MAN O WAR
Psalm 35
1 Of David. 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 javelinfn 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.
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 Maliciousfn witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.
13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed 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;
16l ike profane mockers at a feast, 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.
Thoughts:
- David asks for help, there's nothing wrong with asking for help and there's everything right about the LORD being the one you ask. The LORD will assist your protection with shield and buckler. He will attack your enemies. The LORD is a man of war see Exodus 15:3 ESV — The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.
Let's put this into perspective, of the British SAS, Israeli Shayetet 13, Chinese SOF, Russian Spetsnaz, Indian Marine Commandos (MARCOS), Delta Force or DEVGRU, JTF2, SBS, Polish JW GROM, Australian SASR, the Canadian JTF2, or any radical Jihad warrior, any off the books clandestine group. Either individually or coraperatly all these mentioned would utterly loose against this "man of war". A Jihadst could blow themselves up right beside him, he would brush the remnants of this man's house off himself grab the dumbfounded man's soul (still standing there) by the neck and toss him into the pit.
- If GOD ever says "vengeance is mine" concerning a specific individual, as in Deuteronomy 32:35 ESV — Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’
If you are that person or spirit, yeah I'm talking to you Mr Devil and cohorts, your backside isn't going to be able to cash that cheque that's coming.
- The angel of the LORD will drive away the enemy and he will try and run, but he can't outrun the angel of the LORD. You cannot run fast enough or far enough Mr. Devil.
- The schemes of the enemy will be returned on his own head. "Payback isn't a bitch", it's the angel of the LORD. Hey Mr. Devil, Micheal, the great prince is gonna be watching your chaining appointment with veiled amusement. (I could be wrong he may be smiling.)
- verse seven and verse 19 "without cause they dug a pit for my life." John 15:25 ESV — But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
He hated us without cause, sums it up. The enemy of our souls in most cases doesn't even know you at all, but he wants your demise if you follow or could potentially follow the LORD.
- verse eight, when the enemy of our souls lest expects it, bam! destruction. Hey Mr. Devil you look over your shoulder lately? How's your trust in your generals, lieutenants, foot soliders?
- rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his salvation, because he has defeated sin and our enemy, he has the keys of death and hell, and all the enemy has is borrowed time.
Tic toc time is running out and the back of the book says your gonna take a swim.
- the LORD will deliver us his Holy SPIRIT will help us with the malicious witnesses that try and ask us things we dont know. Dont be anxious Jesus told us - Luke 12:11-12
And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
- verses 13 to 17 David prayed for those who would later treat him badly, but look what Jesus has to say on the matter. Matthew 5:44-45 ESV — But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Why? So that you will be children of your father.
- verse 13:
GOD's kids Devil's kids
- I wore sackcloth - flashy clothes
- I fasted. - they pigged out
- I prayed. - they yelled defiantly
- I grieved. - they partied
- I mourned - they celebrated
- I stumbled. - they gather and mock
- I stand - they always tear down
- I humbly worship GOD - they're proudly irreverent
- I agaped loved them - they vehemently hate me
- verse seventeen David questions "How long LORD?" The answer we are all looking for is immediate and painless. Unfortunately sin has caused pain and suffering, Christ Jesus beaten, mocked and spit on before the cross and then suffered excruciatingly on the cross was not immune for us and we are not exempt from a measure of what our LORD suffered. Dont believe me? Ask Saul of Tarsus - Acts 9:16 ESV — For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
- verse eighteen, we will get to Praise and thank Jesus in the great congregation. Set your mind on that coming day with joy an anticipation.
- those that hate us without cause:
- they are loud, we are quite
- they speak war, we speak peace
- they speak deceit, we speak truth
- verse twenty-one they see and accuse but the LORD sees and gives mercy. Aha!
The LORD is not silent he says "It is finished!", and he will not leave us alone.
- in verse 23 David seems to say because GOD is silent that perhaps he needs to wake up. GOD however doesn't need sleep and the only time he did was in the incarnation. A wonderful example of that was when Jesus was in the boat, asleep and the disciples were afraid of the storm. Mark 4:38 ESV — But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
David questioned, do you not care? The disciples," ...do you not care that we are perishing?” As soon as Jesus awoke he said “Peace! Be still!” Yes, Yes, Yes he cares.
- verse twenty-five the Devil will not get his hearts desire, he will not swallow us up. This old lion will choke on his own lies. He will be shamed and chained for 1,000 years. He will experience dishonor and disappointment and wear it like a new ensemble, no longer dressed in a light disguise. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
- we can rejoice with the great cloud of witnesses Hebrews 12:1 and proclaim together with shouts of “Great is the LORD,
he delights in my welfare.” We will praise his righteousness all day long.
My prayer is that you and I would start on this side of eternity praising and thanking the LORD whenever and wherever we are and whatever we're doing, that we would take yhe time to say "thank you LORD!"
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