Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” 4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! 9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” 11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. 13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. 14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16 like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth. 17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you. 19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!” 22 You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! 23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! 24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart's desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” 26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! 27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long. Meditation I am a people pleaser and my idolatry of acceptance must be removed as it is incompatible with the life of a Jesus follower. Practically, I cannot serve Jesus and humans (Galatians 1:10). Realistically, Jesus followers will have no sustainability if we need everyone to like us. Jesus saw Psalm 35 as His predestined path (John 15:18-25). We should embrace it as power in prayer when people are not pleased with our following the King. David looks to Divine defense when people he trusted turn against him, asking God to contend for him against those who contend against him. David calls upon the Lord to turn back those who seek to harm him, to drive away danger and destruction through deliverance. David asks God to be truth where others speak lies, to bring peace where there is violence, and to protect where there are problems. Deliverance may seem delayed as David laments the difficulty asking, “How Long!... be not silent!” But the psalm orients the heart of God’s people to trust from the depths of our soul, finding strength for our bones, and to praise with our tongues: “Great is the Lord who delights in the welfare of His servant!” Jesus promised His followers the world would hate us if it hated Him (John 15:18). We can plan on persecution if we follow Him. To sustain faith we must kill our idol of people pleasing and social acceptance, finding our security and strength in God alone. Richly Dwelling -Do you struggle with people pleasing and the idol of acceptance? How do your idols interfere with your faithfulness in following Jesus? -Jesus promises persecution if we follow Him. How do the descriptions of persecution resonate with your experiences? -How do the promises of this Psalm orient the eyes of your heart to hope only in God? Key Verse 27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa & together they have four adventurous children. |