March 15th, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Blessing My Enemy

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Opening Prayer

Lord, may the joy of who You are indwell my heart, and may I sing Your praise at all times.

Read Psalm 109:1-31

[1]For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, [2] for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. [3] With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. [4] In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. [5] They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. [6] Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. [7] When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. [8] May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. [9] May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. [10] May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. [11] May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. [12] May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. [13] May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. [14] May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. [15] May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may blot out their name from the earth. [16] For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. [17] He loved to pronounce a curse- may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing- may it be far from him. [18] He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. [19] May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. [20] May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. [21] But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. [22] For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. [23] I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. [24] My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. [25] I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. [26] Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love. [27] Let them know that it is your hand, that you, LORD, have done it. [28] While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice. [29] May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. [30] With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him. [31] For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

Meditate on the Lord’s Prayer, especially the phrase, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:9-13).

Think Further

We do not know who the psalmist’s enemies are. Whether they are fighting him in the law-court or in battle, scheming against him through slander and gossip or using sorcery and spells, their evil and hateful intentions are combined with powerful strategies to do him harm. Such words are hard to read. We resonate with the pain and anger expressed, but we know that the God of love we serve was able to forgive his accusers on the cross (Luke 23:34), showing mercy at the same time as judging the severity of sin through his death and resurrection.

The psalm contains the longest curse in the Bible (6-20). The psalmist then prays for a right response to such cursing (21-29), that God will act and not keep silent. The psalmist does not yet know of the forgiveness we have in Christ and expresses his desire for vindication and judgment on his enemies, even with the desire for revenge. What are we to make of this blunt, outright call for justice? We should affirm it! The balance between mercy, truth, righteousness and peace (Psa. 85:10) has not yet been achieved, and the process of working towards this cannot be short-circuited.

Orthodox Jews pray each night: “I hereby forgive anyone who has angered me or provoked me or sinned against me physically or financially or by failing to give me due respect, or in any other matter relating to me, involuntarily or willingly, inadvertently or deliberately, whether in word or deed: let no one incur punishment because of me.” Knowing the true forgiveness we have in Christ, such is our prayer too.

Apply

How can you put into practice the prayer of Jesus, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”?

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, I think of all You went through to accomplish my salvation. You responded to rejection and hostility with forgiveness. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

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