Plead My Cause

2012-05-05

“Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.” Psalm 35:1

David prays this passionate prayer for God to avenge him of his enemies. This may seem a bit contrary to other parts of the Bible, such as Matthew 5:44. Let us consider David’s situation, and see what is going on.

Consider these malicious adversaries of whom David speaks:

Now consider what David prays concerning them:

David had many enemies in his life, such as Saul, his son Absalom, and Shimei to name a few. They all sought David harm, yet David never did anything to elicit any ill-favor from them. In fact, he sought their well-being even when he was being pursued by them.

We do not know of whom David was speaking when he wrote this psalm, but God, the ultimate author, leaves us something to think about.

First, this type of prayer is okay to pray... if you are in David’s situation. Are people who you consider close friends turning on you maliciously without cause? Are you right with God and is your persecution related to this (35:24)? If Jesus told us to pray for our persecutors, this psalm cannot contradict what he told us to do. Indeed, there comes a point that praying for your enemy to fall may be what is best for them, because perhaps it is the only way for God to get their attention. Loving people best does not always imply warm and fuzzy feelings; it is about seeking what is best for them.

Second, like many Davidic psalms, this psalm prefigures Christ. He laid down his life for all of humankind. He went through extreme physical torture and then descended into hell to pay for everyone’s sins. How do you think Jesus feels when people hear about what great things he has done for them, and they spit in his face? We need to be very careful with the way we live our lives. Our intentional sins, in every way we live our lives, is a way that we treat Christ like these enemies treated David. Walk humbly in all that you do in this life.