The awful utterance of the Righteous One regarding those that hate Him without a cause

Within this psalm there are copious complaints of unjust persecutions, accusations and oppositions. David, again, has enacted in his life what should occur in the life of Christ. The experience of v. 4 is worked out in Christ’s arrest in Gethsemane (John 18:6). So also v. 11 comes to pass in the trial of our Lord. Also v. 18 is a familiar refrain used of our Lord in various places.  (Ps.22:22,25), (Heb.2:12).

Those who were opposed to David and his Anointed would be clothed with shame, but those who supported David and Christ, would shout with joy. David prays that he would be strengthened, and that, by God saying to his soul, “I am thy salvation.” 

Pastor Jeff O’ Neil

Recommended Tune: Evan (v 1-22), St Andrew (v 23-28)

Psalm 35

¹Plead, LORD, with those that plead; and fight
With those that fight with me.
²Of shield and buckler take thou hold,
Stand up mine help to be.

³Draw also out the spear, and do
Against them stop the way
That me pursue: unto my soul,
I’m thy salvation, say.

⁴Let them confounded be and sham’d
That for my soul have sought:
Who plot my hurt turn’d back be they,
And to confusion brought.

⁵Let them be like unto the chaff
That flies before the wind;
And let the angel of the LORD
Pursue them hard behind.

⁶With darkness cover thou their way,
And let it slipp’ry prove;
And let the angel of the LORD
Pursue them from above.

⁷For without cause have they for me
Their net hid in a pit,
They also have without a cause
For my soul digged it.

⁸Let ruin seize him unawares;
His net he hid withal
Himself let catch; and in the same
Destruction let him fall.

⁹My soul in GOD shall joy; and glad
In his salvation be:
¹⁰And all my bones shall say, O LORD,
Who is like unto thee,

Which dost the poor set free from him
That is for him too strong;
The poor and needy from the man
That spoils and does him wrong?

¹¹False witnesses rose; to my charge
Things I not knew they laid.
¹²They, to the spoiling of my soul,
Me ill for good repaid.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick,
In sackcloth sad I mourn’d:
My humbled soul did fast, my pray’r
Into my bosom turn’d.

¹⁴Myself I did behave as he
Had been my friend or brother;
I heavily bow’d down, as one
That mourneth for his mother.

¹⁵But in my trouble they rejoic’d,
Gath’ring themselves together;
Yea, abjects vile together did
Themselves against me gather:

I knew it not; they did me tear,
And quiet would not be.
¹⁶With mocking hypocrites, at feasts
They gnash’d their teeth at me.

¹⁷How long, Lord, look’st thou on? from those
Destructions they intend
Rescue my soul, from lions young
My darling do defend.

¹⁸I will give thanks to thee, O Lord,
Within th’assembly great;
And where much people gather’d are
Thy praises forth will set.

¹⁹Let not my wrongful enemies
Proudly rejoice o’er me;
Nor who me hate without a cause,
Let them wink with the eye.

²⁰For peace they do not speak at all;
But crafty plots prepare
Against all those within the land
That meek and quiet are.

²¹With mouths set wide, they ‘gainst me said,
Ha, ha! our eye doth see.
²²LORD, thou hast seen, hold not thy peace;
Lord, be not far from me.

²³Stir up thyself; wake, that thou may’st
Judgment to me afford,
Ev’n to my cause, O thou that art
My only God and Lord.

²⁴O LORD my God, do thou me judge
After thy righteousness;
And let them not their joy ‘gainst me
Triumphantly express:

²⁵Nor let them say within their hearts,
Ah, we would have it thus;
Nor suffer them to say, that he
Is swallow’d up by us.

²⁶Sham’d and confounded be they all
That at my hurt are glad;
Let those against me that do boast
With shame and scorn be clad.

²⁷Let them that love my righteous cause
Be glad, shout, and not cease
To say, The LORD be magnified,
Who loves his servant’s peace.

²⁸Thy righteousness shall also be
Declared by my tongue;
The praises that belong to thee
Speak shall it all day long.