TruShu

David often writes intricate psalms and slips in seemingly subtle comments.  I’m sure I do that in my speech as well.  I might say something almost as an offhanded comment, either hoping someone will notice or maybe I’m trying to make my point without drawing too much attention to it.

In Psalm 69, David describes his enemies in detail. They hate him (4), they would want to destroy him (4), they talk about him behind his back (12), make fun of him in song (12).  He also has a long, unflattering string of references to “them” and “they” (vv. 21-28) in which he makes some strong requests of God.

In the middle of these references David slips in a comment in v. 4 “… many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me.”  “They are my enemies,” David complains, “but it ought not to be.  I haven’t done anything to justify them being so against me.”

Enemies without cause.  Hmm. Do I have any of those? I’ve had those who have spoken ill of me to others yet haven’t been willing to say so to my face. I’ve had some who made assumptions about my motives and spoke publicly about me without seeking the truth first. Several have ganged up on me never giving me a chance to speak. I’ve had some who just gave me the cold shoulder.

Oh, how the flesh wants to respond! I get defensive. I get mad (because I’m hurt.) I want equal time. I wonder what people think of me who only get their information from a source other than me. I want to set the record straight. I want those who are wrong to have to pay for the pain they’ve inflicted…

These are all efforts at justifying myself, claiming my rights, wanting to be back in some mythical “comfortable place.” But defending myself isn’t a very pretty picture no matter how hard I try to justify it.

David is stronger. He goes to the point of saying…

• May the table set before them become a snare (poisoning, I guess?), verse 22
• …may it become retribution and a trap (their demise lurks right around the corner), verse 22
• May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, (I like the NASB translation here), and make their loins shake continually, verse 23 (I haven’t asked God to do that one yet)
• Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.verse 24

And then David adds a stunning request, one I find hard to justify…

Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
— Psalm 69:27-28

Part of me wants to say it is merely a harsh way to say, “God, act in your justice to the ends that are appropriate for the action.” But maybe not. In the end, I have to leave this kind of language in God’s hands.

I’m not going to try to justify David’s language. I have enough problems justifying my own responses to people who hate me. They are just as ugly as David’s appear to be. Perhaps I should get my own business sorted out before I try to take care of David’s.

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards. But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes. You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
— Psalm 69

Howard Morrison is a partner in Arizona’s Morrison Ranch. He resides with his family in Austin, Texas.