“I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to Your steadfast love! Let them know that this is Your hand; You, O LORD, have done it! Let them curse, but You will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but Your servant will be glad! May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.” Psalm 109:25-31
Devotional Thought For The Day
So concludes this combative and indignant psalm. Ample description is provided as to the nature of the psalmist’s devious and malicious enemies and their despicable tactics. Certainly the psalmist made mistakes during the course of his life and his reign as king. Just as certain was his repentance and his trust in God for forgiveness, mercy, clemency, and continued blessing [Ps. 32, Ps. 51]. This is the repentant attitude and hope of every Christian – and those who have such faith in God do not lower themselves to murderous backstabbing and hideous slander. In that they do not defend themselves by returning evil for evil, but put all faith and trust in God to vindicate and protect them, they ultimately leave all issues of justice in God’s hands. What wrath and indignation arises in their own hearts and minds they place before God and pray as the psalmist does for God’s deliverance.
It is fascinating to consider that a person as prominent and godly as the psalmist had to realize that he was “an object of scorn” to his accusers. This is astonishing, and completely undeserved, but understandable. The unbelieving and ignorant have no conception of the glory of God’s dear children of faith. If you find yourself in such a circumstance, remember that Jesus also was an object of scorn to His enemies. They also wagged their heads at Jesus when they mocked Him. Most of the time our enemies are not so bold; thank God that He preserves us from utter humiliation. Our detractors, especially those who consider and pose themselves as being more pious, righteous, and holy than others, generally do not openly attack or publicly attempt to destroy us. They prefer to stab behind our backs with slander and gossip. But their arrogant malice is apparent in their faces – looks of smug condescension and wicked sneers when they think no one will notice other than those who share their wicked contempt. That they generally keep this to themselves is evidence of God’s protection, that somewhere deep within they know that God still stands “at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.” Some may eventually be compelled to open opposition and bold public attack, and at times we have to suffer this for a while, but God will ultimately reveal them for what they are.
The psalmist is most interested in vindication for God and His people – he wants all to know that God is with him, that God protects His people, that God blesses His people when others curse them, that our enemies exalt themselves and clothe themselves in the accoutrements of wealth, success, and hypocritical piety – but God will clothe them with dishonor and shame. The wise see this; fools don’t even notice. This is our hope and consolation when we are belittled, scorned, and considered objects of foolishness and shame – and also our strength, until God publicly humiliates them. In the meantime, we must understand that at times we too are utilized as the evidence of God’s righteous judgment upon the unbelieving and wicked. So we must keep in mind that all of this is God’s prerogative, and must be to His glory. So we stay our hand, and our tongues, lest anyone be confused; it is important, as the psalmist wrote, for people to know that “this is Your hand; You, O LORD, have done it!”
So let us look to Jesus and how He handled the time of His humiliation, especially that of His arrest, condemnation, and crucifixion. We are not perfect as He is, and we are not as capable of controlling our desire for repayment, and our place in life and within the history of God’s salvation is not nearly as important as His was. Nonetheless, we are to follow Him, to identify with Him, to take our place alongside Him, to drink from the same cup that He drank from, to trust in God as He did, to pray with loud cries to God for deliverance as He did, and to await God’s certain vindication as He did. It is precisely as the apostle Paul put it: “If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.” [Rom. 6:5] This is the nature of the psalmist’s prayer and the essence of his response to persecution; and we are invited by his words to pray and be the same.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, preserve us from the bitter persecution that our enemies are compelled to mount against us, and keep them at bay. Enable us to rest ourselves in Your hands, and to humbly submit to Your will, trusting in Your plan, Your protection, and Your vindication of Your people. When we suffer vicious public scorn remind us that this is the cup You drank from. In Your wisdom have mercy on those who may be reclaimed for Your kingdom, and use the recalcitrant and the incorrigible for Your glory and vindication. Amen.