Psalm 109

1 Be not silent, O God of my praise!

2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.

Psalm 109 has the distinction of being the strongest imprecatory psalm. The imprecatory psalms are more commonly known as the psalms of cursing, prayers that God would bring judgment on the enemies of the psalmist. This psalm in particular has been excluded from public reading in worship in some church denominations. Our denomination doesn’t have any such rules, and the psalm is likely never read in church anyway because of its difficult language. The primary question is whether we should excuse these curses as merely the angry words of a man venting, experiencing some type of catharsis, or whether these are inspired prayers that we might still pray today. Essentially, are they examples of what not to do, or are they models for how to deal with injustice on a personal level? In the opening verses, David makes his initial request for God to act as well as the basis for that action. David’s desire of the “God of my praise” is to say something. And since God’s word causes things to happen, it is essentially a call to action. “Render judgment” might be the ultimate effect of his prayer. The first charge against David’s enemies is that wicked and deceitful men are speaking against him with lying tongues. The persons are dehumanized as mere body parts “deceitful mouths open against me”. As a political leader, David was in the center of public attention. Everyone knew him and everyone probably had an opinion about him. However, this seems to be more than mere gossip. Someone is trying to destroy David, bring shame upon him and ruin his life. The severity of the actions against him need to be kept in mind when we consider the severity of his cursing language. Deceitful and lying tongues are attacking him, so he returns fire, not by attacking his enemies, but by praying to his God. 

3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.

4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. [Hebrew but I am prayer]

5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

The primary assault of David’s enemies consists of words, but these words threaten to bring him down. It seems that everywhere he looks, there are those who are against him. He is completely surrounded by them, much as the description of his enemies in Psalm 22:12-18, lions, bulls, and dogs at his hands and feet. There is no real justification for their attacks. Similar language is used to describe Jesus’ enemies, “they hated me without cause”. Certainly Jesus experienced the same feelings as David. His enemies were relentless and it must have been incredibly frustrating to love people so much but have them turn on you in this way. David’s reference to his love for his enemies suggests that they might have been members of his family, for he certainly had those who wanted to bring him down, namely his son Absalom. However, the cursing that follows isn’t consistent with how David felt about Absalom. David’s attempt to love his enemies only makes their hatred more unjustified and frustrating. He is beside himself because he has done all that he can, and yet his enemies do not relent. So he gives himself to prayer, literally, “and I prayer”. His attackers may give themselves to false accusations, words of destruction, but David will give himself to prayer, speaking to God alone about the situation. This is a key verse in the psalm and in imprecatory psalms in general. Rather than taking violent (and justifiable) action against his enemies, David speaks with God about it and entrusts him to take care of the violent part. Praying violent prayers is how we respond to evil non-violently. No other actions are suggested here, just prayer. Prayer is his strategy for dealing with those who would destroy him with words. This is right, and it is foundational for dealing with injustice in a non-violent and yet effective way. 

6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!

As David thinks about his enemy he wishes that things would not go well with him, starting with a trial. Every line is a prayer or wish for difficulty to come upon his adversary. First, he asks that a wicked man be appointed against him. In the context of a court this may represent an unscrupulous prosecutor or a judge. If verse 6 reflects two parallel lines, the second is elaborating on the first and is speaking of a prosecutor or a witness making accusations. The Hebrew word for accuser is satan and it is most commonly used for the person Satan, the ultimate accuser. Usually standing at one’s right hand is a sign of support, (as in, “he’s my right hand man”). But in this case, David is praying that the person whom you would expect support from turns out to be an accuser, a betrayer. David has been betrayed and wounded by this man and so he wishes that his enemy would experience the same thing from his right hand man. The court metaphor continues with David expressing a desire for the verdict to be guilty and even his enemy’s prayer to be counted as sin. That suggests that even the help he seeks from God be seen as evidence of his wrongdoing. May his own worship be his undoing! David’s first instinct then is to trust his opponent to the judicial system, hoping that it does not go well for him, even wishing that the system be corrupt. Afterall, the ends justify the means. Lest we are too hasty in our judgment of David and his desire for vengeance even if it requires injustice, haven’t you felt the same way about evil people in our world? Human traffickers, drug lords, rapists -- at some level I don’t care whether they get a fair trial or not, I just want them put away because of the magnitude of the evil they have allegedly perpetrated. I don’t mind so much when members of drug cartels kill one another violently. Live the sword, die by the sword. That may be how David feels here, and it’s understandable, it’s human. It’s why we have heroes like Batman, vigilantes who take justice into their own hands and kill people without legal sanction. 

