Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

5. “ Lift up your spear and javelin and block the way of my enemies.” (3) Three different times Saul tried to spear David to the wall. “ Saul hurled his spear at David in an attempt to kill him. But David dodged out of the way and escaped into the night, leaving the spear stuck in the wall.”(1 Sam. 19:10) It is amazing that David did not make this prayer a personal revenge but put the injustice into the hands of God. God’s spear is more accurate than our own.

6. “ Let me hear you say, ‘I am your salvation!’”(3) The key to spiritual warfare is hearing a word from the Lord that brings peace and rest.

7. “ Humiliate and disgrace those trying to kill me;… ” King Saul was humiliated in the cave of Adullum.

8. “ …turn them back in confusion. ”

9. “ Blow them away like chaff in the wind- a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.” (5) Wind is often a symbol and an expression of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The “ mighty rushing wind ” of Pentecost is an example. 10. “ Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.” (6) In both this and the previous verse David refers to the angel of the Lord that would fight for God’s people as in the Ex- odus. “ Then the angel of God who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to a position behind them…(Ex. 14:19) “Although I did them no wrong, they laid a trap for me. Although I did them no wrong, they dug a pit for me.” (7) You can almost hear the music as David repeats his words in parallel meter.

He then ends this section with three groupings: “ Let… ”, “ I will ”, and “ who can… ”.

“ So … let sudden ruin overtake them! …let them be caught in the snare they set for me! …let them fall to destruction in the pit they dug for me.” (8)

As God arises to war David’s responds with praises!

“ Then…I will rejoice in the Lord. …I will be glad because he rescues me. …I will praise him from the bottom of my heart:” (9, 10)

He knows that the God of his salvation is incomparable and faithful.

“ Lord…who can compare with you? …who else rescues the weak and helpless from the strong? …who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them?”

II. THE WAR OF WORDS - 11-18

“ Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of things I don’t even know about. They repay me with evil for the good I do. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I even fasted and prayed for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother. “(11-14) David is very careful to not personalize his revenge towards his king. Though he served Saul faith- fully, he was repaid with evil from the royal family. David was now rejected at the court of Israel, forced to send his parents to Moab and separated from his beloved friend Jonathan. Those who once sought his favor as the son-in-law of the king were now plotting his downfall. There is a deeper sadness here. Our Savior received malicious accusations and was overwhelmed by the rejection of his people: “ Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not ac- cepted.”(Jn. 1:11) Like David, he was grieved by their illnesses and graciously prayed for their healing.

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