This is a psalm of David, where he cries out to God for judgment to come upon his enemies because they were seeking to kill him. He asks God to avenge him by destroying his enemies, Deuteronomy 32:35 / Romans 12:19.
This is one of several psalms where the writer calls for God to curse their enemies, Psalm 7 / Psalm 22 / Psalm 31 / Psalm 36 / Psalm 39 / Psalm 54 / Psalm 55 / Psalm 56 / Psalm 71 / Psalm 109 / Psalm 140, and there are more.
Although the headings aren’t inspired by God, they are important because they give us some understanding of the Psalm, and they help us to see why it was written. The headings usually tell us four things.
1. Who wrote them, probably wrote them, or possibly wrote them.
2. Information about the historical background to the Psalm. Why was it written?
3. They tell us of the tune the Psalm was written to.
4. How it was used.
This psalm simply tells us it’s a psalm of David. We don’t know the exact background to this psalm, but it could be related to the time when Saul was pursuing him. This is possible because the first few words of this psalm are very similar to what David says to Saul in 1 Samuel 24:15.
As mentioned above, the first part of the first verse is very similar to what David says to Saul in 1 Samuel 24:15. David wants to be vindicated, and so He basically takes the matter to God and asks God to fight for him, Psalm 35:1. He wants God to step in and defend him from all those who were against him, Psalm 35:1.
Notice David asks God to take up His shield, Psalm 35:2 / 1 Samuel 17:7 / 1 Samuel 17:41, armour, spear, and javelin, Psalm 35:3. This is David’s way of asking God to put on His armour, Isaiah 59:17, and fight on David’s behalf.
He wants God to say to him, ‘I am your salvation’, Psalm 35:3. In other words, he’s asking God to work through him so that he can confuse and track his enemies.
Remember, David was God’s anointed, 1 Samuel 16:13, and so if anyone was against David, God’s anointed, they were actually against God Himself, Psalm 35:4. He wants God to make it known that he really did serve and obey God and that those who opposed him were made like chaff before the wind, Psalm 35:5.
He calls upon God to intervene by sending ‘the angel of the Lord’, Psalm 34:5 / Psalms 34:7. Who is this angel of the LORD? This is a Christophany, which suggests that this is a preincarnate appearance of Christ, Genesis 12:7. Remember the word ‘angel’ in Hebrew is ‘malak’, and it simply means messenger. Christ is God, not an angel.
Haynes Jr, in his commentary, says the following.
‘A study of these passages reveals that the Angel of the Lord appeared in human form, Genesis 18:2 / Genesis 22:1-18 / Hebrews 13:2, and performed normal human functions, Genesis 32:24 / Numbers 22:23 / Numbers 22:31, yet he was an awe-inspiring figure, Genesis 32:30 / Judges 6:22 / Judges 13:22, exhibiting divine attributes and prerogatives including predicting the future, Genesis 16:10-12, forgiving sin, Exodus 23:21, and receiving worship, Exodus 3:5 / Judges 13:9-20.’
Notice he asks the angel of the LORD to intervene twice, Psalm 34:5-6 / Exodus 23:20-22. This is David pleading his innocence again.
The Pulpit Commentary says the following.
‘The angel of the Lord, who protects the righteous, Psalms 34:7, is called on to complete the discomfiture of the wicked ones, who are David’s enemies.’
Notice he tells God that his enemies did this without cause, Psalm 34:7. As a hunter, Saul had planned traps for David, that is, nets, Psalm 34:7, but David asked that Saul be caught in his own traps, and he wants it to happen unexpectedly, Psalm 34:8.
David wants his enemies to be caught in the very nets they have set for him. This would be useful for us to pray today, as the devil, our enemy, has many traps set for us, 1 Timothy 3:7 / 2 Timothy 2:26 / 2 Corinthians 2:11.
David knows that when God does all of these things, then he will rejoice and delight in his salvation, Psalm 34:9. His whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them, Psalm 34:10 / Psalms 86:1.
These ‘ruthless witnesses’, Psalm 35:11, are false witnesses, and violent witnesses, and David says, they are guilty of injustice and wrong against him. We don’t know what the charges were that these witnesses accused David of, but David says he knows nothing about them, Psalm 35:11.