8 May his days be few; may another take his office!

9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!

David moved from plural to singular in verse 6, so while he had a number of enemies, there was one man who stood out as the ringleader, and this is the one toward whom so much anger is addressed. After a court trial where the man is convicted, David envisions his execution. Capital crimes were punished by stoning, so David probably had that in mind with the phrase, “may his days be few”. Unlike today’s appeals process, there was no appeal and justice was swift. His execution would allow another to take his job. The fact that it is referred to as an office suggests a position of leadership or at very least, responsibility. David visualizes a replacement, a better man in his role. At the same time he thinks of the perpetrator’s family. His wife will be widowed and his children fatherless. David isn’t wishing this for them necessarily, but it is an obvious outcome of praying for judgment to come to the father and husband. When the disciples  contemplated the treachery of Judas in the days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, they thought of this psalm. They surmised that Judas was this type of man, one who face swift justice (even though it was at his own hand). As a result, his position needed to be filled. But what of his wife and children? I assume that if the disciples had truly listened to Jesus’ words and the Holy Spirit’s leadership, they would have taken care of them. Isn’t this what James said was pure religion, “Looking after widows and orphans in their distress” (James 1:27). Perhaps James had this family in mind as he penned those words. So while David’s words seem to be a curse upon an innocent family, it is more of a statement of the consequence of the guilty man’s actions. His choice brought all of this upon himself and his family. David is not hating on his wife and kids, but they are casualties of the man’s treachery.

10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!

11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

The psalmist describes the life of the perpetrator’s children, and it is quite ugly. They are homeless beggars, wandering destitute, living in abandoned houses and among the ruins of towns. Whatever inheritance would have been theirs is devoured by creditors. Everything that dad made is sold to pay debt and the widow and children are left with nothing. David seems to be wishing this upon them, and this is one of the things that makes this psalm so difficult. Is David describing the result of the man’s sin, the devastating consequences of sin on the lives of the innocent, or is he actively wishing this upon the innocent? It sounds like the latter, and that is what makes it so problematic. How could a man after God’s heart feel this way toward innocent victims of an evil man? Psalm 37 says that the wicked man will be cut off while the meek will inherit the land. Growing old, inheriting land from your parents and then passing it on to your children is a blessing. But it is a blessing that this man’s family will not experience because of his evil actions. He will be “cut off” and this will have terrible consequences for his family generationally. The wealth that he might have accumulated and passed down rightly to his children, blessing them for generations, has been stripped away because he chose to harm others. We don’t have to look far to see the innocent victims of crime. In addition to the obvious direct victims, there are the indirect ones, the criminal’s family and the generational poverty that will dog them. David points this out in an uncomfortable way, but as we see this psalm through the eyes of Jesus, it’s clear that our hearts and our actions need to go out to the innocent, doing our best to restore what evil has stolen. David doesn’t seem to be suggesting that here in his anger, but it is something that we are Christians are called to do, caring for widows and orphans in their distress, practicing pure religion. 

12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!

13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!

David’s cursing continues towards the children of his enemy with the ask that no one extend kindness or pity to them. The word for kindness here is the same that is used of God’s lovingkindness, his steadfast covenant love. David wants his enemy’s children to be bereft of love from another human being. This may be the one of the worst curses of all and the fact that it is directed toward innocent children is unconscionable. Furthermore, he prays that these orphan children would be childless so that the name of the perpetrator would be forgotten. Without any heirs to carry on the name, in another generation all memory of the family would be lost. If I’m giving David the benefit of the doubt, I could read this descriptively rather than prescriptively. In other words, David is describing what will happen to the children of his enemy by virtue of his own actions. If the perpetrator is found guilty and executed, his children will be deprived of leadership in the home as well as the means by which to care for themselves. They are likely to fall into criminal activity as well, lose the capacity to love and be loved, and die an early death without heirs. Whether it is a wish for them or a description of the generational consequences of sin, it is tragic. It makes me wonder how the church cared for the widow and children of Judas (if there were any). Since they applied the psalm to him, they must have thought through the other verse as well. Indeed, the name Judas today is linked forever with betrayal and hasn’t been in the list of the top baby names for a long time. I’d like to think that the church cared for Judas’ family particularly when they realized that what he did ultimately resulted in their redemption. I’d like to think that David softened his position when he realized that he was capable of the same things of which he is accusing his enemy. As Nathan said to him, “You are the man.”

