Psalm 35

September 15, 2015

Praise for Yahweh (Ps 35:27-35:28)

“Let those who desire my vindication

Shout for joy!

Let them be glad!

Let them say evermore!

‘Great is Yahweh!

He delights in the welfare of his servant!’

Then my tongue shall tell

Of your righteousness.

My tongue shall tell

Of your praise

All the day long.”

This psalm ends with those who were in favor of David shouting for joy. They were glad. They would be able to say that Yahweh is great because he delighted in the welfare of his servant David. The tongue of David would tell everyone about the righteousness of Yahweh. He would sing his praises all day long. David seems to think that he is doing Yahweh a favor by praising him, if Yahweh helps him out of his bad situations.

September 14, 2015

David wants his enemies put to shame (Ps 35:25-35:26)

“Do not let them say to themselves.

‘Aha, we have our heart’s desire.’

Do not let them say.

‘We have swallowed you up.’

Let all those who rejoice at my calamity

Be put to shame and confusion!

Let those who exalt themselves against me

Be clothed with shame and dishonor!”

David wanted his enemies not to be able to say that they had achieved their heart’s desire. He did not want them to be able to say that they had swallowed up David. Instead, he wanted those who rejoiced at his hardships to be put to shame and confusion. He wanted all those who put him down to be clothed with shame and dishonor. David wanted his enemies shamed.

September 14, 2015

A cry to Yahweh (Ps 35:22-35:24)

“You have seen!

Yahweh!

Do not be silent!

Yahweh!

Do not be far from me!

Wake up!

Bestir yourself for my defense!

For my cause,

My God!

My Lord!

Vindicate me!

Yahweh!

My God!

According to your righteousness,

Do not let them rejoice over me!”

David’s cry to Yahweh wants Yahweh to wake up and see what is going on. Yahweh had seen what was happening to David, and yet he was silent. David wanted Yahweh close to him as his defense. He wanted his righteousness to be vindicated. He did not want others to rejoice over his misfortunes.

September 14, 2015

David describes his enemies (Ps 35:19-35:21)

“Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me!

Those who hate me without cause

Wink their eyes.

They do not speak peace.

They conceive deceitful words.

They are against

Those who are quiet in the land.

They open wide their mouths against me.

They say.

Aha! Aha!

Our eyes have seen it!”

David’s treacherous enemies rejoiced over his troubles. They hated him without cause. They winked their eyes. They did not speak of peace but only with deceitful words against those who were the quiet peacemakers of the land. They opened their mouths against David. They said, “aha, aha.” They saw his evil with their own evil eyes.

September 14, 2015

How long would David have to wait for revenge? (Ps 35:17-35:18)

“How long?

Yahweh!

Will you look on?

Rescue me from their ravages!

Rescue my life from the lions!

Then I will thank you in the great congregation.

In the mighty throng

I will praise you.”

David wanted to know how long this malicious activity towards him was going to continue. He wanted Yahweh to see what was going on. He wanted to be rescued from the ravages of these wild beasts, like the lions. David was again very descriptive as the enemies were like wild animals or lions. If Yahweh would help him, David would thank him before the whole congregation, in the mighty throng of people. There he would praise Yahweh.

September 14, 2015

The personal attack on David (Ps 35:15-35:16)

“At my stumbling

They gathered in glee.

They gathered together against me.

Ruffians whom I did not know

Tore at me without ceasing.

They impiously mocked more and more.

They gnashed at me with their teeth.”

Whenever David stumbled, these pursuers gathered in glee around him. People he did not know tore into him non-stop. They mocked him. They gnashed at him with their teeth. These are pretty graphic details about David’s enemies and what they were trying to do to him.

September 14, 2015

David was in mourning (Ps 35:11-35:14)

“Malicious witnesses rise up.

They ask me about things

That I do not know.

They repay me evil for good.

My soul is forlorn.

But as for me,

When they were sick

I wore sackcloth.

I afflicted myself with fasting.

I prayed with head bowed on my bosom.

I grieved as like for a friend or a brother.

I went about

As one who laments a mother.

I was bowed down.

I was in mourning.”

This seems to be something more family orientated. There were malicious witnesses against David who turned his good deeds into evil. He was forlorn and wore sackcloth in mourning for their illness. He fasted and bowed his head in prayer. He grieved as if it was his friend, his brother, or his mother. Somehow someone did not appreciate all his care and mourning.

September 14, 2015

David rejoices in deliverance (Ps 35:9-35:10)

“Then my soul shall rejoice in Yahweh.

My soul shall exalt in his deliverance.

All my bones shall say.

‘Yahweh!

Who is like you?

You deliver the weak

From those who are too strong for them.

You deliver the weak and the needy

From those who despoil them.’”

David’s soul rejoiced in Yahweh. He exalted in his deliverance. All his bones would say “Who is like Yahweh?” Yahweh delivered the weak from the strong. He delivered the weak and the needy from the people who defiled them. Yahweh was the great deliverer.

September 14, 2015

Let their own nets trap them (Ps 35:7-35:8)

“Without cause

They hid their net for me.

Without cause

They dug a pit for my life.

Let ruin come upon them unawares!

Let the net that they hid

Ensnare them!

Let them fall in!

Let it be to their ruin!”

David noted that these things were done to him without a good cause. They hid a net to trap him. They dug a pit to put an end to his life. David wanted them to get caught in their own nets. He wanted them to fall into the pits that they had dug out to get him. This was to be their ruin. Clearly David was vindictive here because he believed that he was right because they did not have a good cause against him.

September 14, 2015

The angel of Yahweh and David’s enemies (Ps 35:4-35:6)

“Let them be put to shame!                         

Let them be put to dishonor!

All who seek after my life,

Let them be turned back!

Let them be confounded!

All who devise evil against me,

Let them be like chaff before the wind!

Let the angel of Yahweh drive them on!

Let their way be dark!

Let their way be slippery!

Let the angel of Yahweh pursue them!”

David wanted all those who were after his life and devising evil against him be put to shame, dishonored, turned back, and confounded. He wanted them to be chaff in the wind. He wanted the angel of Yahweh to drive them into darkness on a slippery slope. He wanted the angel of Yahweh to pursue them. He wanted bad things to happen to his enemies. He wanted Yahweh or his angel to seek vengeance for him.