Should We Pray For The Judgment Of The Wicked? (Psalm 35:1-28)
GIST: Remember, your hope rests in His salvation—nothing else. In contrast, the ultimate condemnation of the lost is serious. So, keep your heart in the right place, even if everyone else seems bent on destruction, trust His ultimate vindication, and be a praise spreader!
This morning, we’re coming to Psalm 35. I assumed we’d likely at least make it this far this summer, and I knew if we did, I would need to be very careful with how I addressed it. This is the first of what are known as the imprecatory psalms (which I probably pronounce wrong ☺️), or psalms that call for judgment to come on the wicked. Because as Christians we know we’re called to love our enemies and pray for those who seek to harm us, these psalms can be uncomfortable to read and difficult to digest. In fact, they have been wrestled with for a very long time. As a result, lots of different interpretations and views have developed around these. Some are helpful. Some are the opposite. Because at first glance these psalms can almost seem harsh, it is popular to assert that they are representations of David’s sinful nature but not really inspired by God. This is dangerous, and frankly, heretical. Since we know “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16), we can’t just ignore the difficult portions and call them “uninspired”. That kind of thinking would just lead to having a Bible of our own creation.
That being said, before we even jump into the specifics of this psalm, I just want to make two quick observations I hope might make reading these psalms a little more applicable for us. First, this is God’s inspired Word, so it points to judgment to come. It is important to notice David does not ask to judge his enemies himself. He doesn’t ask for superhuman strength to enact his own revenge. He calls for God to do what God will do— which is judge those who refuse to repent and remain enslaved to their own sins. God knew this when He inspired David to pen these prayers. And that leads to the second observation here. This is a song, but it is also clearly a heart cry, a prayer. Now, this isn’t prescriptive for us. That is, this is not teaching us what we should pray, or to pray for judgment like this. However, it does give us a really important insight into how we should pray. The imprecatory psalms are raw. David prays...honestly. Too often, we don’t pray because we’re afraid of saying the wrong things or sounding bad. The fact that God allowed these prayers to be in His inspired word points to the fact that we can pour our hearts out to Him honestly. What if your thinking is wrong? What if your heart is in the wrong place? There is no better place to be redirected than at the feet of Jesus.
Ok, so those were like pre-points ☺️, but don’t worry. Even though we could probably camp out on these verses for quite awhile, I’ll try to just make a few observations from this particular psalm, so the waters aren’t overly muddied ☺️. Here’s our gist...and our points (and it’s a rare “multi-sentence” one ☺️): Remember, your hope rests in His salvation—nothing else. In contrast, the ultimate condemnation of the lost is serious. So, keep your heart in the right place, even if everyone else seems bent on destruction, trust His ultimate vindication, and be a praise spreader!
So, the first take away from this raw prayer is to→
I. REMEMBER, YOUR HOPE RESTS IN HIS SALVATION— NOTHING ELSE. (1-3)
Sound familiar? It’s a common theme in the psalms and one we’ve looked at several times already this summer. It’s also one that will change our lives if we can really let it get ahold of us. Look at how it’s developed in these first three verses. “1 Of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"” These verses call for God to come to our rescue, which we can, and should, pray with confidence. David asks God to fight in his place— to be his defense (shields and bucklers were both used to defend warriors in battle) and his offense (spears and javelins are weapons that attack from a distance, keeping enemies from getting close!) Honestly, that picture of God coming to our rescue and fighting our battles is one I think we can all get behind. In fact, even if you weren’t a Christian, the thought of someone fighting for you like this would be appealing. However, verses 1 and 2 can only be prayed because verse 3 is true. ‘God, in the middle of the battle, remind my soul that you are my salvation.’
This isn’t a feel-good request. Jesus already fought the ultimate battle for you. He took on Hell in your place, and He continues to stand for you. No matter how dire your life circumstances get, what you need more than anything is to know this truth—He is your only hope, and you can come to Him, surrender your life, and be rescued from the sin that’s killing you. Oh, how I love that prayer, “Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"”.
Remember, your hope rests in His salvation—nothing else. →
II. AND IN CONTRAST, THE ULTIMATE CONDEMNATION OF THE LOST IS SERIOUS. (4--8)
The next couple verses introduce the first of the “condemnation” portions. What they point to though is the actual situation of the lost. Look at 4-8. “4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. 8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it--to his destruction!” What awaits those who allow sin to reign in their hearts? Shame, dishonor, disappointment. That’s the result of following the dark and slippery road of running away from God’s design. Living a life that pursues needless destruction will only result in destruction.
Too often, we wink at sin with a “shame, shame” kind of attitude. We might say we know it’s bad. We might even try to avoid it ourselves. Unfortunately, as a whole, our culture takes a very nonchalant attitude toward it. We tend to look at it as not really that big of a deal. Though we might not embrace all the sins that define our culture (and of course the hot topic ones today often revolve around sexuality, gender, and abortion), we tend not to really think of them as all that serious. In fact, sometimes we even jump on the bandwagons and trends that encourage sinful behaviors.
Guys, sin is serious. If you are living in opposition to God’s plan, it isn’t just a lifestyle choice that’s different from the one I’m comfortable with. It’s a decision to run toward self-destruction. So, if you know you’re not living for Jesus, coming to Him is the most important decision you will ever make. If you are, then loving people enough to tell them that is how you’re called to live. And that’s a piece often overlooked in the condemnation psalm.
Remember, your hope rests in His salvation— nothing else. In contrast, the ultimate condemnation of the lost is serious. →
III. SO, KEEP YOUR HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE, EVEN IF EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS BENT ON DESTRUCTION. (9-18)
Look at 9-18. “9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in His salvation. 10 All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?" 11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. 13 But I, when they were sick-- I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. 14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning. 15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; 16 like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth. 17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! 18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.”
There is really a lot here, but for this morning, I just want to draw your attention to two points. First, though these enemies rejoiced in David’s pain, he mourned over the calamity of the wicked. The language here is actually really strong. He cared for them like dear friends and family. What? These people he is proclaiming judgment on? These people who are trying to hurt him for no reason? Where does this come from? Jesus. It’s the same situation we were all in. We were God’s enemies who deserved Hell, but Jesus loved us, His enemies, enough to take on Hell for us!
That’s the love of God David understood which is why he was prepared to thank God and sing His praise...even when he didn’t “feel” like God was answering his prayers. He knew God was loving even if he wasn’t seeing it at that moment.
Remember, your hope rests in His salvation— nothing else. In contrast, the ultimate condemnation of the lost is serious. So, keep your heart in the right place, keep this perspective, even if everyone else seems bent on destruction, and lastly→
IV. TRUST HIS ULTIMATE VINDICATION AND BE A PRAISE SPREADER! (19-28)
Let’s just dive into the last of these verses. “19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. 20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. 21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, "Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!" 22 You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! 23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord! 24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! 25 Let them not say in their hearts, "Aha, our heart's desire!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up." 26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me! 27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, "Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!" 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”
Again, there is a lot here. But let’s get this. We care so much about our reputations. We want people to see us the way we want them to see us. Because of that, we spend so much energy trying to create that face, and if something disrupts it, we’re devastated. Lay that burden down. Seek His face, and leave all those details to Him. He’s the one who holds your future. Focus your life on seeing Him praised!
Ok, so big psalm. Let’s just recap the “big pictures” in our→
TAKEAWAYS
Remember, your hope rests in His salvation— nothing else.
In contrast, the ultimate condemnation of the lost is serious.
So, keep your heart in the right place, even if everyone else seems bent on destruction, trust His ultimate vindication, and be a praise spreader!
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