14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!

15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!

Now David thinks of the generation that brought his enemy into the world, and he curses his parents. First he prays that they remain forever unforgiven. David will pray for himself that God would blot out his iniquity and sins (Psalm 51:1,2), but he doesn’t not wish the same for the parents of his enemy. He prays for their judgment, that they would forever be before the LORD. The phrase “before the LORD” is used in both verses. The first use suggests the LORD’s judgment, that his enemy’s sins would be remembered before the LORD, like a list of crimes presented in court. The second usage emphasizes the same, that their iniquity and sins be forever before the LORD, not out of his sight, not blotted out and forgotten as he would wish. It is ironic that David uses the same language of blotting out and forgetting in the context of his own prayer of repentance and yet he does not offer the same hope to this guy. It reminds us of Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness, that if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. Now, maybe David is not in a place yet where he can even begin to forgive. He’s still angry and has no perspective, no hope for the redemption of this man. This is where Jesus changes everything. Think of how the early church must have thought of Saul of Tarsus, breathing out threats against the church. Do you think the church prayed Psalm 109 and had Saul in mind? Perhaps, if it had become personal for some of them. But I’m sure others prayed for his salvation -- not that his sins would never be forgiven, but that he would come to know the grace of God. While the intense anger that David felt toward everyone connected with his enemy may be justified, there’s no way to reconcile it with Jesus’ teaching and example of loving his enemies. Indeed, I often say that Jesus prayed the psalms, and so I’ve got to ask, did Jesus pray this psalm? He surely felt it because he was tempted in every way and yet without sin. The truth is that he took the place of this man who had done things so terrible that everyone connected to him shared i his curse. Jesus exchanged places with that type of man to show how much God loves us. There’s no distance too far that He would not go, no sin too great that God cannot forgive.

16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.

17 He loved to curse; let curses come [Revocalization; Masoretic Text curses have come] upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far [Revocalization; Masoretic Text it is far] from him!

David gives us greater insight into this man’s character, and if David is accurate, it’s easy to see how we might desire ill to come to such a man. The first strike against him is that he didn’t remember to show kindness to the poor. This is a good example of the use of “remember” as a positive action, not just a mental acknowledgement of something. Verse 16 is stated as a polarity, “He didn’t remember to show kindness, but he did pursue the poor, needy and brokenhearted to put them to death.” This is a truly heartless person whose natural instincts to care for someone in a worse situation than him is overcome by his need for power. And so the poor are crushed under his feet if they get in the way of his pride. World history is filled with such men as are the present headlines. This is the ultimate result of a true atheist worldview. When there is no god, there is no judgment. When there is no judgment, there is no justice. The second characteristic of this man is that he loved to curse. (Note the past tense -- is David already envisioning the judgment coming upon him?). The opposite of this is stated again in that “he did not delight in blessing.” Verse 17 expresses the principle of reciprocal justice. “May what you have done to others be done to you. May what you have not done for others not be done for you.” While some people may recoil at cursing psalms such as these, the reality is that most decent people applaud when the guilty are punished. When we see viral videos of criminals caught in the act of robbing a store or assaulting a person, our first reaction is to wish judgment upon them. It is instinctual, and I believe it is because we are image bearers of God, and we are endowed with a sense of justice. This is why superhero movies are so common. We long to see good men and women triumph over evil. We do not mourn the death of an evil man, and so we can pray this prayer with the psalmist against evil men in our world. Let God be the judge and let it be soon.

18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak [Revocalization; Masoretic Text it has soaked] into his body like water, like oil into his bones!

19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!

