Psalm 109

 A Psalm For Divine Justice Against One’s Enemies

This is a Psalm of David - desiring deliverance by the God he praises from his enemies. Although David was kind and prayed for them, they treated him badly. As a result David desires the Lord destroy his wicked enemies along with their ancestry and posterity.

David pronounces numerous curses on what appears as one enemy initially. We do not know who this enemy is. I would imagine many have guessed perhaps Saul who wanted to kill David for the sake of his kingdom, or Ahithophel who was one of David’s counselors who betrayed him to pledge his allegiance to David’s son Absalom who attempted to usurp his father’s kingdom (2 Sam 16:22;17:14), or Doeg the Edomite, a servant of Saul.

Verses 1-5:

• These verses mirror what was happening to Jesus the day he was crucified; they lied and were hateful toward Him. They attacked the Lord without cause. For His kindness they accused Him (Jesus) of being a rebel.

    Verses 6-15:

• This is where David uses what scholars call imprecatory language against his enemies. To imprecate someone is to pronounce curses on them. Here are the curses David pronounces:

• Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy. Let an accuser stand at his right hand (vs 6)

• When he is tried, let him be found guilty. Let his prayer become sin (vs 7)

• May his days be few; may another take his place. This was fulfilled in Judas after he betrayed the Lord and hanged himself. This curse was not only contemporaneous, it was a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy [(vs 8), (fulfilled in Acts 1:8)]. Judas was replaced by Matthias as an apostle

• Then David pronounces woes on his enemies’ family; he desires the man dies so that his children are fatherless and his wife a widow. He also pronounces that he desires his family becomes homeless and begging on the street. David wants the creditors to seize all his possessions, and that strangers steal what he has. David desires despair on the man’s entire family (vv 9-15)

Now, why would David be so hardcore on his enemy and his families’ destruction? Verse sixteen tells us that his enemy was ruthless and blood thirsty. He showed no compassion for the poor, the needy and the brokenhearted. As a matter of fact he killed them. David also desired that any curses he pronounced on anyone that it would come back on him. His enemies never blessed anyone (vs 17).

David said that his enemies wore cursing like a cloak; that evil entered his body like water and like oil into his bones (vs 18). David said since the wicked love their evil so much, may they be afflicted with evil forever as a payment from the Lord for those that have spoken evil about him (vv 19-20). David pleads his case for deliverance. He’s tired of fighting. He’s weak from fasting, his body is mal-nourished and his enemies continue to taunt. Verse 25  was fulfilled in Christ in Matthew 27:39-40a, those who passed hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!”

     Verses 26-31:

• David cries to the only one that can save him, God Almighty. David leans on God’s love as the virtue he needs for help. He wants his enemies to know that the Lord is his deliverer. David wants the Lord to bless him whenever his enemies curse him. Again he wants his enemies put to shame so that he can give the Lord praise. In the end, David knows the Lord will vindicate him and all those who are poor and desperate that need help from God.

In case the reader is wondering why David did not seek the welfare of his enemies due to all the curses he pronounced, remember he said at the beginning of the Psalm, that he treated his enemies with kindness although they reciprocated evil against him (Matthew 5:44). Although the matter for David was personal, he did not take personal vengeance. Everything he desired to be done to his enemies was righteous and according to the Mosaic law (Exodus 20;Deuteronomy 32). David obeyed Deuteronomy 32:35 which says, “Vengeance is mine” says the Lord-”I will repay.”

What can we learn from this Psalm?

No one likes being persecuted for no reason. It's just not right. Those who harm others, stealing, taunting and even killing are a menace to society and need to be either locked up or executed - they’re incorrigible. Jesus promised us that in this world we will have trouble, but it never justifies someone being evil against another without a cause. Those who commit evil deserve to have it return to them in greater measure.

Like David we MUST not take personal vengeance against those that hate us no matter how tempting it may be. Here’s another caveat, do not rejoice when they fall either. Why? Because it would upset the Lord and the judgment He was going to render He may withdraw. Proverbs 24:17-18 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and do not set your heart on their destruction. Lest the Lord see it and it displeases Him and He (The Lord) turn away His wrath from him (your enemy).

There is tremendous wisdom packed in these two verses. 1) Although the wicked deserve punishment by God, we have to make sure we do not gloat in their destruction. If we do, the Lord may decide to spare your enemies’ judgment. Think about the burn that would be to the one that had to endure ongoing persecution from this malevolent person(s) if God spared your enemies because we gloated in their demise! 2) This shows the love of God even for the most despicable people. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked although they deserve to die (Ezekiel 18:32;33:11). Those that die in their sins will immediately wake up in hell.

Proverbs 28:17 says, “Anyone tormented with the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold him back.” Proverbs 19:19 says, “A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again” (ESV). In other words let the deeds of the murderous wicked haunt him until it kills him; do not help him! This is justice; life for life.