For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 35

1 Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;
    fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up shield and armour;
    arise and come to my aid.
3 Brandish spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
    ‘I am your salvation.’

4 May those who seek my life
    be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
    be turned back in dismay.
5 May they be like chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away;
6 may their path be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7 Since they hid their net for me without cause
    and without cause dug a pit for me,
8 may ruin overtake them by surprise –
    may the net they hid entangle them,
    may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
    and delight in his salvation.
10 My whole being will exclaim,
    ‘Who is like you, Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
    the poor and needy from those who rob them.’

11 Ruthless witnesses come forward;
    they question me on things I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good
    and leave me like one bereaved.
13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
    and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14     I went about mourning
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;
    they gnashed their teeth at me.

17 How long, Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their ravages,
    my precious life from these lions.
18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
    among the throngs I will praise you.
19 Do not let those gloat over me
    who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
    maliciously wink the eye.
20 They do not speak peaceably,
    but devise false accusations
    against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They sneer at me and say, ‘Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we have seen it.’

22 Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent.
    Do not be far from me, Lord.
23 Awake, and rise to my defence!
    Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
    do not let them gloat over me.
25 Do not let them think, ‘Aha, just what we wanted!’
    or say, ‘We have swallowed him up.’

26 May all who gloat over my distress
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
    be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who delight in my vindication
    shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, ‘The Lord be exalted,
    who delights in the well-being of his servant.’

28 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
    your praises all day long.

A. Find Out:

1. What is David asking in this psalm? v.1-8,17,22-24
2. What does David promise to do if that happens? v.9,10,18,28
3. What has actually been happening to David? v.1b,3b,4,7,12,13,15,16
4. What made it worse? v.13,14
5. Again, list what had been happening to him. v.19-21,26
6. So what does David ask to happen? v.26,27

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise what has been happening to David?
2. What does he ask the Lord to do?
3. What ‘motivation’ does he give the Lord to do this?

C. Comment:

   A psalm of anguish, a cry from a heart in distress, yet a psalm without some of the spiritual awareness found in many of David’s other psalms. Let’s observe first the reason for David’s cry. There were obviously those who fought against David and pursued him (v.1,3), who sought his life and plotted against him (v.4), who sought to entrap David (v.7), who perjured themselves against him (v.11), slandered him (v.15), maliciously mocked him (v.16), falsely accusing him (v.20), gloating over his apparent downfall (v.26).

This is indeed an awful list of what has been coming against him! What had made it worse, is that some of these were people who David had prayed and fasted for (v.13,14) when they were in need and now they turn on him! It reminds us that the righteous will be opposed by the unrighteous and the weapons will be lies and deceit, false accusations, seeking for their destruction (for Satan is a liar & destroyer! See Jn 8:44).

  Then comes David’s cry to the Lord to rise up to fight (v.1,3) to come to his aid (v.2), to overthrow the enemy (v.4-8), to rescue him (v.17), to come to his defence and vindicate him (v.23,24,27). When the Lord does that David will publicly praise and thank the Lord for His deliverance (v.9,10,18,28). This is a psalm about spiritual warfare!

D. Application:

1. The enemy sometimes comes and harries us. Turn then to God!
2. In our lowest state all we can cry is “Lord, please help!”