Unraveling the Mystery of Prayer

Bible Book: Psalms 109 : 1-31

Subject: Prayer

Series: Psalms - Kirksey

Introduction

Unraveling the mystery of prayer is a formidable task. Even one who has been a believer for many years finds some elements of prayer shrouded in mystery. This is due in part to the fact that it involves the communion and communication of finite man with the infinite God.

Rev. Joseph Hammond, (1839-1912), recalls, “Mysterious was the one word written opposite this psalm in the pocket Bible of a late devout and popular writer. It represents the utter perplexity with which it is very generally regarded.”[1]

Psalm 109 features the puzzling element of imprecatory prayer. Psalms 5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 56, 58, 69, 79, 83, 137, 139, and 143 are examples of imprecatory psalms. Bible scholars consider Psalm 109 the most relevant example and there are at least three elements of Psalm 109 to consider by way of introduction.

First, we find a predictive element in this psalm. Psalm 109 received the designation “Psalmus Iscarioticus”[2] from the early church. Dr. Paton James Gloag (1823-1906) comments, “In this psalm David is supposed to refer to Doeg the Edomite, or to Ahithophel. It is the most imprecatory of the psalms, and may well be termed the Iscariot Psalm. What David here refers to his mortal enemy, finds its accomplishment in the betrayer of the Son of David. It is from the 8th verse that Peter infers the necessity of filling up the vacancy occasioned by the death of Judas: it was, says he, predicted that another should take his office [Acts 1:20].”[3] From Acts 1:15-26 we read, “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, ‘Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.’ (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) ‘For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, / And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’ ‘Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.’ And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, ‘You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.’ And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

At the Passover before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’ Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, ‘Rabbi, is it I?’ He said to him, ‘You have said it’” (Matthew 26:23-25).

Dr. Andrew A. Bonar (1810-1892) explains, “We may consider Judas, at the same time, as the virtual head of the Jewish nation in their daring attempt to dethrone the Son of God. The doom pronounced, and the reasons for it, apply to the Jews as a nation, as well as to the leader of the band who took Jesus.”[4]

From John 1:10-13 we read about Jesus, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Furthermore, there is a prescriptive element in Psalm 109. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term “prescriptive” means “serving to prescribe” or “acquired by, founded on, or determined by prescription or by long-standing custom” and is synonymous with “classical, customary, conventional.”[5] From Luke 9:51-56 we read, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’ And they went to another village.” While there are examples of unconventional uses of imprecations as in the case of James and John, “the sons of thunder” (Luke 9:51-56) there are conventional uses by the Apostles. For example, we read in Acts 8:14-25, “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.’ Then Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.’ So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.” Sadly, this Simon did not repent.

Later we find Paul pronouncing a curse upon Elymas for his resistance of the gospel (Acts 13:6-12). Here we read, “Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.”

We must also note Paul’s words recorded in Galatians 1:6-9, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” From 1 Timothy 1:18-20 we read these words of Paul, “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” We read in 2 Timothy 4:14-15, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.”

In 1 Corinthians 5:1-6 we read, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” Apparently this man did repent, for we read in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, “But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

In Acts 5:1-11 we read Peter’s pronouncement of a death sentence upon Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit. Let me assure you this was not mere hypocrisy. There are strong words, “woes”, against the Scribes and Pharisees by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 23 for their high handed hypocrisy and hindering others from coming to Him. While some Pharisees no doubt committed the unpardonable sin, we know several who did not, namely, Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul, and Nicodemus. We recall Jesus’ cleansing of the temple recorded in Matthew 21:12-17 where we read, “Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant and said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?’ Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.”

Here, Jesus clearly exercised discipline in the temple. Rev. Bob Deffinbaugh explains, “The church discipline of the New Testament is not really that different from the imprecatory prayers of the Old Testament.”[6] Rev. Deffinbaugh concludes, “Imprecatory psalms are far more relevant and applicable to Christians today than we would like to admit. We want to think of God only in terms of love and mercy, but not in terms of justice and judgment. We are soft on sin.”[7] Whenever we wonder what God thinks about sin, we must look at the cross upon which Jesus died. Paul reminds us of the “goodness and severity of God” (Romans 11:22).

