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Psalm 35:1-10
“Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.
Take up shield and armor;
arise and come to my aid.
Brandish spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.”
May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back in dismay.
May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away;
may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
Since they hid their net for me without cause
and without cause dug a pit for me,
may ruin overtake them by surprise—
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.
My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you, Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
Some psalms are familiar and comforting, easy to memorize and pray. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want” (Psalm 23). “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship him with gladness” (Psalm 100). “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm121).
Psalm 35 is not one of those psalms. I debated about picking an “easier” passage to write about. But the psalms reflect all of life. There are hard truths and difficult circumstances, and God knew we needed words to express those too. In Psalm 35, David is pleading with God, crying out against injustice and calling for vengeance against those who were actively seeking to destroy him. He was being treated unfairly, falsely accused, and mocked. He’s had enough and he wanted things set right. Two things become clear when we look closely at his words.
First, David does not seek personal revenge for himself. He recognizes that his enemies’ pursuit of him is actually a pursuit against God. Vindication and justice belong to God alone. We often feel the same sense of injustice today; like everyone and everything is working against us. Living in this broken world can be overwhelming and we cry out to God for relief. Paul reminds us that “...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). With David, we remember that the battle belongs to God. He is the only righteous One who can bring justice and avenge sin.
Second, David confidently trusts that God will deliver him. God will expose the evil for what it is and he praises God in advance for his mighty power and good works. David lived in anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promises; we live in the reality of their fulfillment. On the cross, God defeated Satan. He disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, and triumphing over them (Col. 2:15). We, whose sins have been forgiven, whose debt has been paid, are no longer condemned. Freed from Satan’s power, we are alive in Christ. Jesus’ victory is our victory.
And therefore, we can confidently declare with David,
“My soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.
My whole being will exclaim, ‘Who is like you, LORD?’”