Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

Psalm 35 – Plead My Cause! (Part 3 of 3)

V. The Plea for JUSTICE (vs. 18-21) –David said to the LORD that he wanted to give thanks to Him for the deliverance from his enemies who wanted to kill him. David bore them no animosity. If they are sick, he will fast and pray for them. Based on this heart and mind that David possessed, he said to the LORD that he would give thanks to Him in the great congregation. David passed the test thus far by not allowing his heart to sin against God. Had he been angry and bitter against his enemies, and had he rejoiced in their sickness, he would have sinned. Had he not prayed and fasted for them the way he did, and not love them unconditionally the way he experienced God’s unconditional love for him through Christ, he would have sinned. Giving thanks is the hallmark of a grateful heart. The person who gives thanks feels that he does not deserve what has been done in his life or has been given to him. This was how David felt regarding his relationship with his LORD. He wanted the people of Israel to know how grateful he was to the LORD for all that He had done for him, including the trials and persecution he experienced and also the deliverance.

Using synonymous parallelism, David repeated what he said, that he wanted to praise the LORD among much people. Praise and thanksgiving are twin truths that always go together. It is not possible to thank the LORD without also praising the LORD! Both were publicly acknowledged by David.

Verse 19 (synthetic parallelism) – To this end, David pleaded with his LORD to not let his enemies who wrongfully accused him to wrongfully rejoice over him. The three types of persecution faced by believers were stated by Christ in Matthew 5—persecution (physical harm); revile (scolding and threats); and saying all kinds of things falsely. Of the three, it seems that the third was the one that David struggled with the most. It is one thing to suffer physical hurt or receive threats, but lies and character assassination are the hardest to endure. The reason is that true believers have the best sense of justice (right and wrong because of God's infallible and inerrant word). They also know that based upon God’s Word, all they do and continue to do is to obey the will and Word of God. The deep sense of injustice hurts deep into the bowels. David experienced this often in his life, before as well as after he became king. He cried to the LORD to not let his enemies rejoice because of this! These evil men who lie to destroy God’s children who serve Him faithfully on earth will rejoice in their downfall. However, God’s people will weep even when the enemies of God fall and face the judgement of God. The contrast is clear. This will be seen in the last days when evil men will rejoice and celebrate when the Antichrist kills the two witnesses whom God will send to tell them about Christ and the deception of the Antichrist. Revelation 11:7-10,"And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." Truth to them is tormenting. These evil men in David’s time were just the same. They rejoiced when they saw David’s persecution. David cried to the LORD to stop them from their wicked rejoicing!

These enemies of David also compounded his inward turmoil! They winked their eye! What is the meaning of this phrase? This phrase appears in other OT passages. Proverbs 6:12-14,"A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord." Proverbs 10:10,"He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall." Based upon these other usages and the context of verse 19, the meaning would be the same. This was an act of wicked persons. Their intent was to do mischief and malice. They hated David. His enemies were filled with venom. They knew there was no justification against David so they had to manufacture it, mixing lies with a sprinkling of truth to make their lies more acceptable to the undiscerning. Their purpose was to destroy David so that Israel would not have him as their godly king! In attacking David, they were in reality attacking Israel. If David was killed by King Saul, Israel would never have experienced the wonderful reign of David. If David gave up Christ or stopped obeying God’s will in his life because it was too difficult, then these evil men would have succeeded in thwarting the work of God in Israel’s life. David was not saying to his God that these enemies who hated him could not "wink at him" if he had done wrong! But David knew in his heart, based upon God's truth, that he had not done anything wrong! All he wanted to do was to obey the will and Word of God in his life!

