Tuesday, September 2, 2014

THE PSALMS – A JOURNEY IN WORSHIP AND FAITH - September 2, 2014 - Day 35 - Psalm 35

Love your enemies or pray for them to be annihilated by God? How does a Christian respond? Psalm 35 finds David crying out to God for judgment to be leveled upon his enemies. A long time ago I stated being a Christian is hard. It takes real Christian maturity to trust God in times of persecution. David at least takes the first step by taking it to God.

Psalm 35:1-3
“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"


David is not really presented as a vindictive man in scripture. Some say the tone is different in the OT versus the NT but really I don’t think so. Even in the day of Moses God instructed man to let Him be the judge and the executioner of justice.
Deuteronomy 32:35
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”


God does not intend to let the evil of the world go unpunished.
Deuteronomy 32:36
"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”


David knew that but like us he struggled when he was lied and gossiped about. He was fearful when others sought to take his life.
I find verse 6 of Psalm 35 interesting.

Psalm 35:6
“Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.”
The angel of the Lord in the OT is considered to be Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth the second time we know He will bring judgment. But until then we live in the age of grace. Therefore our prayers must be directed towards the salvation of all, including our enemies. Because God is a God of justice as well as mercy we must rest in the knowledge that He will recompense those who reject His free offer of salvation. We must pray that the angel of the Lord pursues our enemies by His irresistible grace that they might receive His Gospel.

Yes, like us, David wanted God to take action against those who were his enemies. He must have gotten impatient at times saying things like this, “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” (Psalm 35:17)
Yet David still praised God even in the midst of the attacks.

Psalm 35:18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
And David knew God’s righteousness had to be the standard by which judgment would come, not man’s skewed concept of it.

Psalm 35:24
“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness…”
Fellow Christians, the enemy is not really who and what we think. Our war is not with men, it is with Satan.

Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Therefore we live out our lives in prayer, even for our enemies. In Christ the Father has provided all we need. Jesus is our protective armor.

Ephesians 6:10-11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Yes we can pray for our enemies to be stopped. But we must let God handle it and stay focused on being the light of Christ. We must stand together as His bride knowing we are betrothed to a man who can and will protect us and in the end will bring true justice. We must stay committed to praise and worship.

Psalm 35:27-28
“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!" Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”

Amen.

 

 

 

Love your enemies or pray for them to be annihilated by God? How does a Christian respond? Psalm 35 finds David crying out to God for judgment to be leveled upon his enemies. A long time ago I stated being a Christian is hard. It takes real Christian maturity to trust God in times of persecution. David at least takes the first step by taking it to God.

Psalm 35:1-3

“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"

David is not really presented as a vindictive man in scripture. Some say the tone is different in the OT versus the NT but really I don’t think so. Even in the day of Moses God instructed man to let Him be the judge and the executioner of justice.

Deuteronomy 32:35
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”

God does not intend to let the evil of the world go unpunished.

Deuteronomy 32:36
"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”

David knew that but like us he struggled when he was lied and gossiped about. He was fearful when others sought to take his life.

I find verse 6 of Psalm 35 interesting.

Psalm 35:6
“Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.”

The angel of the Lord in the OT is considered to be Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth the second time we know He will bring judgment. But until then we live in the age of grace. Therefore our prayers must be directed towards the salvation of all, including our enemies. Because God is a God of justice as well as mercy we must rest in the knowledge that He will recompense those who reject His free offer of salvation. We must pray that the angel of the Lord pursues our enemies by His irresistible grace that they might receive His Gospel.

Yes, like us, David wanted God to take action against those who were his enemies. He must have gotten impatient at times saying things like this, “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” (Psalm 35:17)

Yet David still praised God even in the midst of the attacks.

Psalm 35:18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.

And David knew God’s righteousness had to be the standard by which judgment would come, not man’s skewed concept of it.

Psalm 35:24
“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness…”

Fellow Christians, the enemy is not really who and what we think. Our war is not with men, it is with Satan.

Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Therefore we live out our lives in prayer, even for our enemies. In Christ the Father has provided all we need. Jesus is our protective armor.

Ephesians 6:10-11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Yes we can pray for our enemies to be stopped. But we must let God handle it and stay focused on being the light of Christ. We must stand together as His bride knowing we are betrothed to a man who can and will protect us and in the end will bring true justice. We must stay committed to praise and worship.

