Psalm 109

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

109   Be not silent, O God of my praise!
  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
    speaking against me with lying tongues.
  They encircle me with words of hate,
    and attack me without cause.
  In return for my love they accuse me,
    but I give myself to prayer.
  So they reward me evil for good,
    and hatred for my love.
  Appoint a wicked man against him;
    let an accuser stand at his right hand.
  When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
    let his prayer be counted as sin!
  May his days be few;
    may another take his office!
  May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow!
  May his children wander about and beg,
    seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
  May the creditor seize all that he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
  Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
    nor any to pity his fatherless children!
  May his posterity be cut off;
    may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
  May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
    and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
  Let them be before the LORD continually,
    that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
  For he did not remember to show kindness,
    but pursued the poor and needy
    and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
  He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!
    He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
  He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it soak into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones!
  May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
    like a belt that he puts on every day!
  May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
    of those who speak evil against my life!
  But you, O GOD my Lord,
    deal on my behalf for your name’s sake;
    because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
  For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is stricken within me.
  I am gone like a shadow at evening;
    I am shaken off like a locust.
  My knees are weak through fasting;
    my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
  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.

(ESV)

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Psalm 109 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

What do we make of this prayer? On the surface, it appears to be vindictive, hateful, and even potentially sinful! Look at the Good News Translation of the psalmist’s emotions.

Psa 109:7 May he be tried and found guilty; may even his prayer be considered a crime!Psa 109:8 May his life soon be ended; may someone else take his job!Psa 109:9 May his children become orphans, and his wife a widow!Psa 109:10 May his children be homeless beggars; may they be driven from the ruins they live in!Psa 109:11 May his creditors take away all his property, and may strangers get everything he worked for.Psa 109:12 May no one ever be kind to him or care for the orphans he leaves behind.Psa 109:13 May all his descendants die, and may his name be forgotten in the next generation.

Those of us under the New Covenant may recoil… and with good reason. We have been paid for under the blood of Jesus. The same Jesus who came for sinners just like this prayer describes. The same Jesus who called us to love our neighbor and even our enemies! Of course, we read these harsh words and wonder, is the Bible prescribing these words, or using them as Exhibit A of how NOT to pray?

Let’s first consider that most all of us have thought or even prayed these words over a person in our lives. There is nothing wrong with being honest before God. If we are being brutally honest with God in prayer, we have already chosen nonviolence just like the psalmist. Instead of responding to his enemies’ accusations, he prays for them. So, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with honest prayer.

On the other side, since we are human, we are prone to being vengeful. In his book on the Psalms, theology professor David McCann writes this…

“If we are honest, we must conclude that Psalm 109 teaches us about ourselves. We are vengeful creatures. I recently read a book to my five-year-old daughter, and her response illustrates the point. The book uses bears as characters but intends to address children’s concerns. In this case, one bear cub had mistreated and excluded another bear cub, whose feelings were hurt. Eventually the perpetrator recognized her misdeeds and changed her ways. The book ends as the offending cub concludes that, “I’ve learned my lesson.” My daughter, however, was not content to let the book end that way. She wanted to continue the story to include an episode where the perpetrator of exclusion would suffer the exclusion she had inflicted upon another. We are vengeful creatures.”

David McCann

We absolutely must keep these two in balance. It is true that we should speak out against injustice, violence, and discrimination. God is a God of justice and truth. However, it is also true that there is a fine line between righteous anger and sinful action. This is why we must be absolutely dialed in with the Holy Spirit in situations like this. Many times, if we start with a prayer – even when we are angry – God will begin to change our heart and reveal His truth within the prayer. He will affirm, guide, or redirect and then it is up to us to follow through.