A Psalm Of David.
(1) Adonai, oppose those who oppose me;
fight against those who fight against me.
2 Grasp your shield and protective gear,
and rise to my defense.
3 Brandish spear and battle-axe
against my pursuers;
let me hear you say,
“I am your salvation.”4 May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to confusion;
may those who are plotting harm for me
be repulsed and put to shame.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of Adonai to drive them on.
6 May their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of Adonai to pursue them.
7 For unprovoked, they hid their net over a pit;
unprovoked, they dug it for me.
8 May destruction come over him unawares.
May the net he concealed catch himself;
may he fall into it and be destroyed.9 Then I will be joyful in Adonai,
Psalms 35: 1-10
I will rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones will say,
“Who is like you?
Who can rescue the weak
from those stronger than they,
the poor and needy
from those who exploit them?”
David always seems brass and forward in his psalms when he is looking for salvation. Here he is even more so. The first verse seems more than just asking for help, a faithful demand for help. “Contend with those that contend with me”. The tone has a self righteous piety about it. Yet, David is so sure of what he says, so sure that the Lord will favor his position. “Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation.”
In sports, sometimes being over confident can actually work to your advantage and help you win. I think David’s attitude applies to us as well. We can have a brass faith that believes God is on our side and will rescue us from our enemies. Yes, we are sinners, but to God we are righteous and clean. David saw himself as God sees him, not as David saw himself. We all know the faults of David but yet he was a man after God’s own heart. Sometimes I think we doubt ourselves because we look in the mirror and see what the flesh sees. But if we have the eyes of Christ, we can see a truly different person, one of power and might. One that can call upon God to take up the shield and buckler and come to our aid.
v4-8 we see vengeance, and justification because David has done no wrong. David’s conclusion? They should die. So much so that they will run from this calamity but the angel of the Lord will pursue them.
v9-10 If all this happens then David’s soul will rejoice. He will exclaim who is like the Lord? Then in v10 speaks of how the Lord saves the poor from the powerful.
Conclusion: Faith is not a mustering up internal strength or praying really hard. You may call your car a clunker or a piece of junk. You may joke that you are not sure if it will keep running or start in the morning. However, if we base your actions on faith, we would see that you have the opposite opinion of your car. If you truly did not believe in it, you would attempt to start it the night before work to test it. You might try starting again an hour before you leave just to see if it starts. You may take back roads instead of the freeway in case it stops running. However, I doubt you do none of these things. You start it with faith in the morning. The evidence is not what you do, but what you don’t do. You don’t doubt.
The same is true in faith with God. If our faith were more real and transparent, we would see how we truly see our prayer life. If we approach God as the almighty, way above in the sky, and us as the little ant throwing up our request to see if it sticks then stepping back to see what happens, we have little faith and we likely will not see any results. However, if our faith is built more on a relationship, God can manifest his power through us.
For example, my relationship with my wife is built on friendship. She is my best friend. I can call her and ask her to do something. I may not even ask if it is urgent, I may just say “Please check the calendar on this date to see if it is open.” Now, she will do this for me because we have a mutual understanding of one another. She can ask things of me and she can have faith that I act on them. However, what if I approached her differently. What if I am not certain my wife should act on my request? Perhaps I see her as too busy, or just maybe the task is below her. Then I am timid every time I asked. I sift through requests and only approach with the most dire ones.
However, David approaches God with certainty. He is certain that God should act. Is there a reason why we cannot approach God with the same certainty? This does not mean God always immediately answers. Jesus gives many parables that show we must be persistent to receive the Kingdom in this world. But, harnessing David’s faith gives us a push that assures us victory.
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