Psalm 35: Complaining to Confidence

​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
God’s covenant faithfulness is concrete and His sovereign grace transforms complaints into confidence.
 
David’s complaints run in three cycles, each including direct address to “The Lord…” (1, 17, 22). The anointed king of Israel looked to the Lord to contend on his behalf (1, 23), the language matching David’s years of running and hiding from king Saul (see especially David being pursued to death without reason in 35:7; 1 Samuel 20:1). David prayed for God to defeat his enemies (1-10), lamented the irrational malevolence he was experiencing (11-18), and concluded with confident praise (19-28). God’s covenant faithfulness is big enough for our complaints and strong enough to build His kingdom in the midst of evil.
 
David’s psalm orients the heart of God’s people who sing this song to honestly face the contentious realities of life while anchoring hope in God’s sovereign strength. If the world hates the true king, it will hate his people too (John 18:18-25). But complaining is never the end of our prayer when we cast our care on the Lord. Strength comes to our bones as praise comes from our lips: “Great is the Lord who delights in the welfare of His servant!” 
 
Jesus embodied this journey, using this song of complaint as framework to understand His suffering (John 15:25). Jesus gave Himself to evil and defeated death so His disciples can have courage to join the journey of this psalm, complaining about the combative realities associated with following the king to discover courage and confidence that cascades from our soul when we celebrate His covenant care.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from David’s psalm, especially the bold honesty in his complaints and the courage with which he concludes?
 
-Where do you need to trust God’s covenant care enough to complain about the contentious realities of your discipleship?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus, Him even using this psalm to explain His own suffering, give you courage to not only lean into God’s Covenant faithfulness but also to trust His sovereignty over your difficulties?
 
Key Verse
7    For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.