Finally, in Psalm 109 we find a preventive element. Rev. Bob Deffinbaugh exhorts, “Let us learn from the imprecatory psalms that a hard stand on sin is the best way to prevent sin. Let me tell you it must have been some experience to gather as a congregation in days of old and sing Psalm 109. Remember, the psalm was written for public worship. To sing its words was to remind the saints how the godly should respond to sin. In so doing each individual was reminded of the seriousness of sin and the dire consequences which accompany it. To be soft on sin is to give it a greenhouse in which to grow. To be hard on sin is to hinder its growth, not only in the lives of others but in our own as well.”[8]

From Psalm 109:1-31 we read, “Do not keep silent, / O God of my praise! For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful / Have opened against me; / They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, / And fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, / But I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, / And hatred for my love. Set a wicked man over him, / And let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, / And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, / And let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, / And his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; / Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. Let the creditor seize all that he has, / And let strangers plunder his labor. Let there be none to extend mercy to him, / Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off, / And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, / And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be continually before the Lord, / That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; / Because he did not remember to show mercy, / But persecuted the poor and needy man, / That he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; / As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, / So let it enter his body like water, / And like oil into his bones. Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, / And for a belt with which he girds himself continually. Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers, / And to those who speak evil against my person. But You, O GOD the Lord, / Deal with me for Your name’s sake; / Because Your mercy is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, / And my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; / I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting, / And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness. I also have become a reproach to them; / When they look at me, they shake their heads. Help me, O Lord my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, / That they may know that this is Your hand—That You, Lord, have done it! Let them curse, but You bless; / When they arise, let them be ashamed, / But let Your servant rejoice. Let my accusers be clothed with shame, / And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; / Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, / To save him from those who condemn him.”

Remember, initially Psalm 109 is a prayer of David, “a man after God’s own heart.” Allow me to share three appeals from this psalm.

I. In unaccountable silence David appeals for an expression of God’s love.

From Psalm 109:1-5 we read, “Do not keep silent, / O God of my praise! For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful / Have opened against me; / They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, / And fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, / But I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, / And hatred for my love.”

Dr. Henry Blackaby shares in Experiencing God about “a love relationship” with God. In Acts 13:22 we read, “He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’”

In unaccountable silence David appeals for an expression of God’s love.

II. After unreasonable suffering David appeals for an expression of God’s justice.

From Psalm 109:6-20 we read, “Set a wicked man over him, / And let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, / And let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, / And let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, / And his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; / Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. Let the creditor seize all that he has, / And let strangers plunder his labor. Let there be none to extend mercy to him, / Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off, / And in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, / And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be continually before the Lord, / That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth; / Because he did not remember to show mercy, / But persecuted the poor and needy man, / That he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; / As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, / So let it enter his body like water, / And like oil into his bones. Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, / And for a belt with which he girds himself continually. Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers, / And to those who speak evil against my person.”

From 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 we read, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.”

The call for justice recorded in Psalm 109:6-15 is so stern and so severe that some commentators assign these words to an enemy of David and not to David himself. This is the mysterious element of this psalm and the prayer it contains.

Dr. Herbert Lockyer (1886-1984) explains, “But what must be remembered is that David, speaking as a king and judge, was pronouncing these terrible maledictions over the enemies of God and thus saw in the plight of those who deserved death, the result of their death. Pity, was due to the orphans and widows, but a father’s atrocious actions may dry up the springs of pity. Who mourned that cruel Pharaoh’s children lost their father, or that Sennacherib’s wife became a widow. As Agag’s sword had made women childless none wept when Samuel’s weapons made his mother childless among women.”[9]

We find an example of Jesus’ approval of seeking justice in Luke 18:1-8 where we read, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: ‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’”

From Romans 12:9-21 we read, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; / If he is thirsty, give him a drink; / For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’”

From 1 Peter 2:21-25 we read, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, / Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; / who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Please note David did not take matters into his own hands when Saul sought to kill him. He left the matter with the Lord. When David had the opportunity to kill Saul and someone encouraged him to do so, he did not do it. In fact, he regretted even cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe (1 Samuel 24:1-22). David was not a vindictive person. He should not be viewed as such from what he wrote in Psalm 109.

After unreasonable suffering David appeals for an expression of God’s justice.

