Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The Righteous King | The Writings | Psalm 35

Episode Date: February 16, 2024

Can you see Jesus throughout the Old Testament? What about in the Psalms? In today's episode, Jeff explores Psalm 35 and explains how it fits into the unified story that the Bible tells. Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 35

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jeff Parrott. Have you ever felt embarrassed by the company you keep? Years ago, I went to a professional baseball game with some good friends. Go Royals. And someone in our group started yelling at the players and umpires. Not just once or twice during big plays, but incessant yelling. Despite our efforts to calm him down and reasoned with him, he continued to make a huge scene during the game. It was impossible to not feel the ever-present judgment of people glaring at us. Now, we loved our friend, and at the same time, we didn't really want to be associated with him during those nine painful innings. I think that complicated feeling can be what many people

experience when we encounter passages in the Bible that make us feel uncomfortable, not necessarily because they challenge us, but because they might embarrass us. It's like my friend at the baseball game. We know we're supposed to love all of God's word, but there are some parts of it that we don't really want to be associated with. That's a pretty common sentiment when we encounter the imprecatory Psalms, Psalms that in one way or another call down curses on the enemy of the king of Israel. Psalm 35 is one of those Psalms, and parts of it might make us squirm at first glance. followers of Jesus, from lay people to pastors and scholars, they all wrestle with how we should think about these Psalms in light of Jesus' commands to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

Is Psalm 35, like the embarrassing friend that we know we're supposed to love but don't want to be seen with? Or is there something deeper and bigger at play that changes how we live in a time of exile? Now, many commentators break up Psalm 35 into three main divisions, and for the sake of time, we'll go ahead and observe major themes in each of those sections. The first ten verses introduce us to the enemies of King David, but they begin by directing our attention to the Lord as a warrior. Let's pick up in verse one. Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and rise up for my help. the spear and javelin against my pursuers, say to my soul, I am your salvation. 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. Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away. Let their way be dark and slippery with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. For without cause, they hid their net for me. without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it. And let the net that he hid and snare him. Let him fall into it to his destruction. Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation.

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. Now let's start our observations with where the psalm starts. with the Lord, the king who is with David and fighting for David. Out of the gate, we see a God-centeredness in this Psalm. After the metaphorical reminders of God's power, David directly appeals to God in verse 3, for a reminder that it is God Himself who is His salvation.

That same truth is brought back around in verse 9. David's salvation is not found in himself, but in the Lord. The God-oriented foundation of these first 10 verses, they're massively instructive for followers of Jesus today, and they'll stay in focus as we keep going. But before we go on to the second section of the Psalm, let's recognize some features about King David's enemies. Verse 7 highlights the fact that their violence against him is without cause. That's a phrase that's repeated twice for emphasis.

So whatever is happening to David, it can't be justified or explained away. The unjust nature of David's suffering gives us some helpful context here, and maybe it helps us empathize with him in a significant way, but it still probably doesn't alleviate the tension that many people feel as David asks for the destruction of those who are as enemies. For most of us, Psalm 35 probably still feels like the awkward friend we want to keep at a distance. But let's keep reading. The second section, verses 11 through 18, that continue by describing the mob mentality,

of those who are persecuting David. Malicious witnesses rise up. They ask of me things that I do not know. They repay me evil for good. My soul is bereft. But I, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth. I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

I went about as though I grieved for my friend, for my brother. As one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning. But at my stumbling, they rejoiced and gathered. They gathered together together. against me. Wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing. Like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth. How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions. I will thank you in the great congregation,

the mighty throng, I will praise you. Now these verses reveal a tragic, complicated layer at play in the work of David's enemies. They aren't just wounding, David. David, they're betraying him. And what was meant to be a two-way relationship of love and care, they have flipped the script. David mourned and prayed for them and their suffering, but they have repaid his good with evil. So this is the deep pain that comes when betrayal arises in the close, intimate relationships of our lives. What David is experiencing and is an inversion of the way relationships are supposed to work. This is a more of a more than a mark of how sin has so severely distorted God's design for humanity. And so David cries out to God in

verse 17, how long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me. It's important to note how verse 18 returns to the God-centered orientation of Psalm 35. David is not asking for rescue for his sake alone. Even though he's the king of Israel, he's asking for rescue for the sake of the true king. His thank and praise are directed to the glory of God. Now, let's move on to the third and final section of Psalm 35, starting in verse 19. Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes. And let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause, for they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land, they devise words of deceit. They open wide their mouths against me. They say, aha, our eyes have seen it. Here's a wordplay here. Verse 20.

