He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him. Psalm 109:31
A Prayer Against the Unrighteous
Psalm 109. This messianic psalm describes Judas (see Acts 1:16-20). David’s description of his own anguish (22-29) reflects Jesus’ feelings at the time of crucifixion. The psalmist asks God to act against those who have unjustly attached him (109:1-5). He expresses his desire that the wicked be found guilty and suffer retribution (vv.6-15). The psalmist’s grim antagonism toward the wicked is seen to be justified as he describes the harm the wicked have done others (vv. 16-20). The psalm ends with an appeal for help against the wicked, who threaten and oppress the psalmist himself (vv. 21-31).
Help! (109:21-25) One reason God permits injustice is to help us learn from personal experience how devastating such treatment by others really is – we can perhaps sympathize with the hurting.
Key concepts. Wicked, Guilty, Sins, Curse
109:1-3 The call to not keep silent is a regular feature of the lament psalms. Fought against me without a cause: The psalmist declares his innocence and insists that his enemies have rewarded his prayers with evil, his love with hatred.
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Do not keep silent, O God of my praise! 2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. 4 In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer. 5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
109:6-8 Set a wicked man over him: Here the psalm takes a decidedly negative tone. The description of the wife of the enemy becoming an impoverished widow and the children becoming beggars seems particularly harsh. However, the psalmist directs these strong requests to the Lord; he does not actually take the sword into his own hand. He may feel compelled to vent his anger in words, but the psalmist understands that vengeance itself belongs to the Lord. Let another take his office: These words (along with the words of 69:25) are quoted in Acts 1:20 as having been fulfilled in the replacement of Judas Iscariot.
6 Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few, And let another take his office.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples [3] (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; [4] and, ‘Let [5] another take his office.’ Acts 1:15-20
109:14-16 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered: Although the psalmist’s words may seem extremely hostile, he is simply asking that his enemy’s evil actions be judged. The poor are not those without wealth so much as those without protection or defenders.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be continually before the Lord, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; 16 Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.
109:21 The poet asks for action that would befit God’s name, a name associated with righteousness (23:3). His appeal is to God’s mercy or “loyal love.” The poet describes himself as a wasted, hollow shell of a man, as in 22:6-8. The intensity of the psalmist’s attacks on his enemies can be explained in part by the intensity of his own afflictions, as described in these verses.
21 But You, O God the Lord, Deal with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
109:27 That they may know: Even in the psalmist’s intense emotional state, he wants to see the name of God defended, proclaimed, and honored. The Psalms always lead to the praise of God, even from the depths of desperate circumstances.
27 That they may know that this is Your hand– That You, Lord, have done it!
109:30, 31 The poet makes his vow of praise for the deliverance he knows that the Lord will provide. This vow to praise God is a characteristic of many of the psalms. He shall stand at the right hand of the poor: See 142:4 for a description of God as a shield at one’s right hand.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. 31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him.
** Now, in year 2020, we are witnessing the evil acts against humanity and we all have become collectively poor and needy. Not to realize this is blindness. However, our afflictions were already predicted by Christ as well as many prophets. Therefore, we already know that this time will pass. Jesus said “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Let us remember that He has already defeated the evil. It’s a done deal.
A Cry for Vengeance
109 1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Do not keep silent, O God of my praise! 2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. 4 In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer. 5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
6 Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few, And let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. 10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. 11 Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor. 12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off, And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be continually before the Lord, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; 16 Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart. 17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. 18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually. 20 Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person.
21 But You, O God the Lord, Deal with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness. 25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they look at me, they shake their heads. 26 Help me, O Lord my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, 27 That they may know that this is Your hand– That You, Lord, have done it! 28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice. 29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle. 30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. 31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him.
