The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 35:4-6,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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"May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them."
Psalm 35 falls into a category as one of the imprecatory psalms - there are a number of them. An imprecation is to curse someone or something. David does so in an illustrative manner in this psalm. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines curse as "a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one." To curse is also defined as "a profane or obscene oath or word." It is in the sense of that first definition that we are looking at here, "to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon." Synonyms for imprecation include anathema, ban, malediction, execration (the act of cursing) and "malison" (a new one for me - a curse or malediction).
You recall that God cursed the ground when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, and the serpent as well for his role. In Genesis 4:11 God cursed Cain for the murder of his brother Abel. In Matthew 21 we read of Jesus cursing a fig tree. Paul cursed all who do not love the Lord in his closing comments in his first letter to the church in Corinth. He observed that all who rely on the "works of the law" are under a curse, Galatians 3:10.
A lot of cursing going on in the Scriptures, so these psalms of imprecation should not surprise us. Here is what David sought from the Lord when he asked for curses from the Lord on his enemies in Psalm 35:
He asked for shame and disgrace, verse 4.
That his enemies be turned back in dismay, verse 4.
That they be like chaff before the wind, verse 5.
That the angel of the Lord drive them away, verse 5.
That their path be dark and slippery, as the angel of the Lord pursued them, verse 6.
That ruin overtake them, verse 8.
That they be intangeled in their own net and fall into their own pit to their ruin, verse 8.
He asks for shame again and confusion, verse 26, shame and disgrace.
David could curse! He could imprecate! However, as I read these things, and as I do consider David's faith to be a role model for us all, I am reminded of what Jesus taught his followers, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:27-31.
I am also mindful of Paul's admonition, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Romans 12:14. He goes on to instruct us, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" (His quote of Proverbs 25:21, 22.)
The take-away I have from this is that if I consider what David did as an example for myself, it best be done in the full counsel of the Scriptures. Will I be able to say to the Lord that my actions, attitudes and words resonate in harmony with what Jesus taught, what his apostle Paul taught?
Psalm 35 falls into a category as one of the imprecatory psalms - there are a number of them. An imprecation is to curse someone or something. David does so in an illustrative manner in this psalm. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines curse as "a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one." To curse is also defined as "a profane or obscene oath or word." It is in the sense of that first definition that we are looking at here, "to call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon." Synonyms for imprecation include anathema, ban, malediction, execration (the act of cursing) and "malison" (a new one for me - a curse or malediction).
You recall that God cursed the ground when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, and the serpent as well for his role. In Genesis 4:11 God cursed Cain for the murder of his brother Abel. In Matthew 21 we read of Jesus cursing a fig tree. Paul cursed all who do not love the Lord in his closing comments in his first letter to the church in Corinth. He observed that all who rely on the "works of the law" are under a curse, Galatians 3:10.
A lot of cursing going on in the Scriptures, so these psalms of imprecation should not surprise us. Here is what David sought from the Lord when he asked for curses from the Lord on his enemies in Psalm 35:
He asked for shame and disgrace, verse 4.
That his enemies be turned back in dismay, verse 4.
That they be like chaff before the wind, verse 5.
That the angel of the Lord drive them away, verse 5.
That their path be dark and slippery, as the angel of the Lord pursued them, verse 6.
That ruin overtake them, verse 8.
That they be intangeled in their own net and fall into their own pit to their ruin, verse 8.
He asks for shame again and confusion, verse 26, shame and disgrace.
David could curse! He could imprecate! However, as I read these things, and as I do consider David's faith to be a role model for us all, I am reminded of what Jesus taught his followers, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:27-31.
I am also mindful of Paul's admonition, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Romans 12:14. He goes on to instruct us, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" (His quote of Proverbs 25:21, 22.)
The take-away I have from this is that if I consider what David did as an example for myself, it best be done in the full counsel of the Scriptures. Will I be able to say to the Lord that my actions, attitudes and words resonate in harmony with what Jesus taught, what his apostle Paul taught?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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