22. You have seen, O Lord, be not silent. Oh, Lord, be not far from me. Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord, vindicate me, O Lord, my God. According to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, aha, our heart's desire. Let them not say we have swallowed him up. 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. Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and safe evermore. Great is the Lord who delights in the welfare of his servant. Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.

Versus 19 through 21 emphasize the gloating of David's enemies, their self-glorification at his expense. Now, verse 19 in particular is quoted by Jesus in John 15, verse 25, when he describes those who persecute him and will persecute his followers. This is a good spot to slow down and note that when Jesus reflected on Psalm 35, he did not distance himself from it. Instead, Jesus identified himself as the ultimate recipient of the hateful betrayal that David experienced. verse 22, it refocuses our attention to the presence and power of God, as David says, You have seen, O Lord, be not silent, be not far from me, awake, vindicate me according to your righteousness. I can't read those words without thinking of Jesus, quoting Psalm 35 and John 15.

Because John 15 takes place the night before the death of Jesus as he looks ahead to the pain of betrayal, the agony of the cross. And yet, in his anticipation of that heartache, Jesus is also anticipating the fulfillment of these hopeful verses of Psalm 35. On the cross of Christ, God's presence and power were displayed in a way that changed world history forever, because on the cross God saw. He was not silent or far. His response led to the vindication of his people and displayed his perfect righteousness. Psalm 35 closes with the rejoicing of those who delight in the righteousness of David, but the rejoicing itself actually isn't directed toward David the king. It's actually directed toward God the king. Great is the Lord. David himself ends by highlighting the

righteousness of God. Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and your praise all the day long. This Psalm, which began by describing God as a protecting warrior, now describes him as the victorious, righteous king. Let's finish by reconsidering that question from the beginning. How does Psalm 35 fit into the lies of those who follow Jesus? Is it like the embarrassing friend at a sporting event, calling for the destruction of David's enemies in a way that feels off-putting? Can we take this Psalm seriously while also obeying Jesus' command to love our enemies? Pray for those who persecute us. Biblical scholars give compelling answers to those questions. but I want to respond by just asking two other questions based on our observations.

The first question is, what is the primary theme of Psalm 35? Second question is this. If a community of people embodied that theme, what kind of character would it produce in them? So the first question, what is the primary theme of Psalm 35? The primary theme here is not David's personal power as the king of Israel. It is not about him achieving vengeance on his terms. or within his timeline. Even David's righteousness is not the primary theme of this Psalm. The main thread that holds all of this together is the righteousness of God himself,

his covenant, faithfulness, and justice. That's why the final two verses end with a crescendo of praise toward the righteousness of the living God, who will provide ultimate care and faithfulness toward his people. So covenant betrayal does not have the last word in this Psalm or in this story. God's covenant faithfulness has the last word. And all of that, it amplifies the meaning and the power of Jesus' death on a cross, where he bears the weight of the curse and gives us his righteousness. So with all that at play, let's look at the second question. If a community of people embodied this theme of God's righteousness,

what kind of character would it produce in them? There's so much that we could say here, and I encourage you to take some time to pray and reflect over that question in relation to Psalm 35, maybe even talk about it with friends or family. Here are a few things to consider. If you really believe that the God of Psalm 35 is holding your life together, that he is the one with the last word in the story of your life,

then you'll actually be free to obey the words of Jesus and love your enemy. If Psalm 35 is true, then it's not on you or I to dole out our own personalized versions of vengeance. We're free to follow the words of Paul, In Romans 1219, Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. Paul goes on to say in verse 21, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Now, that's only possible if you believe that a Psalm 35 God exists and that he acts in accordance

with his righteousness, that he ultimately shows his covenant faithfulness on the cross of Jesus. If a community rooted in the love of Jesus lived like Psalm 35 is true, they would be free to love their enemies, and they'd also be free to grow in humility and dependence on God and others. They'd have a broken heart for people who are betrayed, and would work to love and serve them. In short, they'd be a community that changes the community around them. Now, I love passages like this, because they really force us to examine the text of scripture in its fullness. They show us how the Bible is one unified story that points to Jesus, and they draw us into that story, which is far bigger and far more glorious than the small stories we tend to inhabit. The pervasive temptation in exile is to

exert our power on our terms within our preferred timelines. But the wisdom of Psalm 35 points us to the power of Jesus. It frees us to serve and love and tell of the righteousness of God in all we do.