Psalm 35: a lesson in faith and manners
This psalm is a prayer of deliverance from the hands of the wicked, but what strikes me as important when reading it is that David isn’t responding to his oppressors. He does not engage them as they taunt and mock him. His prayers go up to heaven for deliverance. He wants God to intervene. He doesn’t want revenge on those who seek to destroy him. He doesn’t gloat over what will happen to them, or what he’ll do them once God gets on his side.
Take a look at verses 7-10 in particular, and notice how he imagines they’ll finally fail: “… the snares they have laid will catch them, and into their own trap they will fall. Then I shall delight in Yahweh, rejoice that He has saved me…” Notice how he doesn’t rejoice that the wicked have fallen. He rejoices because God has saved him. It’s an important lesson for those of us in similar situations. We should not get so caught up in the problem and the evil games that we become part of them, and seek the revenge or destruction of those who cause us harm. Instead, we should look to God. We are not to respond to their taunts, we are not to try to change them. We should keep doing what we’re doing, and ask God to intervene on our behalf. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why should we waste our time and effort on something God can solve instantly, in His own time? He knows best when to put a stop to it. Sure, it’s very disturbing when we’re at the center of a scandalous situation created by some hateful person or persons, but if we did nothing wrong, we should simply trust in God and go on about our business.
It’s hard, I know, but it’s worth it. I know it’s a difficult concept to swallow, but look at verse 27: “But let all who delight in my uprightness shout for joy and gladness: let them constantly say, ‘Great is Yahweh, who delights to see his servant in peace.’” Do you see now why it’s important to behave as proper Christians? Because others are watching! They are waiting to see not only how we will behave, but how God, the God we trust in and pray to, will deliver us. Let’s not mess it up by trying to fix the situation ourselves. Let’s let God work things out! If we do that, they’ll have a chance to see the story from end to glorious finish, all in God’s time.