Verse 20 (synthetic parallelism) – All David wanted was peace and to obey the Word of God. But these enemies of David did not want peace. They were consumed by their hatred for David! They wanted trouble. They did not care for right or wrong because they were consumed by their hatred for and obsession to kill David! They spoke words that would sow seeds of discord. They spread falsehood like the enemies of a farmer spreading tares to ruin his crops. David’s enemies wanted to destroy his peace of mind, which every child of God has when he obeys the LORD. This is the blessing of obedience that every child of God clings to, and that helps him to keep on obeying God's Word more. This is priceless and money cannot buy it. It is a deep assurance in the soul knowing that your life is right with your LORD. David had this when he looked after his father’s flock, trusting in his LORD to keep him and his father’s flock safe from the ferocious bears and lions. This is the same priceless trust David enjoyed, that gave him the courage he needed to defeat Goliath with the swing of his sling. David’s enemies wanted to take this peace away from him. One of the most effective ways is through fear. Fear will cast doubt. Doubt leads to faithlessness. Doubt leads to sin, for whatsoever that is not done in faith is sin (cf. Romans 14:23). In today’s world of the internet, the tool of spreading lies is even more potent that before. It spreads like an out of control radioactive cloud that poisons the minds of many who care not for the truth but only delight in the fall of others like David, a man after God's own heart. It’s all about causing the children of God to not trust in their heavenly Father. The way to overcome is to cry to the LORD for intervention like what David did here, and hold on to the LORD and keep on trusting in Him no matter what the enemies are doing.

Not only did they want to kill David and destroy his faith and trust in the LORD, they wanted to turn David’s friends against him as well. They spread rumours and manufactured lies to accomplish this. Those who were David’s "friends" would quickly turn on him. They would believe the lies and rumours. To lose one’s freedom is one thing but to lose all his friends was a direct assault on his soul and mind. Sowing discord deliberately to destroy friendships is one of the sins most hated by God. Proverbs 6:16-19,"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." Loneliness is part of the trials of every believer's life. To live a life whereby friends have turned into enemies is worse than having no friends at all. To taste the joy and blessing of friendship and then to have it taken away because of lies is a wound to the innermost part of a person’s soul. When friends believe in lies and turn into one’s enemies, life becomes tasteless and the joy of living and serving can become too heavy a burden to bear. David’s enemies devised deceitful matters against him so that those who were not against David became turned enemies of David! When David hid in a city, they were forced to choose – to help King Saul capture David or to hide David from King Saul. If King Saul had not wanted David killed, the land would have had peace. David would have peace. But when the king stirred up the hearts of the people of Israel who wanted peace but were forced to choose, peace was taken from them.

Verse 21 (synthetic parallelism) – David testified of the audacity and great deception of his enemies against him. They opened their mouth wide against him. This means that they spoke loud words against David. Writing was not as common as today in terms of the ease and cost effectiveness. However, that did not stop David’s enemies from spreading all sorts of lies against him. The phrase also means they were very bold in their attacks. They slandered him. They distorted the truth. When there was no wrong to be found against God’s servant, they manufactured lies. Their duplicity knew no bounds! Their obsession against David was like a blind and mad man swinging and flaying both his arms wildly trying to hit and destroy everything that is in front of him. He will not stop until everything is destroyed, by hook or by crook. These same attacks are used today against God’s servants. Spiritually blind and mad men do the same through the internet and use whatever ways and means available to hurt and destroy. However, we know from the Bible that their obsession will boomerang back on them, as it did on Haman who built a gallows to hang Mordecai but he was hanged on it instead.

What will come out of the mouths, or, as in our context today, the pens of these evil men? David said that these men would claim, "Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it." They claimed that they knew the truth when all they knew were lies. They deluded themselves into thinking that they had the truth. They even dared to claim that they were eye witnesses of what David had done. The reality is that their conscience had been seared. They convinced their blind eyes that they had seen the sin and evil of David! With such a warped stony heart they spoke with conviction and all sincerity. This made their evil and lies against David more convincing and deadly. Sadly and tragically, there were some who believed and went against David. One might think and ask how such a thing could happen? The Bible teaches that the heart of sinful man is deceitful! Jeremiah 17:9 affirms, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" When the hearts of these evil men were obsessed with David’s death, they would not stop until they self destructed. King Saul did not stop until he died in battle. When God’s servants serve the Lord faithfully according to Holy Scriptures, they will be able to endure as David endured. The Lord warns in passages like Philippians 1:27-29, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." Do not be despondent. Do not stop serving. Keep on walking righteously and stay on the path of holiness. Trust in the ever present Lord to hold and keep you all the way from earth to heaven!

God’s servants must make sure that they are doing the will and work of God according to God’s holy and perfect Word. The attacks of the evil one will come soon enough. Know that when the attacks come, your heavenly father is in total and absolute control. He knows the strength of your faith. The trials He allows into your life will be according to the measure of the strength of your faith. He will not allow a temptation greater than your faith to crush you. He has promised all His children this assurance. 1 Corinthians 10:13,"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Keep on believing.