Psalm 109 Devotional
by Pastor Mark Hudson

This Psalm may not rest easy on our ears.  The Psalmist sounds vindictive and should we say, “unchristian” in this Psalm.  I am writing this the week of March 6, 2022.  Vladimir Putin cruelly and ruthlessly invaded Ukraine February 24, 2022, and has continually attacked civilians.  Or should I say, Russia invaded Ukraine 2014?  Or should I say in the 1930’s in the Soviet backed Holodomor or when Lenin invaded the Ukraine in 1917?  Putin has fed his country years of lying and continues in his butchery and lies to the shame of Russia.  The free worlds, except of course China under a similarly cruel dictator, Xi, have almost universally condemned Putin.  This war is being shown around the world due to the ubiquitous nature of video.

Putin is unequivocally an evil person who wraps himself in a robe of being a Christian fighting against the godless west.  I mention him because as you read this Psalm, we do not want to have in mind someone who might simply disagree with us as the person the Psalmist is railing against.  Rather, this person, like a Putin, is doing immeasurable harm to others.  This is not merely someone we don’t see eye-to-eye.  This Psalm point to an evil that must be stopped.

Kidner in volume 1, p. 28 of his commentary on Psalms writes, “. . .  the psalms have among other roles in Scripture one which is peculiarly their own: to touch and kindle us rather than simply to address us.”   Kidner also says that “He is less shockable than we are” Ibid.  If you are opposing someone who is speaking the truth and attacking that person cruelly, you deserve the indictment of this Psalm. Let us remember that the New Testament is not all sunshine and happiness.  Luke 13:1-5 would get Jesus cancelled today.  Romans 1:18-32 is a word of judgment on our culture and every human culture.  Our media, much of our music, and what our entertainment revolves around is rebellion against a holy God.  Paul says in 2:5, “. . . you are storing up for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

The Psalmist begin with a plea for God to speak.  He then describes in vivid detail what these people are doing to the Psalmist and against God.  Their “wicked and deceitful mouths” are full of “lying tongues.”   That is verse 2.  Continuing to the next verse, “They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.”  These people are distorting reality, they hate and attack.  Notice what the Psalmist does in return.  “I give myself to prayer.”  Verse 4 is not the way most of us respond.  If you attack me, lie about me, hate me, I am going to protect myself.  That is natural but not what God wants.  The Psalmist looks to God for help.  As the author continues, he is asking God to do these things.  He does not take things into his own hands.  He is praying or asking God for His help.  When he prays in verse 9, “May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.”    His children may be older and benefit from the father’s evil.  We do not know how old his children are, but this evil must be stopped and stopped now.  David does not want this evil to continue for another generation.

In vs. 6-15, this is a prayer you might pray against someone murdering innocent people.  When the author includes family members, especially children, isn’t he expressing that God would put a complete end to this evil?  In other words, don’t let his children learn the family and pleads with God to give him a “taste of his own medicine” as we might say. He loved to curse, let curses come upon him.  He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!”

In verses 16ff, he describes this despicable person.  If there is one group God cares about it is the widow, the orphan, and the poor.  This person, “pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death in v. 16.  This was a serious sin against God first and against humanity.  He wears cursing like a coat.  Then David includes himself and asks for vindication from God.

Then in verse 21, David pleads more directly to God to work on his behalf.  The Psalmist does not pretend these lies and attacks do not hurt him.  He admits they do.  He says he is “poor and needy” and his “heart is stricken within me.”  In v. 24, “My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt.”  We do well to note the honesty of the Psalms.  He sees his accusers, but his eyes are fixed on God.  In v. 26, “Help me, O Lord my God!”  “Let them know that this is Your hand; You, O Lord, have done it.”  When we are attacked, we want vindication for ourselves.  David seems to want God to be glorified more than concern for himself.

This is one indicator of our spirituality: how much we think about God or ourselves.  I hope you would agree with these statements:

I think about myself far more than I should, and I wish I thought more about God.

I care more about what others think of me when I should care much more what others think about God.

At times I am God-centered.  At other times I am me-centered (btw, this is called idolatry)

I wish being God-centered dominated my life rather than sporadically.

I admit I get angrier if I am dishonored than if God is dishonored.

Lord, admitting we care more for ourselves than You is hard to face.  But it is true.  Yet we are not happy when we think about ourselves.  We are happiest when we think about, love, worship, and obey You. You are a fountain of eternal joy giving joy and happiness to your people, filling them with Your Spirit drawing us ever closer to conformity of Your Son.  Help us to love justice, truth, righteousness, and holy living that we really do hate those who tear down what is true, perpetuate injustice to the poor, needy, and downtrodden, and live for their own pleasure. Keep us always looking to You, the eternal, Triune, just, truthful, and righteous God for we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.