plots – and at a time when he least expected it.

35:9 "And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; / It shall rejoice in His salvation." The psalmist did not rejoice in the death of his arch-nemesis; rather, he mourned for him (2 Samuel 1:17ff). But he did indeed rejoice in the Lord who delivered him from his enemy. Saints today do the same.

35:10 "All my bones shall say, ..." "All my bones" means every member of my body. This is true of every member of our physical body. And this is true of every member of the spiritual body of Christ (as in Romans 12:4f). When Christ the Head of the body rejoices, every member of His body rejoices with Him.

"... 'LORD, who is like You, Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, / Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?'" Who can bring deliverance from enemies like Christ can? He is incomparable - greater than earthly oppressors like Pharaoh (Exodus 15:1-21), spiritual oppressors like Babylon (Revelation 18:1-19:6), and even our arch-oppressor Satan (Revelation 20:7-10). Let the poor and needy rejoice in this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~