David describes this evil man as one who clothed himself with cursing like a coat, curses soaked into his body like water and then like oil in his bones. This is a great example of parallelism that intensifies with each line. In some cases successive Hebrew poetic lines offer greater intensity or specificity, and this is a classic example of that. A coat is an outer garment that is willingly placed on one’s body. It can be removed, reminding us that a person can change. But this man chose to wear a coat of cursing, surrounding his vitals with hatred. Then the metaphor switches to being soaked with water. The water doesn’t technically enter the body, but when “soaking wet” suggests complete covering, a greater covering than a coat for sure. Now the man is bathing in curses, soaking in them, living in them like a fish lives in water. Immersed in cursing, the third metaphor is that of oil in the bones. Oil is notoriously good at soaking into things -- a stain on a garment, a motor oil spill on the ground, it spreads through whatever it touches, ruining it. Now the cursing has reached the deepest part of the man, polluting his bones, the core of his being, the source of the blood (the marrow) that sustains him. He is thoroughly corrupted with cursing, and so he himself is cursed. David returns to the clothing metaphor in the following verse, praying that a curse would be like a garment that the evil man wraps himself in, like a belt that he puts on every day. The progression is clear, a cursing man becomes accursed. Of course, David is not speaking of cursing in the sense of one who uses profanity, but rather one who chooses to bring harm to others for the sake of his own gratification. The completely self-absorbed, selfish man who chooses himself over others to their detriment finds himself instead soaking in his filth. It is what some call karma or what others might describe as “what goes around comes around.” Reciprocity. 

20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!

21 But you, O God (YHWH) my Lord (adonai), deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

Verse 20 reminds us that this is ultimately a prayer for justice. Believing that God is just and punishment is proportional to the deeds, the psalmist asks for YHWH to “reward” his accusers with appropriate justice. It is the inverse of the golden rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. It is a request for God to “do unto others as they have done unto me”. Since that is the case, we must assume that these enemies and accusers (lit. Satans) desired the worst things possible for David and his family. David was merely asking God to do the same to them. However, in verse 21, David appeals to God’s good mercy to save him. He’s not claiming salvation because he is innocent or good, but because God is good, he promised love, and it will bring glory to the name of God (“for your name’s sake”). David must understand that he is dependent on divine favor as much as the next person. He may be in the right in this situation, but he is still at the mercy of the sovereign God whose ways are inscrutable. So David appeals to that which he knows to be true -- God is just and God is good. He asks for judgment on his enemy and mercy on himself. God in Christ will ultimately show mercy on all of us in the cros of Jesus Christ. There’s a unique use of the name of God in verse 21. The Hebrew words of address are literally, “You, YHWH, my lord” but the translators translate YHWH as “God” instead of the customary LORD (all caps). Compare to Psalm 8 which begins with “O YHWH, our Lord (adonai). 

22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.

23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.

David continues to make his case for God’s salvation for himself and justice for his enemy with a description of his current condition. He is poor and needy. As king he is probably not talking about material wealth here. He has access to wealth and power like no one else in Israel. There is another type of poverty that is much worse, an emptiness, a loss of all that is truly valuable. David’s heart has been dealt a crippling blow and recovery doesn’t seem possible. He sees himself as a lengthening evening show, growing longer and longer until suddenly it disappears, absorbed by the darkness into nothingness. He is discarded like a locust that jumps on your arm, immediately shaken off, and possibly stomped into the dust, contemptible and utterly lacking in value. As I consider the suffering that goes on in this world, it’s easy to see how David’s words describe so many people today. Think of those in war zones who’ve lost all their possessions. Their homes destroyed, they flee with nothing but the clothes on their back, depending on the grace of God and the kindness of humans to keep them alive. They’re lives may be like a shadow, quickly fading, considered worthless by the enemy who sees their lives and deaths as a means to an end. It’s a cruel world, and David gives us the words to describe it and present it before God and plea for mercy. While David is king, there were seasons of his life where you would never know it. While fleeing from Absalom, his own son, he camped in the wilderness and probably felt like no one around him could be trusted. His sense of paranoia was heightened by the betrayal of close advisors. His once powerful persona as a warrior was shaken to the point that he feels like a shadow and a locust. So will we all become as our bodies reach the end of their purpose.  

24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.

25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.

