July-14-0467-Exulting in His salvation
467_Exulting in His salvation Psalm 35:1-9 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” 4 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! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away! 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! 9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. A few years ago, a Christian missionary in a hostile region was falsely accused and arrested for crimes he never committed. His enemies opposed his quiet yet steady witness for Christ. As he sat alone in his prison cell, he had every reason to feel abandoned and defeated. But instead of letting bitterness take root, he began to sing hymns and pray for those who had wronged him. A guard once asked him, “Why are you singing? You’re losing everything.” The missionary quietly replied, “I may have lost my freedom, but I still have my salvation. That’s worth singing about.” This captures the heart of Psalm 35. David, too, found himself maligned and hunted without cause. This imprecatory psalm is one of a category in which the psalmist calls on God to judge and defeat his enemies. We may feel uncomfortable with the strong language used in these prayers. Yet it arises from a place of deep dependence on God for justice, deliverance, and vindication. Psalm 35 opens with a desperate plea. “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.” David does not even attempt to fight back as he is attacked. He does not appraise his own power to retaliate. In the face of hostility, David doesn’t draw his own sword; he lifts his voice in prayer. He knew that the power was with God, the righteous judge and avenger. As soon as he was attacked, his automatic response was to call on God to come to his rescue and fight for him. David called on God in his integrity. Though he had plenty of enemies, he had not provoked them. This is clearly seen in his relationship with Saul, for whom he fought successfully and unhesitatingly against the Philistines. Yet Saul turned against him, hunting him through Israel. David was twice in situations where he could easily have destroyed Saul without fear. Yet he absolutely refused, leaving his destiny with God. In 1 Samuel 24:15, he appeals: “May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and