1 Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell Prayer for Vengeance Psalm 109:1-31
2 Text: Psalm 109:1-31, Prayer for Vengeance Commentary by Clyde M. Miller 1. O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, 2. for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. 3. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. 4. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. 5. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. 6. Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. 8. May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. 9. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. 10. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. 11. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. 12. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. 13. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
3 14. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. 15. May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. 16. For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. 17. He loved to pronounce a curse may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing may it be far from him. 18. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. 19. May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. 20. May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. 21. But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. 22. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 23. I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. 24. My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. 25. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. 26. Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. 27. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it. 28. They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice. 29. My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. 30. With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise him. 31. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. NIV
4 Introduction: I. This psalm, along with Ps. 69, contains the strongest imprecation against enemies to be found in the Bible (see the excursus at the end of Ps. 79). A. Psalm 69:1-36, Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards. But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes. You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my
5 enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there. NIV B. Psalm 79:1-13, O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have given the dead bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead. We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us. How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the
6 nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland. Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake. Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants. May the groans of the prisoners come before you; by the strength of your arm preserve those condemned to die. Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the reproach they have hurled at you, O Lord. Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. NIV II. A curse is pronounced upon the entire family of the enemy (Ps. 108:9-10) and upon his posterity (Ps. 109:13). A. Psalm 108:9, 10, Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? NIV B. Psalm 109:13, May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. NIV III. Even in the New Testament, God promises to vindicate His enemies who persecute His faithful people (Luke 18:1-8; Rev. 6:9-11). A. Luke 18:1-8, Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in
7 that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'" For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" NIV B. Revelation 6:9-11, When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. NIV IV. In both testaments, however, man is discouraged from taking personal vengeance on his enemies (Lev. 19:18; Rom. 12:19-21; Deut. 32:35; Prov. 25:21-22). A. Leviticus 19:18, "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. NIV B. Romans 12:19-21, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
8 something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NIV C. Deuteronomy 32:35, It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." NIV D. Proverbs 25:21, 22, If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. NIV V. The recognition of God's judgment on the wicked (Acts 23:3; 2 Tim. 4:14; 2 Thess. 2:8-12) is coupled with prayer on their behalf (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; 2 Tim. 4:16). A. Acts 23:3, Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" NIV B. 2 Timothy 4:14, Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. NIV C. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12, And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will be-
9 lieve the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. NIV D. Luke 23:34, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. NIV E. Acts 7:60, Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. NIV F. 2 Timothy 4:16, At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. NIV VI. The Bible reveals a final day of judgment followed by the sealing of the destinies of men. A. Those who have done evil and failed to repent of it will enter into eternal torment (2 Thess. 1:1-10). 1. 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief
10 to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. NIV B. These facts, plus the example of our Lord, make it easier for the Christian not to avenge himself. VII. Perhaps the greatest element in these cries for vengeance in the Old Testament is the recognition that divine justice demands that the righteous be vindicated and that the wicked be destroyed. A. The fact of the matter is that God's forgiveness of the wicked is always contingent upon their repentance. Commentary: The Complaint Psalm 109:1-5, O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. NIV Ps. 109:1, O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, NIV
11 I. Do not remain silent (1b) means do not let the wrong go unpunished (cf. Ps. 50:3,21). A. Psalm 50:3, 21, Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. NIV B. The psalmist declares his innocence. Ps. 109:2, 3, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. NIV I. His enemies speak deceitful lies against him, for the charges brought against him are not true. Ps. 109:4, 5, In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. NIV I. His enemies repay him evil for good (5a) and hatred for friendship (5b, literally, love, Aahab). A. But I am a man of prayer (4b) is literally, But I am (all) prayer (cf. KJV, NASB). B. The elliptical Hebrew phrase does not indicate specifically that he was praying on behalf of his enemies, though the context might imply as much. C. In light of the total context of the psalm, this interpretation is difficult to accept, although a better explanation is lacking.
12 An Imprecation Psalm 109:6-20, Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. He loved to pronounce a curse may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. NIV Ps. 109:6, 7, Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. NIV I. An evil man, catan, (6a) can mean Satan, or any adversary. II. The psalmist has been falsely accused, perhaps even in a law court (4); therefore, he prays punishment to come upon his accuser.