Psalm 35:27-28
“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!" Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Love your enemies or pray for them to be annihilated by God? How does a Christian respond? Psalm 35 finds David crying out to God for judgment to be leveled upon his enemies. A long time ago I stated being a Christian is hard. It takes real Christian maturity to trust God in times of persecution. David at least takes the first step by taking it to God.
Psalm 35:1-3
“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"
David is not really presented as a vindictive man in scripture. Some say the tone is different in the OT versus the NT but really I don’t think so. Even in the day of Moses God instructed man to let Him be the judge and the executioner of justice.
Deuteronomy 32:35
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”
God does not intend to let the evil of the world go unpunished.
Deuteronomy 32:36
"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”
David knew that but like us he struggled when he was lied and gossiped about. He was fearful when others sought to take his life.
I find verse 6 of Psalm 35 interesting.
Psalm 35:6
“Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.”
The angel of the Lord in the OT is considered to be Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth the second time we know He will bring judgment. But until then we live in the age of grace. Therefore our prayers must be directed towards the salvation of all, including our enemies. Because God is a God of justice as well as mercy we must rest in the knowledge that He will recompense those who reject His free offer of salvation. We must pray that the angel of the Lord pursues our enemies by His irresistible grace that they might receive His Gospel.
Yes, like us, David wanted God to take action against those who were his enemies. He must have gotten impatient at times saying things like this, “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” (Psalm 35:17)
Yet David still praised God even in the midst of the attacks.
Psalm 35:18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
And David knew God’s righteousness had to be the standard by which judgment would come, not man’s skewed concept of it.
Psalm 35:24
“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness…”
Fellow Christians, the enemy is not really who and what we think. Our war is not with men, it is with Satan.
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Therefore we live out our lives in prayer, even for our enemies. In Christ the Father has provided all we need. Jesus is our protective armor.
Ephesians 6:10-11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Yes we can pray for our enemies to be stopped. But we must let God handle it and stay focused on being the light of Christ. We must stand together as His bride knowing we are betrothed to a man who can and will protect us and in the end will bring true justice. We must stay committed to praise and worship.
Psalm 35:27-28
“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!" Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”
Amen.
 
 
 
 
 


