God, judge my enemies

That is a fairly complicated psalm, which we're going to have some fun with.

I don't know what your first reaction is when you hear that read out.

You might be a little bit uncomfortable, particularly with a few verses in there

where David calls down God's fiery anger on his enemies.

You might be excited.

You might think, finally, I've got biblical evidence that it's okay to call down God's judgment on those who I don't like.

But the question has to be kind of lingering for us.

What do we do with something like that?

It doesn't seem to fit with the message of Christianity that we talk about,

the call to love our enemy, the mercy and grace that God shows.

So what is a psalm like this teaching us?

We can't just kind of skip over those six or seven verses that are a little bit uncomfortable.

We actually have to wrestle with them because they're not the only verses that say something like this in the Bible.

So the question we've got to ask is, what are they doing there?

Are they telling us that it's okay to pray down judgment?

And I'm sure you're sitting there nervously saying, no, it can't be that.

But if it's not that, what is it teaching us?

So for us to wrestle with that, I want to pray and ask God to help us have his mind on his word.

So please join me as we pray.

Father God, I want to thank you for your word and I thank you that you give it to us so that we might know you better.

Lord, I pray that as we wrestle with a difficult passage that you would keep us from bringing our own ideas to the passage,

but that we would come teachable and humble and ready to hear you speak.

Lord, I pray that the result of wrestling with something like this would be that we see you more clearly,

that we have a bigger picture of who you are.

And I pray that by your spirit, you would illuminate your word and shape our hearts,

that we might love you more and honor you more with the lives that you've given us.

Amen.

Okay, Psalm in front of you, Psalm 69.

The first thing that we need to understand and grab from this Psalm is that it's a Psalm of David.

It's there right in the title.

It's of David.

And David is the king.

He's God's anointed leader for the people.

And he is facing some sort of severe persecution.

The Psalm doesn't go into heaps of detail about what that is, but it's severe.

You can see it as he goes through.

He's nearly overwhelmed.

The waters are reaching up to his neck.

The mud's dragging him down.

There's no way out.

He's worn out from crying out for help.

He's exhausted, waiting for God's deliverance.

And more numerous than the hairs on his head are the people who hate him and seek to destroy him.

And three times in the first four verses, in fact, particularly in verse four,

David explains that his suffering, what he's going through, is unjust, is unfair.

It's not his fault.

If you have a look at verse four,

Now, it's not that David is saying,

I'm perfect and anything bad that happens to me is unfair because of all the characters in the Bible,

David's epic failures are probably more documented than others.

But he's saying that this issue here is not to do with him.

This is not a Bathsheba problem.

This is not something that David's done that has brought on the fire upon him.

Because he acknowledges that he's not perfect in verse five.

He says,

You know my folly, O God.

My guilt is not hidden from you.

But he is saying,

But I am innocent of this.

This suffering that I'm facing right now, it's not my fault.

And from that position of despair and being overwhelmed, David cries out to God there in verse one.

That's the point of the whole psalm.

Save me, O God.

And that just builds momentum as we go through all 36 verses.

That is David's heart's desire that he would be saved from this circumstance and opposition that he is facing.

But there's something about that salvation that David wants that we need to wrestle with.

We need to actually understand what is it that is driving his cry for salvation.

Because it might not be what we first think.

Have a look at verse nine with me.

Because in verse nine, David actually expresses what it is that's causing him such anguish.

He articulates his frustration.

And it's there.

It says in verse nine,

Zeal for your house consumes me.

And the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

He's talking to God here.

David says,

I'm consumed with a passion for you and for your name.

It's the relationship that David has with God that is causing people to persecute and oppose him.

That is the basis for the hatred that he receives from his enemies.

See, his enemies hate God.

And David is the person that they can see as representative of God.

So he becomes the object of their hatred.

The insults aimed at David's heavenly father fall squarely on his shoulders.

It's not dissimilar to a story that I was told recently about a man who was found guilty of a crime in Spain.