This is a classic case of someone being totally misunderstood, someone who wants to help with no alternative motives, yet people still falsely accuse him of something else.
David contrasts his own behaviour with that of his enemies; he remembers when he had done good for his enemies, but his enemies paid him back with evil, Psalm 35:12.
He showed kindness to them when they were sick, Job 30:25, by wearing sackcloth, Psalm 35:13 / Psalm 30:11, which demonstrates deep sympathy and total reliance on God.
He humbled himself, Psalm 35:13 / Daniel 9:3 / Matthew 17:21 / Luke 2:37. Remember, David was slanderously attacked by Saul and his ruthless followers accused David of all kinds of evil things, but yet, David humbled his heart, he prayed and fasted for the very people who were now out to kill him, Psalm 35:13 / Luke 23:34.
He showed incredible love and concern for them when they were sick, Psalm 35:13. David prayed, concerning his enemies, but his prayers weren’t answered at this time, Psalm 35:13.
He ‘went about’, Psalm 35:14, that is, his conduct was right, Philemon 3:18 / Galatians 2:14 / 1 Thessalonians 4:12 / 2 Thessalonians 3:11. He was making their problems his own and caring for them as though they were his friend or brother, Psalm 35:14.
He felt and acted toward them as though they had been his friend or brother. He bowed his head, Psalm 35:14 / 1 Kings 18:42, and went about weeping as if he had lost his mother, Psalm 35:14.
Despite David demonstrating genuine love and care for his enemies, his enemies turn against him. When he stumbled, his enemies ‘gathered in glee,’ Psalm 35:15, that is, they rejoiced.
It appears that David received no sympathy from his enemies, but despite being stricken with grief because of the relentless attack of those who were against him, David remained faithful to his calling as the anointed of God.
David says, they maliciously mocked him and they ‘gnashed their teeth at me’ Psalm 35:16. Gnashing the teeth, is an expression of rage, anger and deep hatred, Job 16:9 / Psalm 37:12 / Psalm 112:10.
In the New Testament, it refers to the agony of extreme disappointment, Matthew 8:12 / Matthew 13:42 / Matthew 13:50 / Matthew 22:13 / Matthew 24:51 / Matthew 25:30.
We have to admire David’s honesty here in his prayer to God. He begs God to help him from his lion-like enemies, Psalm 35:17 / Psalm 22:20. He basically asks God, how long are you going to wait to deliver him and punish those who are treating him so badly, Psalm 35:17.
He knows that God sees everything and has witnessed everything which has happened, yet God doesn’t intervene, Isaiah 18:4 / Revelation 6:10. He says that when God delivers him from his enemies, he will publicly express his gratitude and joy for God’s deliverance, Psalm 35:18 / Psalm 18:49 / Psalm 22:25.
Remember David wasn’t only driven out of Jerusalem without any cause, John 15:25, he was hunted down like a dog by Saul and his men, 1 Samuel 26:20. David was very much aware that he hadn’t done his enemies any wrong, and he knew he had done nothing to deserve the way his enemies were treating him, so, his prayer is simply a request that justice might be done, Psalm 35:19 / Matthew 5:11.
The ‘winking of the eye’, Psalm 35:19, was a way of mocking someone or insulting someone, Job 15:12 / Proverbs 6:13 / Proverbs 10:10 / Proverbs 16:30. He prays for vindication against his enemies because they plotted against those who live quietly in the land, that those who are humble and live in peace, Psalm 35:20.
They sneered at David and said, ‘Aha! Aha!’, Psalm 35:21 / Psalm 40:15 / Psalm 70:3, that is, they boasted with open mouths, Psalm 22:13, that they had seen the conquest of David, Psalm 35:22.
David asks God to awake, Psalm 35:23 / Psalm 44:23, and rise to his defence, Psalm 35:23 / Psalm 7:6. Notice he says, ‘my God and my Lord,’ Psalm 35:23. This is a phrase which combines two names for God than a name of God in its own right, John 20:28. The word God is the word, ‘Elohim’ and the word ‘Lord’ is the word, Adonai.
David asks God to vindicate him, Psalm 35:24, that is, he wants God to judge righteously between him and his enemies, Psalm 35:24 / Psalm 26:1. In the midst of those who shouted for victory over David, David begs the Lord to come to his defence, to work through him for the downfall of his enemies, Psalm 35:25.
