Psalms 35 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 35

Great Is the Lord

Of David.

35:1   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 javelin¹
    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.²
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   Malicious³ witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
12   They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.⁴
13   But I, when they were sick—
    I wore sackcloth;
    I afflicted myself with fasting;
  I prayed with head bowed⁵ 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,⁶
    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.

Footnotes

[1] 35:3 Or and close the way
[2] 35:7 The word pit is transposed from the preceding line; Hebrew For without cause they hid the pit of their net for me; without cause they dug for my life
[3] 35:11 Or Violent
[4] 35:12 Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul
[5] 35:13 Or my prayer shall turn back
[6] 35:16 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain

Commentary

Prayer in a time of affliction, especially regarding those who hate God; see also Ps 52; 58; 59; 69; 109; 137.

v1: David looks to the Lord to defend him; see v24; Ps 70; Luke 18.7; Deut 20.4; he does not seek to defend himself.

v2-3: It is the Lord who is his shield and buckler, spear and javelin, bringing protection and deliverance. He looks to the Lord to bring assurance of salvation, 'Say to my soul.'

v4-8: David's prayer; that the Lord would judge those who hated and attacked him. Persecution "without cause" may be a reference to Saul's persecution of David. David had sought to maintain a life of integrity and godliness, but his enemies had continued to pursue him.

v9-10: Joy in divine salvation, as God's justice prevails.

v11-14: See Matt 5.43-47; David had showed genuine concern for those who became his enemies. This is true justice. We do not return like-for-like, but we also show compassion to those who oppose us.

v15-16: In contrast to David's concern, they repaid good with evil.

v17-18: Through the time of immense hardship, he maintained a close walk with the Lord; this will enable us to cope spiritually and victoriously with trials and temptations. As the Lord brings us through, we rejoice in Him and give thanks.

v19-21: Fresh attacks and fresh prayer. Persecution and suffering may be persistent; our prayer must be equally persistent.

v22-26: Vengeance is the Lord's; His righteousness and justice in action. We are not to consider repaying wrongs ourselves. The emphasis here is on fairness, on being heard by God Himself, who will uphold true justice. It is something for life today; the Psalmist does not refer to the final judgment at end of the ages.

v27-28: The knowledge that we are not alone; the faithful remnant bringing mutual encouragement.

At the end of each section there is rejoicing, v9, 18, 27-28.