Psalm 35 comments on the text

 

Psalm 35:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David.» 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?

 

In verse 2 a buckler is a small shield that you hold in your fist. It is used in combat both as a defense and a weapon as the boss, the center raised part that accommodates your fist, as well as the edges, can do considerable damage.

 

See David’s plea for deliverance speaking of the weapons of war of the time.

 

In verse 5 chaff is the husks of grain separated by winnowing and threshing that are blown away by the wind.

 

The angel of the LORD is God’s appearance whom I have stated repeatedly is the preincarnate Lord Jesus Christ.

 

David’s promise here is that He will praise God for His mighty deliverance. A good question, I think, is how we would adapt this prayer to our current circumstances and pray the Scriptures back to God.

 

Starting again in verse 1 let’s look at this part of what David says to King Saul;

 

1Samuel 24:12  The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. 13  As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. 14  After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. 15  The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

 

And what is said in Psalm 9:4;

 

Psalm 9:4  For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

 

Psalm 35:11 ¶  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.

 

As David complains of those who spoke lies against him in his conflict with Saul so did the Lord Jesus Christ have false witnesses against Him.

 

Psalms 27:12  Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

 

Matthew 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62  And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

 

The martyr, Stephen, also had to face false witnesses;

 

Acts 6:8 ¶  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9  Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 11  Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12  And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13  And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: 14  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. 15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

 

See also in verse 16 that this is the same type of reaction, this grinding of one’s teeth in fury, was done at Stephen’s speech.

 

Matthew 7:54 ¶  When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

 

According to commentators like John Gill no matter what was said about David in his conflict with Saul he proved that he had no intention of murdering the king. In addition, he was rewarded evil for the good he did for Saul and his kingdom. We saw David’s behavior in our study on the historical books that contain the story of his reign. And yet the people for whom he had done good works tried to spoil his soul, to separate it from his body, to kill him.

 

And yet, when those who made themselves his enemies were sick David humbled himself and prayed for them. As Christ kept Judas among His friends even though He knew Judas would betray Him and as Christ wept for Jerusalem and the Jews who would betray Him so David wept for his own enemies in this type of Christ.

 

Psalms 41:9  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

 

Psalm 55:12  For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 13  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 14  We took sweet

counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

 

John 13:18 ¶  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

 

Matthew 26:47 ¶  And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48  Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. 49  And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. 50  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

 

Matthew 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

 

Luke 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

 

Sadly, the people that David did this for and the people that Christ came to save cared not for their suffering and turned on them as the wicked people they were.

 

Gnashing on someone with your teeth means to grind your teeth in fury and anger.

 

Psalm 35:17 ¶  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.

 

 

David starts out with a complaint and a query that is made elsewhere in Psalms. It is one that we might make. How long are you going to keep letting this go on?

 

Psalm 6:3  My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?

 

Psalm 13:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.» How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

 

Psalm 89:46  How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?

 

Psalm 94:3  LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

 

Soul and darling are synonyms, for as John Gill put it, there is nothing more precious to a man or woman than their life, of which this is a reference to.

 

For verse 19 John 15:25;

 

John 15:25  But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

 

Saul hated David without a cause as the Jewish leadership of the time hated Christ for no justifiable reason.

 

David notes that God is righteous in verse 24 by appealing to His righteousness. If God had not delivered him Saul would have killed him but because He does deliver David, David will sing His praises.