13 A. They accuse me (4a) an accuser (6a) and my accusers (20,29) are from the same root. Psalm 109:4, 6, 20, 29, In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. NIV III. The expression stand at his right hand (6b) refers to the lawyer for the prosecution, or possibly to the accuser, depending on how the law courts were structured (cf. 31). Psalm 109:6, 31, Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. NIV IV. The change from plural (2-5) to singular may suggest that one person was responsible for arousing a conspiracy against him. A. Psalm 109:2-5, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. NIV B. (Cf. Ps. 55, where there is a shift from plural enemies in Ps. 109:2-3,9-11,15,18-19,23 to a single enemy in Ps. 109:12-14 and Ps. 109:20-21). 1. Psalm 55:1-23, Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice
14 of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest- I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm." Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city. Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it. Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets. If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God. Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them. But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them Selah men who never change their ways and have no fear of God. My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords. Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and
15 deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you. NIV 2. Psalm 109:2, 3, 9-11, 15, 18, 19, 23, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. NIV 3. Psalm 109:12-14, May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. NIV 4. Psalm 109:20, 21, May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. NIV
16 C. In Ps. 109:7, the psalmist is asking that his false accuser be found to be a sinner, which would make his accuser s prayer an abomination in the sight of the Lord (cf. Ps. 66:18). 1. Psalm 109:7, I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. NIV 2. Psalm 66:18, If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; NIV Ps. 109:8, May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. NIV I. Next (8-15), the psalmist prays for the complete disgrace and obliteration of the entire family of his accuser. A. Psalm 109:8-15, May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. NIV B. A short life span was considered a judgment from God resulting from one's sins (cf. Ps. 55:23; Jer. 17:11; Isa. 38:6,17). 1. Psalm 55:23, But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and
17 deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you. NIV 2. Jeremiah 17:11, Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool. NIV 3. Isaiah 38:6, 17, And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back. NIV Ps. 109:9-12, May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. NIV I. Since the fatherless (9a) and the widow (9b) were frequently without legal rights, and since creditors often seized a person's goods in payment of debts, the very circumstances here wished for sometimes happened. A. The fatherless and the widows are often classed as subjects for charity on the part of Israel (cf. Deut. 14:28-29; 16:9-12). 1. Deuteronomy 14:28, 29, At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that
18 the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. NIV 2. Deuteronomy 16:9-12, Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees. NIV Ps. 109:13, May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. NIV I. That it was a dishonor for a man to die without sons to carry on the family name can be seen in the law pertaining to levirate marriage (Deut. 25:1-10). A. Deuteronomy 25:1-10, When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes. Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a
19 brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me." Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, "I do not want to marry her," his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled. NIV Ps. 109:14, 15, May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. NIV I. In light of the context, these verses must be a prayer that everlasting disgrace may attend his enemy's ancestry. A. God would never hold the father guilty for the sins of his children if the father did what was lawful and right (Ezek. 18:1-13,20). 1. Ezekiel 18:1-13, 20, The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: "'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is
20 the one who will die. "Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or lie with a woman during her period. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He does not lend at usury or take excessive interest. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between man and man. He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD. "Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things (though the father has done none of them): "He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his neighbor's wife. He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things. He lends at usury and takes excessive interest. Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. NIV Ps. 109:16-21, For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. He loved to pronounce a curse may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like
21 oil. May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. NIV I. The poor, the needy and the brokenhearted (16b,c), along with the fatherless and the widow (v. 12) were special objects of God s care because of their relative helplessness in finding redress. A. Since his accuser has relentlessly cursed and wronged him, may the accuser be continually cursed. B. Since he hounded to death his enemy (16b), may he find curses against himself to be like a garment worn daily (19a) and like a body saturated like water and oil (v. 18). II. Note that the psalmist has returned to a consideration of the group of enemies (v. 20). Ps. 109:22-24, For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. NIV I. The psalmist's physical distress that has greatly weakened him is cause for God to act (cf. v. 16). Ps. 109:25, I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. NIV I. The mental agony of social disgrace is cause enough to cause God to deliver him. A. Disdainfully shaking the head was a form of scorn.