To ‘swallow up’, Psalm 35:25, means to totally destroy, Numbers 16:31-35 / Lamentations 2:16 / Psalm 21:9. If David was killed, they hope to rise up because of his death. In this way, his enemies would be ashamed because they attacked God’s anointed, Psalm 35:26.
He doesn’t want his enemies to be successful in their plans because that would come across as if they were right. They would think that what they were doing was right, and if they defeated David, they would think that this was God’s will.
I don’t think that we are to think that David wanted God to kill his enemies; he simply wants God to defeat his enemies, not kill them. He wants them to be ashamed of what they are trying to do and see how disgraceful their behaviour towards him has been.
David wants God to deliver him so that his real friends would rejoice, Psalm 35:27, and although David focused a lot on himself in this psalm, he ends by exalting the Lord and praising Him, Psalm 35:28.
It’s incredible to think that David not only did good towards the very people who wanted him dead, but he also always prayed for them. The Old Testament law nowhere stated that people should ‘hate their enemies.’ This was a false interpretation by the Jews, Leviticus 19:17-18.
In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus doesn’t argue against the Old Testament law, but against those who falsely interpret it for their own personal desires. The principle of loving our neighbour fulfils all that the law would command concerning our duty toward our fellow man, Matthew 22:35-40.
The principle of loving our enemies is valid and binding upon everyone who follows Christ. There’s no room in the Christian’s heart, especially since they’ve had their sins forgiven, to have hatred towards anyone.
The kind of love used in our text doesn’t necessarily refer to sentimental and affectionate love as we have towards our own family members. The kind of love meant here is the love manifested by God Himself in that He sends rain on the good and evil, etc. The implication is that Christians should treat their enemies with fairness and impartiality, doing unto them as they would desire people to do unto themselves.
Underlying these verses is the challenge that Christians should be ‘like their Father who is in heaven,’ Matthew 5:48. That’s what it’s really all about, that Christians should be like the pure and holy God whom we are taught to worship through Christ.
God loves sinners, even dying for them while they were yet in sin, so Christians should love all men, sinners included, even their own personal enemies! To live the other way is to be no better than a publican, the gatherer of the Roman taxes and, in the Jewish dictionary, that was about as low as a man could get!
The character that Jesus has just explained identifies those who are of the spirit of the Father, and thus, sons of the Father. God’s love is impartial; He loved us when we were His enemies, Romans 5:8.
Christ here pronounced a new and thrilling principle to take the place of the old proverb that ‘One rotten apple will spoil a barrel of good apples!’ That is, ‘One good apple can heal a barrel of rotten apples!’
Only Christ could have revealed such an exciting, new and effective doctrine as this. A true heart isn’t one of malice or hate; hearts of malice and hate identify those individuals who are of the world. Luke, in his Gospel, adds that we should do good to and pray for our enemies, Luke 6:27-28.
There is no reward in a love that acts out of selfish motives to do something for others for the purpose of receiving something in return. True love must be unconditional; it mustn’t seek a reward.
These Jews worked as tax collectors for the Roman government, and thus, were despised by the Jews. They were allowed to take a portion of the taxes that they collected.
If we embrace only those of his approval, then there is no true manifestation of love. The disciples’ greetings must extend beyond what the world would do to and for itself.
God’s people are to be different in that they are disciples who unconditionally love others. They are expected by God to do more than those who are outside a covenant relationship with God.
Jesus establishes a needed high standard of conduct in order that His disciples be made aware of their need for salvation and their need to struggle in order to have the kingdom reign of Jesus within them.
The word ‘perfect’ can refer only to one who is complete as a result of God’s accredited righteousness that results from His grace. Christians aren’t perfect in behaviour but are perfect in Christ through the blood of Jesus, Colossians 1:28 / Colossians 1:28.
In what way would Jesus’ teaching on loving and praying for our enemies help us in our outreach efforts? It certainly tells us that we will have enemies and we will be persecuted at times, but it also teaches us to continue to love them and pray for them. Remember that prayer may not change their attitude towards you, but it may change your attitude towards them, John 15:18-21.