... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
To the Chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
Hold not Your peace, O God of my praise: for
the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against
me. They have spoken against me with a
lying tongue. They circled about me also
with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. [In return] for my love, they are my
adversaries. But I [give myself to] prayer. They
have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Set a wicked man over him. Let Satan[2] stand at
his right hand. When he shall be judged,
let him be condemned. Let his prayer
become sin. Let his days be few. Let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife
a widow. Let his children be continually
vagabonds, and beg. Let them seek [their bread] also from their desolate
places. Let the extortioner catch all that
he has. Let aliens spoil his labor. Let there be no one extend mercy to him. Nor let any favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off. In the generation following, let their name be
blotted out. Let the iniquity of his
fathers be remembered with the Lord. Let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the Lord continually, so that He may cut off the memory of them from the
earth.
Because he remembered not to show mercy, but
persecuted the poor and needy man, so that he might even slay the broken in
heart. As he loved cursing, so let it
come to him. As he delighted not in
blessing, so let it be far from him. As
he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come to his
bowels like water, and like oil to his bones.
Let it be to him as the garment [which] covers him, and for a girdle
wherewith he is girded continually. This
[is] the reward of my adversaries
from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my soul.
But do for me, O God the Lord, for Your name’s sake. Because Your mercy [is] good, deliver me: for I [am]
poor and needy. My heart is wounded
within me. I am gone like the shadow
when it declines. I am tossed up and
down as the locust. My knees are weak
through fasting. My flesh fails of
fatness. I became also a reproach to
them. They looked on me. They shook their heads. Help me, O Lord my God. Save me according to Your mercy. That they may know that this [is] Your hand. 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 adversaries be clothed with shame. Let them cover themselves with their own
confusion, as with a mantle.
I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth. Yes, I will
praise Him among the throngs. For He
shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save [him] from those who condemn his soul.[3]
[1] An
amazing prophetic picture grows from David’s general complaint about false
friends. These enemies are not Edomites or
Hagarenes. These enemies are not even
primarily Israelites, they are fellow Jews, living in Jerusalem who are his
chief political adversaries. As is the
usual case, they constantly repay David’s goodness with evil. Whatever good David does is never good enough
to satisfy these vicious liars, and purveyors of bitterness.
Now within the mystery of David’s prayer he begins to speak
prophetically of Judas Iscariot. The
imprecations against Judas are so terrifying that we cringe to read them. The bulk of the fulfillment is recorded in
Matthew 27 and Acts 1. We will not dwell
on that which is so frightening.
Now an explanation is given of Judas’ character, the reasons
that the prayers against him are so fierce.
The core of the idea is that Judas showed no mercy. It is simply impossible for unmerciful people
to enter the kingdom of God’s mercy.
Evidently, this characteristic of mercilessness was common in Judas’
family judging by the broad scope of condemnation. When we pray, “You forgave our debts; as we [must]
also forgive our debtors,” our response is not optional. Failure to forgive and holding grudges is a
guaranteed path for sharing in Judas’ tragic death. This lack of mercy is the sure indication of
the sin of unbelief: for it makes the loud and clear statement, “I don’t believe
that God forgives.” Lest we be tempted
to shrug this off as inapplicable Old Testament material, we haste to point out
that this is a major point in Matthew’s gospel as emphasized in chapters 18 and
25.
The final summary imprecation is, let Judas wear this as a
garment for the rest of eternity; and may all of Judas’ kind be clothed in similar
fashion.
The scene shifts quickly to the trials and crucifixion. The declaration is clear. The crucifixion is the work of the Father to
the Son. A far deeper mystery is being
played out here than anything that either Pilate or the Jews can imagine.
The crucifixion is a curse in the eyes of men, but with God it
is a blessing. As the near slaughter of
Isaac (Genesis 22); and as the cruel imprisonment of Joseph (Genesis 39). Men intended evil, but God intended
good. When the Son of man is lifted up
He draws the world to Himself (Numbers 21; John 3:15; 8:28; 12:32).
The Psalm closes with the victory of the resurrection. Christ is Risen. Satan, Judas, and all their ilk are foiled.
[2] Satan
means the Accuser.
[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in
Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by
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ND. They are designed and intended for
your free participation. They were
freely received, and are freely given.
No other permission is required for their use.
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