David is physically weak from fasting for so long. Regular fasting was an aspect of the weekly rhythm of life in the first century. The Pharisees fasted weekly and presumably they were the models of religious observance. Jesus fasted for an entire forty days, the limit of what the body can tolerate. David may have been fasting to devote himself to prayer, or maybe he also had lost his appetite. Some people respond to grief and depression today by eating too much, others by not eating at all. David’s loss of appetite and continual prayer have left him physically exhausted and it’s obvious that he is failing physically because of this trial. It has also taken a toll on him socially as he has become an object of scorn to his accusers. They look at him and shake their heads. If they are publicly mocking him, who knows what they are saying in secret! David assumes that every conversation is about him and it’s all bad. He is the guest of honor at his own pity party, and it’s stolen his appetite. His physical weakness and feelings of isolation are only strengthening his perception that his days are numbered, the shadow is lengthening and will soon disappear.

26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!

27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!

David returns to his appeal for help on the basis of God’s steadfast love. He expects that God’s salvation will so obviously be from God, that David’s enemies will know that it is God who saved him and not himself. God’s astounding rescue of David would serve as an example to others of God’s steadfast love. This may also be a prayer for God’s justice to be visited upon David’s enemies and that they would know that this justice was from the hand of God as well. So what David wants is salvation and justice in the same astonishing God-act. This sounds a lot like the cross. Jesus accomplished both salvation and justice in the same act, a double-play of sorts. On the cross, Jesus did all that was necessary to save humanity while at the same time crushing the one who held the power of sin and death, the devil. The guilt and weight of our sin has been removed not by divine fiat, but by the just punishment of that sin and guilt in the body of Christ. The phrase, “you, O LORD, have done it” is similar to the end of Psalm 22 and to Jesus’ final words on the cross. For on the cross, God saved us and judged our sin without utterly destroying us. He accomplished it. It was finished. David’s prayer was answered and he didn’t even know the full extent of what he was praying. God does always answer our prayers as we might expect, but he always answers them better. 

28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!

29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

Verse 28 may be the key verse of the entire psalm, and a key verse for all the cursing psalms. It is a bold statement of faith indicating that the psalmist trusts in YHWH period. So let the enemies curse, let The Enemy curse, and God will still bless. Let the enemies rise up suggests two possible interpretations. “Let them rise up against me”, and yet I will be glad because I trust in YHWH. Or “let them rise to stand before the judge where they will be put to shame, and then I will be glad. Both are true. David’s final prayer for his enemies is that they would be clothed with dishonor, putting on their own shame as an overcoat. Verse 29 is a good example of parallelism where the second line is more intense and more specific. While this psalm has offered some of the most dramatic and severe curses in the Psalms, in this prayer, David consistently expresses his faith in God, his justice, and his timing. David will accept that his enemies will seem to triumph for a season. They will curse for a while, but vindication is ultimately his because of God’s covenant love and loyalty. So confident is David of that covenant loyalty that he will not take up arms himself against his enemies (at least there’s no indication of that in this psalm). He entrusts himself to him who judges justly. He tries to live a life of integrity so that he cannot be rightly accused, believing that what is good and true will always win in the end. That’s not a bad way to live. 

30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

David concludes this violent prayer with a promise to publicly praise. He will use his words to give great thanks to YHWH. He will praise him in the middle of the congregation. The reason: God stands at the right hand of the poor man. He saves him from those who would condemn his soul to death. The position to the right signifies protection. Most people are right handed, so a sword was held in the right hand and a shield in the left. This position allowed one who was guarding you to step forward and engage quickly with an attacker. This is our Jesus. Our right hand man, our wingman, ready at the right to step in and save us from the enemy who would condemn our soul to death. Jesus did so at the cost of his own life, and by the power of his resurrection we are assured victory over death. David didn’t have the level of knowledge that we do today, but he certainly had confidence that he would emerge victorious from the struggle he was engaged in. Do you see Jesus at your right hand in life? When you face enemies of all kinds, do you know that Jesus is by your side? When you are lying on your deathbed, do you know that Jesus is beside you, holding your hand to lead you through those ancient doors? The very next psalm (110) describes YHWH as king and Jesus at his right hand with YHWH making his enemies a footstool on behalf of the king, David. This divine partnership is the theme of the Bible, beginning with God and man walking together in a garden, in fellowship, in relationship, in partnership for human flourishing. God is always at our side, so let the curses come, God will bless. Let enemies arise, God will put them to shame. Let thanks and praise arise from our lips for Jesus stands at our right hand, ready to save our souls from death.