 
Love your enemies or pray for them to be annihilated by God? How does a Christian respond? Psalm 35 finds David crying out to God for judgment to be leveled upon his enemies. A long time ago I stated being a Christian is hard. It takes real Christian maturity to trust God in times of persecution. David at least takes the first step by taking it to God.
Psalm 35:1-3
“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"
David is not really presented as a vindictive man in scripture. Some say the tone is different in the OT versus the NT but really I don’t think so. Even in the day of Moses God instructed man to let Him be the judge and the executioner of justice.
Deuteronomy 32:35
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”
God does not intend to let the evil of the world go unpunished.
Deuteronomy 32:36
"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”
David knew that but like us he struggled when he was lied and gossiped about. He was fearful when others sought to take his life.
I find verse 6 of Psalm 35 interesting.
Psalm 35:6
“Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.”
The angel of the Lord in the OT is considered to be Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth the second time we know He will bring judgment. But until then we live in the age of grace. Therefore our prayers must be directed towards the salvation of all, including our enemies. Because God is a God of justice as well as mercy we must rest in the knowledge that He will recompense those who reject His free offer of salvation. We must pray that the angel of the Lord pursues our enemies by His irresistible grace that they might receive His Gospel.
Yes, like us, David wanted God to take action against those who were his enemies. He must have gotten impatient at times saying things like this, “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” (Psalm 35:17)
Yet David still praised God even in the midst of the attacks.
Psalm 35:18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
And David knew God’s righteousness had to be the standard by which judgment would come, not man’s skewed concept of it.
Psalm 35:24
“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness…”
Fellow Christians, the enemy is not really who and what we think. Our war is not with men, it is with Satan.
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Therefore we live out our lives in prayer, even for our enemies. In Christ the Father has provided all we need. Jesus is our protective armor.
Ephesians 6:10-11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Yes we can pray for our enemies to be stopped. But we must let God handle it and stay focused on being the light of Christ. We must stand together as His bride knowing we are betrothed to a man who can and will protect us and in the end will bring true justice. We must stay committed to praise and worship.
Psalm 35:27-28
“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!" Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”
Amen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Love your enemies or pray for them to be annihilated by God? How does a Christian respond? Psalm 35 finds David crying out to God for judgment to be leveled upon his enemies. A long time ago I stated being a Christian is hard. It takes real Christian maturity to trust God in times of persecution. David at least takes the first step by taking it to God.
Psalm 35:1-3
“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"
David is not really presented as a vindictive man in scripture. Some say the tone is different in the OT versus the NT but really I don’t think so. Even in the day of Moses God instructed man to let Him be the judge and the executioner of justice.
Deuteronomy 32:35
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”
God does not intend to let the evil of the world go unpunished.
Deuteronomy 32:36
"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”
David knew that but like us he struggled when he was lied and gossiped about. He was fearful when others sought to take his life.
I find verse 6 of Psalm 35 interesting.
Psalm 35:6
“Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.”
The angel of the Lord in the OT is considered to be Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth the second time we know He will bring judgment. But until then we live in the age of grace. Therefore our prayers must be directed towards the salvation of all, including our enemies. Because God is a God of justice as well as mercy we must rest in the knowledge that He will recompense those who reject His free offer of salvation. We must pray that the angel of the Lord pursues our enemies by His irresistible grace that they might receive His Gospel.
Yes, like us, David wanted God to take action against those who were his enemies. He must have gotten impatient at times saying things like this, “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” (Psalm 35:17)
Yet David still praised God even in the midst of the attacks.
Psalm 35:18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
And David knew God’s righteousness had to be the standard by which judgment would come, not man’s skewed concept of it.
Psalm 35:24
“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness…”
Fellow Christians, the enemy is not really who and what we think. Our war is not with men, it is with Satan.
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Therefore we live out our lives in prayer, even for our enemies. In Christ the Father has provided all we need. Jesus is our protective armor.
Ephesians 6:10-11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Yes we can pray for our enemies to be stopped. But we must let God handle it and stay focused on being the light of Christ. We must stand together as His bride knowing we are betrothed to a man who can and will protect us and in the end will bring true justice. We must stay committed to praise and worship.
Psalm 35:27-28
“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!" Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”
Amen.
 
 
 
 
 


 
Love your enemies or pray for them to be annihilated by God? How does a Christian respond? Psalm 35 finds David crying out to God for judgment to be leveled upon his enemies. A long time ago I stated being a Christian is hard. It takes real Christian maturity to trust God in times of persecution. David at least takes the first step by taking it to God.
Psalm 35:1-3
“Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!"
David is not really presented as a vindictive man in scripture. Some say the tone is different in the OT versus the NT but really I don’t think so. Even in the day of Moses God instructed man to let Him be the judge and the executioner of justice.
Deuteronomy 32:35
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”
God does not intend to let the evil of the world go unpunished.
Deuteronomy 32:36
"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”
David knew that but like us he struggled when he was lied and gossiped about. He was fearful when others sought to take his life.
I find verse 6 of Psalm 35 interesting.
Psalm 35:6
“Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.”
The angel of the Lord in the OT is considered to be Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth the second time we know He will bring judgment. But until then we live in the age of grace. Therefore our prayers must be directed towards the salvation of all, including our enemies. Because God is a God of justice as well as mercy we must rest in the knowledge that He will recompense those who reject His free offer of salvation. We must pray that the angel of the Lord pursues our enemies by His irresistible grace that they might receive His Gospel.
Yes, like us, David wanted God to take action against those who were his enemies. He must have gotten impatient at times saying things like this, “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.” (Psalm 35:17)
Yet David still praised God even in the midst of the attacks.
Psalm 35:18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
And David knew God’s righteousness had to be the standard by which judgment would come, not man’s skewed concept of it.
Psalm 35:24
“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness…”
Fellow Christians, the enemy is not really who and what we think. Our war is not with men, it is with Satan.
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Therefore we live out our lives in prayer, even for our enemies. In Christ the Father has provided all we need. Jesus is our protective armor.
Ephesians 6:10-11
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Yes we can pray for our enemies to be stopped. But we must let God handle it and stay focused on being the light of Christ. We must stand together as His bride knowing we are betrothed to a man who can and will protect us and in the end will bring true justice. We must stay committed to praise and worship.
Psalm 35:27-28
“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!" Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.”
Amen.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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