22 Ps. 109:26, 27, Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it. NIV I. The psalmist prays God to act in a fashion that demonstrates that his deliverance is God's work. Ps. 109:28, 29, They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice. My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. NIV I. Though his enemies curse the psalmist, God will bless him. A. When they attack (literally, arise ), they shall be put to shame. 1. The word for "arise" is to be taken as a future perfect introducing a conditional sentence. 2. Taken in this sense, the half verse is a declaration of trust. 3. The Greek translates with a plural participle, them that rise up against me or my assailants (28b). A Promise to Praise God Psalm 109:30, 31, With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. NIV
23 Ps. 109:30, With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise him. NIV I. With full confidence that God will vindicate him, he contemplates the subsequent praise which he will render to God. Psalm 109:31, For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. NIV I. Rather than an accuser standing at his right hand (cf. Ps. 109:6b, notes), God will stand there as judge or perhaps as lawyer for the defense. A. Therefore, the needy will be delivered from the death penalty. Application: I. Patience under duress is difficult. A. It is much easier to curse one s enemies than to hope for their conversion and salvation. 1. God, however, does not expect us always to take the easy way. 2. He expects us to wait (be patient for) Him to act in His own good way and time. B. In due season we shall reap if we do not faint (Gal. 6:9). 1. Galatians 6:9, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. NIV
24 Questions Psalm 109:1-31 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Who wrote Psalm 109? For whom was it written? What was the purpose for writing Psalm 109? What is its theme? 2. O, whom I, do not, for and men have their against me; they have against me with. With of they me; they me without. In for my they me, but I am a man of. They me for, and for my. 3. List the behavior and attitudinal characteristics of the psalmist s enemies.
25 4. an to him; let an at his. When he is, let him be found, and may his him. May his be ; may another take his of. May his be and his a widow. May his be ; may they be from their. May a seize all he has; may the of his. May to him or on his. May his be, their out from the. May the of his be before the ; may the of his never be. May their always before the, that he may the of them from the. 5. List item by item what the psalmist wanted his enemies to experience.
26 6. Would it be wrong for us to ask God to bring these woes on our enemies? Why or why not? Was it wrong for the psalmist to pray in this manner? Explain the reasoning on which your answer is based. _ 7. For he of doing a, but to the and the and the. He to a - may it come on him; he found no in - may it be from him. He as his ; it his like, into his like. May it be like a about him, like a about him. May this be the s to my, to those who of me. 8. Of what other evil things (verses 16-20) does the psalmist accuse his enemies? What other things did the psalmist want to befall them? 9. But you, O with for your s ; out of the of your, me. For I am and
27 and my is within. I like an ; I am like a. My give from ; my is and. I am an of to my ; when they see me, they their. 10. What did the psalmist ask God to do for him? Why did the psalmist think God would bless him and punish his enemies? 11., O my ; me in with your. Let them that it is your, that you, O, have it. They may, but you will ; when they they will be put to, but your will. My will be with and in as in a. 12. With my I will the ; in the I will him. For he at the of the, to his from those who him.
28 13. What does the New Testament say about God s punishment on those who persecute His faithful people? 14. What do the Old and New Testament say about taking personal vengeance on one s enemies? 15. How can the recognition of God s judgment on the wicked be reconciled with prayer on their behalf? 16. demands that the be and that the be. s of the is always upon their. 17. Why, in some verses, are plural enemies in view while in other verses single enemies are in consideration?
29 18. What is the significance of the expression stand at his right hand in verse 6? 19. To the ancients what did a short life span indicate? Is this ever true today? 20. What was the frequent plight of the fatherless and widows in ancient times? 21. Why was it considered a dishonor for a man to die without sons? _
30 22. Under what conditions might a father be found responsible for the sins of his children? 23. The, the and the along with the and the were of s because of their in finding. 24. The mental agony of social disgrace... Is there as much of this as there used to be? Have you ever experienced this condition? In our society what can produce social disgrace? 25. With that will him, he the which he will to. Rather than an at his, will as a or perhaps as for the. It is much easier to one s than to hope for their and. does not us to take the.