Psalm 35

If you've got your Bible, why don't you go ahead and turn over to Psalm 35. We're almost there, Psalm 35. All right, here we go. Why don't we go ahead and pray. We'll have a drink of water and then we'll get into God's Word. Lord, we thank you so much for this day and we thank you for your Word. We pray now that as we read your Word, you would work in our hearts that we might love you and that we might seek after you that we would rejoice in your name in jesus's name amen you can have some coffee if you want i'm not going to because i'd be up till three o'clock in the morning i'm going to have some water and then we'll get into god's word all right let's go ahead and get into god's word tonight here we go psalm 35 Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me.
Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation. Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor who seek after my life. Let those be turned back and brought to confusion who plot my hurt.
Let them be like the chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord pursue them. For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, which they have dug without cause for my life. Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly and let his net that he has hidden catch himself Into that very destruction. Let him fall. Let's go.
We're about halfway there. Why don't we go ahead and stop and ask ourselves? What is he talking about? Right again. This is a psalm of david and he's crying out to god for help He's saying, plead my cause, oh Lord, with those who strive against me. Fight against those who fight against me. He's looking for an advocate. He's looking for a savior. He's looking for one who will care for him and say to my soul, I am your salvation. David is crying out to God for salvation. And indeed, as he lifts up his eyes to heaven, he knows where his salvation is. It's in the Lord. The Lord is his salvation. He's asking God to turn his face toward his enemies instead.
That the pits they dug for him, the snares they have for him, that they would fall in it themselves. We'll keep going in verse 9. and my soul shall be joyful in the Lord, it shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like you? Deliver the poor from him who is too strong for him. Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him. Did you hear that?
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord and it shall rejoice in his salvation. Isn't that our call as we are sitting here tonight and we're getting ready for worship tomorrow? Do we rejoice that God is our salvation? Let's go ahead and keep going. What does he say? He says, look, they're rising up and they're repaying evil for good.
But when they were sick, I had their back. I was mourning for them. I cared for them. But they've turned their back against me. That's what David is crying out here. But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together. Attackers gathered against me, and I did not know it. They tore at me and did not cease. With ungodly mockers at feast, they gnashed at me with their teeth. Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their destructions, my precious life from the lions. I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many peoples.
Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies, nor let them wink with the eye one who hates me without a cause, for they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful matters against the quiet ones in the land. They also open their mouths wide against me and say, aha, aha, our eyes have seen it. David's saying, right, they're all against me and I don't know why. They've turned against me, they're saying things bad about me, but I didn't do these things. They have an eye towards evil towards me.
And isn't this the beauty of the Psalms, how raw this emotion is? That David is able to cry out to God, and he doesn't hide it, he doesn't try to make it any better or any worse, it just is. And he says, this you have seen, O Lord. Do not keep silent, O Lord, do not be far away from me.
Oh man, doesn't it feel like that sometimes? Have you ever been in that place before where you know that God is with you, But yet he seems so far away. When you're going through the troubles of this life and the pain that's in your soul, sometimes it's just like, God, why are you so far away from me? You cry out to him, but he seems so distant.
This isn't irreverent to say out loud or to feel. David is saying this here in the Psalms. Stir up yourself and awake to my vindication, to my cause, my God and my Lord. This is reminiscent of what Thomas says when he sees Jesus, my Lord and my God. We're crying out to Him, vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me.
Let them not say in their hearts, ah, so we would have it. Let them not say, we have swallowed him up. Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion, who rejoice in my hurt. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor, who exalt themselves against me.
Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. And let them say continually, let the Lord be magnified. Who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant? And my tongue shall speak of your righteousness. and of your praise all day long."
David is once again here saying, Lord, stir up yourself. Awaken my vindication. He says, vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness. He calls out to God for justice. He calls out to God for vindication. He calls out to God to care for him and to watch over him.
That's our joy. That's where we go. The struggles of this life are real. As you wrestle with the reality of sometimes it looks like your enemies are prospering, as we look at the world around us and we see the wicked prospering, we need to be able to cry out to God, Lord, vindicate me according to your righteousness. Go to the Lord, rejoice in the Lord, find strength in the Lord. Let's go ahead and pray.
Lord, we do rejoice in you. And we know that the day will come when you will make all things right. Father, we pray that you would hasten that day. Father, we pray that as we wait, that we would not rest in our own righteousness, but that we would rest in you. We pray that you Lord, that you would watch over us and care for us. We thank you for this night, and we pray that you would give us a good night's sleep. Please prepare us for the Lord's Day tomorrow to worship you in spirit and truth. In Jesus's name, amen. May the Lord bless you tonight. May he give you great sleep, and may you worship the Lord with the Lord's people tomorrow. I'll see you then, bye.