III. From unutterable sorrow David appeals for an expression of God’s mercy.

From Psalm 109:21-31 we read, “But You, O GOD the Lord, / Deal with me for Your name’s sake; / Because Your mercy is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, / And my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; / I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting, / And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness. I also have become a reproach to them; / When they look at me, they shake their heads. Help me, O Lord my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, / That they may know that this is Your hand—That You, Lord, have done it! Let them curse, but You bless; / When they arise, let them be ashamed, / But let Your servant rejoice. Let my accusers be clothed with shame, / And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; / Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, / To save him from those who condemn him.”

Please note that David cries out for God to “magnify Your mercy” (vv. 21, 26). It is wise for us to seek His mercy. From Psalm 109:21 we read, “For thy name's sake!” Dr. F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) comments, “What an exquisite prayer! Better let God do for you than do for yourself (Psa. 119:124; Jer. 14:7). God's mercy is indeed good.” From Psalm 109:26 the psalmist exclaims,”Help me, O Lord!” Dr. Meyer comments, “Another of these sweet ejaculatory petitions, of which we should each carry a quiverful for daily use.”

Conclusion

Dr. F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) comments on Psalm 109, “The internal evidence agrees with the inscription as ascribing this Psalm to David. Like others of the same character, it dates probably from the time of the Sauline persecution. It is full of appeals for the Divine vindication of persecuted saints. These old sacred writers had clear, strong, views of the enormity of wrong-doing. They did not scruple to invoke the Divine justice against those who perpetrated it (see Psalm 28:4). There are sentences which exhibit a like spirit in the New Testament (Acts 23:3; 1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 4:14). But on the whole we are taught by the Gospel to speak more leniently of those who oppress us (Matt. 5:44; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). We cannot forget the quotation made from this Psalm (Psalm 109:8) by the Apostle Peter with reference to the betrayer (Acts 1:20).

Thus we are led to question whether these strong imprecations may not be a foreshadowing of that awful fate which must overtake such as knowingly and wilfully sin against God's children and cause.”[10]

Dr. F. B. Meyer also shares the following comment on Psalm 109:28, “Let them curse, but bless Thou”, “Men still curse us. It is one of the badges that we belong to the Lord’s household, that they call us Beelzebub. The offence of the Cross has not ceased; and if none curse us, we may seriously question whether we are following in the footsteps of the Crucified. We must be baptized into our Savior’s death, and die with Him to all fear of man. Until we are willing to be counted the offscouring of all things, we have not entered into the true significance of baptism into his death, and participation in his risen life. The late George Müller [1805-1898] said that he made no progress till he came to this. But when we are willing to forfeit our character, to die to our reputation, to be fools for Christ’s sake, then God begins to bless. When men revile, and persecute, and say all manner of evil against us falsely for Christ’s sake, God whispers in our heart, ‘Great is your reward in heaven.’ You never will know how near and tender God can be till you are cast out by your kind.”[11]

[1]Available from: http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps109.htm Accessed: 12/08/12

[2]Herbert Lockyer, Sr., A Devotional Commentary, p. 447

[3]Paton J. Gloag, A critical and exegetical commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (Edinburgh : T. & T. Clark, 1870) , p. 62

[4]Available from: http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps109.htm Accessed: 12/08/12

[5]Available from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prescriptive Accessed: 01/09/13

[6]Bob Deffinbaugh, A Psalm for All Seasons: Studies in the Book of Psalms, “A Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked”, (Psalm 109), Available from: http://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-109-prayer-punishment-wicked Accessed: 12/06/12

[7]Bob Deffinbaugh, A Psalm for All Seasons: Studies in the Book of Psalms, “A Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked”, (Psalm 109), Available from: http://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-109-prayer-punishment-wicked Accessed: 12/06/12

[8]Bob Deffinbaugh, A Psalm for All Seasons: Studies in the Book of Psalms, “A Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked”, (Psalm 109), Available from: http://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-109-prayer-punishment-wicked Accessed: 12/06/12

[9]Herbert Lockyer, Sr., A Devotional Commentary, p. 448

[10]F. B. Meyer, “Hold Not Thy Peace, O God!”, Notes, (Psalm 109) Available from: http://www.preceptaustin.org/psalms-f_b_meyer.htm Accessed: 12/06/12

[11]F. B. Meyer, “Hold Not Thy Peace, O God!”, Notes, (Psalm 109) Available from: http://www.preceptaustin.org/psalms-f_b_meyer.htm Accessed: 12/06/12

By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice Available on Amazon.com and WORDsearchbible.com

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Biblical-Preaching-Giving-Bible/dp/1594577684

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