In the first twenty verses of this psalm we considered the grim maledictions aimed at all those who oppose the purpose and plan of our Lord God Almighty. In particular, we may understood the curse of this particular psalm as being aimed at Judas, the betrayer of our Christ.Very many commentators would rather have the focus of the cursings being placed upon David by his enemies rather than acknowledge the reality of the wrath of God. We would do well to remember that our heavenly Father is not only merciful, but just as well. Even while many liberal commentators are embarrassed with the content of this psalm, their faulty focus of the curses upon David does highlight the amazing grace of our Sovereign Lord. In this last portion of our psalm, it is that sovereign grace that is celebrated in the thankful praise for the fact that, indeed the prior verses do not apply to David nor to his spiritual children.
How very different is the scene in this last portion of Psalm 109. The contrast in these two scenes pivots on the first clause of verse twenty-one:
"But you, O Sovereign Lord,"
Suddenly the cursed vanities of the worldly are put behind, and David focuses his attention on the Lord alone. In the same manner, may we put all our troubles behind us by centering our hopes upon our God. In the remaining phrases of verse twenty-one, we see the certain faith of David the King. He compares not his own attitude with that of the ungodly, but instead casts himself wholly upon the grace of God our Father.
"Deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me."
This is where we all need to be in our relationship with our God. We are not saved because of our relationship with Jesus, but we have a relationship because we are saved. David will build his prayer on nothing less than this childlike trust in his Father God. In the following verses he sets forth the reality of his case.
He admits to being poor and needy. His heart is frail as he leads into two images contained in verse twenty-three. The first image in the verse has to do with the fading shadows of the evening. Have you ever noticed how sharp the shadows are in the afternoon? Then, towards evening the angle of the sun lengthens them until they fuzz away as the sun disappears. Here David pleads how much he needs the guidance of God. Life indeed is short, and as our days pass by we begin to appreciate how transitory our time on earth really is. Before he fades away, our psalmist pleads that the Lord will remember him in His great mercy.
The second image here reads differently in an older version. "I am tossed up and down as a locust." The sense here is based on the fact that the locusts common in the Mid-East have little control over the direction of their flight. They are indeed at the mercy of the winds that blow even as David feels the frailty of his transitory existence. He confesses his weakness from fasting. Spurgeon observes that we are not certain if this was a deliberate religious rite on David's part or the result of a lack of appetite from the struggles involved with the treacherous betrayal described in this psalm. David feels as if he is wasting away. Is this the reason why he feels his shadow is fuzzing away? David feels the pain of his adversarial problems in his health. How very modern is David the King. We have only to consider the problems of modern life to realize that the stress we feel today is nothing new.
However, we must realize the blessings of our time, that of any social or business enemies we may have, they have not yet moved to murder as David's enemy may well have considered. The world of David's time, like that of our own, ganged up on the servant of God. David has become an object of scorn. They shake their heads at his apparent helpless condition. David very well needs help, as we see in verse twenty-six. Again David appeals to the love of God. Like the locust wafted along on the breeze, David calls for the certain knowledge of God's hand of providence.
Let the world know you. Father, he calls. Let the world know that salvation comes from Your hand and Your saints are the agents of Your hand. Even as the world believes history is made by bold men who believe in Your Name, let them discover that history is accomplished by men who act in Your Name according to Your divine will. Let the world know, David pleads, that everything that is accomplished is done directly by the hand of God.
In David's case, the worldly may curse his rescue, but the Lord will bless. David notes that he will rejoice in the delivery about to be accomplished through the providence of God. God's action, which includes both present and final judgment, will cause the accusers to be disgraced and ultimately shamed.
Again in this psalm we should note that just as David's initial plea in this psalm was for a certainty of God's revelation, here we see an answer to David's prayer. He learns in praying his prayer that while he is saved, his accusers who are also enemies of God Himself will ultimately be lost. As David is assured of being saved, he opens his mouth to praise his God:
"With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord".
In the second phrase of verse thirty, David promises to praise the Lord in the midst of God's people. Every week we begin our services with prayer requests, well should we also offer words of praise for what the Lord has done for us in the last week.
In David's final comment in this psalm he observes that while the wicked have Satan at their right hand to accuse them in court, he has another who stands for him. That person at David's right hand is none other than Jesus Christ. And David is saved because of that fact. May the confidence that comes to David in this psalm be our own as well. Amen.
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