PM July 10th Psalm 35

July 10^th Psalm 35

A Psalm of David

A Prayer for Help

1: Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. 2: Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. 3: Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. 4: Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. 5: Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them. 6: Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them. 7: For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. 8: Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. 9: And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation. 10: All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? 11: False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. 12: They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. 13: But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 14: I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. 15: But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: 16: With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. 17: Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. 18: I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. 19: Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. 20: For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. 21: Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it. 22: This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me. 23: Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord. 24: Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. 25: Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. 26: Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. 27: Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 28: And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.

To the chief musician,

Psalm 36

A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD.

Wickedness of man – Goodness of God

1: The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2: For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. 3: The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. 4: He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil. 5: Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. 6: Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. 7: How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8: They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9: For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. 10: O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. 11: Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. 12: There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

Again today we have two more Psalms of David No, 35 & 36. And again the subject of the first Psalm is the troubles and struggles that David is going through. These Psalms are a great blessing for every one of us. They encourage us and help us to realise that we can bring all of our concerns to the Lord. David asks the Lord to fight his corner. Protect me and fight for me, says David. When we realise that these words are no over dramatisation of his plight and that David was often in the most dangerous straights with enemies that would use any trick to secretly murder him these words come to us in the most powerful way. David says when you deliver me my heart will overflow in Joy at your salvation. This was a dirty war in which filthy lies would be used against David but inspite of offering good to his enemy they curse him. But David humbles himself before the Lord and places his case in the hands of the Lord. They rejoice at his anguish and bear their teeth at him like wolves. He says rescue me O LORD and l will give thanks to you in the congregation of the righteous. He lays his case before the bar of eternity. In the next Psalm No. 36. David describes the wickedness of these evil men. He plans to do evil in the moments of wakefulness at night. He does not refrain from hating evil. Then David breaks forth into a Psalm of praise at the mercy and goodness of the Lord. He pens those lovely words – With you is the fountain of life and in your light we will see. David praises the Lord for his loving kindness to the righteous.

• What does David ask the Lord to do for him?
• Why should David rejoice in the Lord?
• What do the wicked do and what do the righteous do?