Two weeks ago I wrote about using the Psalms as my own personal prayers. My favorites are Psalm 23 and Psalm 139. I can identify with the words and I feel connected to God as I read them. Today’s Psalm is not so encouraging or soothing. Psalm 35 is one of the many “imprecatory” Psalms. The word imprecatory means “to invoke evil on” or “curse”. David may have written this when he was being hunted by Saul and was looking to God for justice and vengeance. He was not praying for their souls, or asking God to help him love them more. Instead he prayed that God would “humiliate and disgrace them”, “blow them away like chaff in the wind”, and “make their path dark and slippery”. From a human standpoint it makes sense. He was angry, bitter, fearful, and wanted justice to be served! David walked closely with God and he knew that God was powerful enough to do all that he asked. But we know that God doesn’t always answer our prayers or requests the way we ask. David was human and did not have the full knowledge of the whole truth that would come with Jesus and his death on the cross in the New Testament. The Psalms are the middle of the story.
There is a lot going on in our world that may leave us angry, bitter, fearful, and wanting justice to be served. There may be things in your life that have been unheard of atrocities that deserve vengeance. Maybe the words in this Psalm did speak to your soul because there has been injustice in your life. God can handle any words that we give him but he doesn’t want us to stay in that space. He came into the world so that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He was the true example of loving our enemies as He prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him. Apart from Jesus, it is impossible to love our enemies. But with Him, we know that we are not responsible for judgement and revenge.
Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. for he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”