“O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!” Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me. Blow them away like chaff in the wind— a wind sent by the angel of the Lord. Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me. So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me. Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because he rescues me. With every bone in my body I will praise him: “Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?” Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother. But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly. They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me. How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions! Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people. Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. They don’t talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business. They shout, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!” O Lord, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles. Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!” May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor. But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!” Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.”
Psalms 35:1-28 NLT
Justice and mercy represent a curious balance in the life of a disciple of Jesus. On the one hand, and certainly emphasized in the west, we are to love our enemies. On the other hand, we are to call for justice and judgment upon evil. Some have taken this to mean that we are to excuse the evil doer and wish the sin be removed from their lives. On some level, this seems right. Yet, we do not see this sentiment in scripture. Instead, sin is seen as the byproduct of a heart given to evil and by the time one is now called an evil doer, he is totally incapable of moral motions. All he does is corrupt. There is no separating the act from the actor. Here, David demonstrates a want for accountability. He calls for the actor to be held accountable for his actions. This call isn’t without mercy, as he notes his deep prayers for them to stop acting this way, but there is a time for judgment once sin is full. Notice that tho the call is clear and precise, it is not vengeful or without control. David’s call for justice includes the probability of true friends. It is not a paranoid or cynical call for judgment. When we are persecuted we need to take pains to call a spade a spade. It is right to call for judgment. It is equally important to avoid bitterness in this call and be precise in our thoughts, keeping our hearts tender and allowing vengeance to be the Lord’s.
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