MAY 30, 2024
“But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.” (Psalm 109:21-22)
This Psalm was intended to be sung in the temple service, yet it is difficult to imagine because it may come from a place of revenge. The arousal of that spirit could never be the object of divine worship, but the Psalm has a meaning fitting for men of God to have fellowship before His throne. What is that meaning? This is a tricky question that only a person with the right frame of mind can ever answer.
This is a Psalm of David, not the ravings of a vicious, vindictive spirit. David didn’t smite the people who sought his blood; instead, choosing to forgive those who treated him shamefully. Because of this, these words can’t be read in a bitter sense, which would be foreign to the son of Jesse. The passage was penned by one with a tender heart; therefore, they can’t possibly have been meant to be mere angry cursing. Unless it can be proved that David was of a malicious, vindictive spirit, it cannot be conceived that this Psalm contains a pitiless hate. To such a suggestion we can’t give place.
But what can we glean from this passage? We should emphasize how David, in his distress, finds solace and peace when he turns from his enemies to his God. He places the Almighty in direct contrast to his adversaries, a move that immediately calms his troubled heart.
David earnestly pleads, “Do thou for me” and what is it that He will do? Whatever He deems best. He surrenders himself completely into the Lord’s hands. He is content as long as his God will intercede for him. The saints have always found this to be their most powerful plea. God Himself has performed his most magnificent acts of grace for the honor of His name, and His people understand that this is the most compelling argument with Him. We should hold this action in the highest reverence and lean on it without hesitation.
He can ask for deliverance not because he is good but because his God is. God’s mercy is the guiding star that believers turn their eyes to when they are lost or caught in a tempest of discomfort. This mercy is a comfort for weary hearts. When people find no mercy in the world, they can always find it in God. His name and mercy are solid foundations for hope, and those who rest upon them are filled with contentment and peace.
When David pleads to God, he doesn’t urge his riches or merits, but his poverty, saying, “I am poor and needy,” and that his “heart is wounded.” The Lord tenderly regards the brokenhearted, and as such, the psalmist pleads as a reason for speedy help. His adversary cuts so deep that his case has become desperate that he can only count on divine aid.
Often, in our lives, we face things beyond our control. We become weary and weighed down by our various struggles. Sometimes, we even feel that there is no hope. But God’s children can always seek comfort and hope in Him and His infinite mercy. May we find the strength to plead with God in times of trouble just as David did.
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