Will We Praise God?

            For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you. Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me. For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.  Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.

Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

But as for me, afflicted and in pain— may your salvation, God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!
The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there. (Psalm 69)

As a note, if you want to read other Imprecatory psalms, check out Psalms 5, 6, 10, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 79, 83, 94, 137, 139, and 143.

What did I do to deserve this? I  was minding my own business, and suddenly, these people decided I was public enemy #1. And the same people who scream, “Don’t blame the victim!” look at me and announce that I am the guilty one, not those who attack me. This is what both Job and David experienced. Now, I’ll grant you that in David’s case, kingship might have had something to do with it. When you’re marked as the next visible leader or when you are the visible leader, envy, hatred, and fear (even unjustified) is more prevalent in those around you. But we’ve all felt it. Yesterday, I had a good example. I asked a customer’s phone number to add points to his rewards account, and he unloaded on me because the company doesn’t let him use those points when he wants to, and no other time is acceptable. It goes with the territory.

David points out that this hatred can be close to home. One’s family and friends can become enemies. They may be more likely than people who live at a distance, because they know your weaknesses and failings. “Just who do you think you are? I knew you when you were wetting your bed.”

In this psalm, David speaks of what he’s encountering and the state of his emotions. He defends his own behavior before God and asks God not only to judge those who are attacking him unjustly, but to save both him and Israel. He asks that his behavior and the attacks on him would not harm those who are trusting God. And, being polite, he assures God he and his people will praise and thank Him, which is better than sacrificing an ox to Him.

Today’s passage isn’t quite as brutal as yesterday’s, but there is still the request that God deal harshly with those who have attacked the singer without cause. And again, we have no clear indication that God answered this prayer in the way David is asking. Other psalms and David’s history make it clear that God did rescue David repeatedly. I have no doubt He’s rescued us repeatedly, too. Are we ready to praise Him when He does? The question is not whether or not we will celebrate the harm done to our enemies, but whether we will praise God for His salvation.