HOW TO HANDLE ENEMIES

Great Is the LORD

Of David.

1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
    fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler
    and rise for my help!
3 Draw the spear and javelin^{1

35:3
Or and close the way}
    against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
    “I am your salvation!”

4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor
    who seek after my life!
Let them be turned back and disappointed
    who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the LORD driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!

7 For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my life.^{2

35:7
The word pit is transposed from the preceding line; Hebrew For without cause they hid the pit of their net for me; without cause they dug for my life}
8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!

9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD,
    exulting in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say,
    “O LORD, who is like you,
delivering the poor
    from him who is too strong for him,
    the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

11 Malicious^{3

35:11
Or Violent} witnesses rise up;
    they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is bereft.^{4

35:12
Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul}
13 But I, when they were sick—
    I wore sackcloth;
    I afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed with head bowed^{5

35:13
Or my prayer shall turn back} on my chest.
14     I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
    I bowed down in mourning.

15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
    they gathered together against me;
wretches whom I did not know
    tore at me without ceasing;
16 like profane mockers at a feast,^{6

35:16
The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain}
    they gnash at me with their teeth.

17 How long, O Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their destruction,
    my precious life from the lions!
18 I will thank you in the great congregation;
    in the mighty throng I will praise you.

19 Let not those rejoice over me
    who are wrongfully my foes,
and let not those wink the eye
    who hate me without cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
    but against those who are quiet in the land
    they devise words of deceit.
21 They open wide their mouths against me;
    they say, “Aha, Aha!
    Our eyes have seen it!”

22 You have seen, O LORD; be not silent!
    O Lord, be not far from me!
23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication,
    for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,
    according to your righteousness,
    and let them not rejoice over me!
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
    “Aha, our heart's desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who magnify themselves against me!

27 Let those who delight in my righteousness
    shout for joy and be glad
    and say evermore,
“Great is the LORD,
    who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all the day long.

Footnotes

[1] 35:3 Or and close the way
[2] 35:7 The word pit is transposed from the preceding line; Hebrew For without cause they hid the pit of their net for me; without cause they dug for my life
[3] 35:11 Or Violent
[4] 35:12 Hebrew it is bereavement to my soul
[5] 35:13 Or my prayer shall turn back
[6] 35:16 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain

Here's a little background for what may have prompted David's thoughts in this psalm: When David was told that he would be the next king of Israel, Saul (the current king) became very jealous. Saul and his followers hated David and tried to kill him multiple times. David was so righteous that he even fasted and prayed for Saul. At one point, possibly even close to when this psalm was written, David found Saul asleep in a cave and had a chance to kill him. Instead, he only cut off a piece of his robe to later prove that his purpose was not to hurt Saul (1 Samuel 24).

In Psalm 35, David is fed up with running away from his enemies who are pursuing him for no good reason. This is his prayer for the Lord to take revenge and rescue him. David acknowledges that God is able to defeat them and promises to glorify God when He does overtake them.

David's story with Saul goes on, and God doesn't deliver David immediately. David still has trouble with Saul, even though David is doing everything right and humbles himself before God, begging Him to act.

I don't know about you, but I don't have a crazy king pursuing my life today. But that doesn't make this story irrelevant. We are all facing enemies and hardships. I have friends battling cancer, difficult relationships at home, impossible co-workers, unfair bosses, financial debt, anxiety, and depression. As a nurse, I see people suffering in circumstances that are totally unfair and seem as if God will never come through. We are all battling the ultimate enemy, Satan, who constantly tells us lies that make us worry, doubt God's goodness, and question our self-worth.

But we, like David, know that God, in His perfect timing, will defeat ALL of our enemies. Today, we should strive to imitate David. This means praying for the welfare of our enemies, praying for deliverance from our enemies (instead of taking things into our own hands even when God seems slow to answer), and giving God all the glory when He does answer.

1. Who are your current enemies?

2. How can you pray for them today?

3. When is the last time God answered one of your prayers for deliverance from an enemy or difficult situation? Did you give Him all the glory?

4. How can you biblically encourage your family and community group with their current enemies and hardships?