This man was born in Britain.

He was an American citizen.

But in Spain, he was convicted of a crime that everybody knew he hadn't done.

People were aware that he was innocent.

But he was convicted and sentenced to firing squad.

Now, at this point, the British embassy and the American embassy came out and said,

If you shoot this man, we'll declare war on you.

And when the day came for his firing squad,

the two ambassadors came out and draped the flag of America and the flag of Britain around him

and said, If you fire a shot, we'll declare war.

And sure enough, the firing squad turned around and walked away.

But in the same way that that man was representative of those nations at that particular point,

David here is representative of God.

He is God's king.

He's the leader of God's people.

And so when they see David,

they see an opportunity to vent their hatred and opposition towards God.

And so when David, in verse 13, returns to his quest for salvation,

his cry for rescue and redemption is a cry for God's name to be vindicated.

See, as David gets attacked, he feels this burden,

not because his own character is under fire,

not because his own name is being dragged through the mud.

His fear is that God's name is being shamed.

His fear is that somehow God would be found guilty

or God's people would be found guilty.

And so he eagerly desires that he would be delivered

because these enemies of his are his enemies because they're God's enemies.

And he bears their hatred and their shame for the sake of his God.

David's in anguish not for his own comfort,

but because of God's name and God's reputation.

David is wounded by the rejection that God is facing.

You've got to understand this here,

that David's pain in these verses, and it's significant.

There is this sense that it's almost beyond hope.

And this is because his God is under fire.

This is not a personal protection issue.

This is him carrying the burden for the holy name of his holy God.

And so it's from that context that we come back to these verses

that make us feel a bit uncomfortable and we need to look at them again.

I want you to have a look at verse 22

because we will probably take the rest of the psalm and think,

fantastic, God save your people when they're hurting.

But it's this bit that we need to wrestle with.

And it's David with a deep concern for his father's holy name

who articulates these words.

Speaking of his enemies, he says,

May the table set before them become a snare.

May it become retribution and a trap.

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see

and their backs be bent forever.

Pour out your wrath on them.

Let your fierce anger overtake them.

May their place be deserted.

Let there be no one to dwell in their tents,

for they persecute those you wound

and talk about the pain of those you hurt.

Charge them with crime upon crime.

Do not let them share in your salvation.

May they be blotted out of the book of life

and not be listed with the righteous.

I don't think that there is a harsher word

that David could have spoken.

I can't even begin to comprehend a circumstance in my life

where I would utter these words

against even my most hated enemy.

David is praying that God would direct his fierce, jealous wrath

on these enemies,

that they might be destroyed,

that they might be blotted out.

But here's the key.

David is not asking for revenge.

David is not asking God to destroy David's enemies

because they have hurt David.

David is asking for justice against God's enemies.

That is his heart's desire.

Not that David would win,

but that God's enemies would receive what they deserve.

See, this psalm is a psalm about God's name.

It's a psalm about God's reputation.

And David is God's representative.

And so as he endures the hatred and scorn

that is directed at his God,

even David's plea for salvation

is actually a plea for God

to vindicate his own character.

In verse 1, when David says,

save me, O God,

his heart's desire,

you can see it as we work through the psalm,

is that God's name,

the result of him being saved,

the point of him being saved

is that people would realize

that God is powerful and just

and mighty and righteous to judge.

Now I know we get nervous

when we talk about the wrath of God.

There's that sense that we need to water it down

with God's love.

But David is simply asking

that those who hate God

get what they deserve.

That's all he's asking for.

David is saying,

I am your chosen representative on the earth, God.

I'm the one you anointed to be king

and leader of your people.

And if they reject me,

they are rejecting you.

And so please give them what they deserve.

What you said you were going to give them.

It's right that those who oppose God

and reject his representative

face judgment.

That's right.

That's fair.

That's correct.

Because if you reject the Savior,

then all that's left

is the wrath

that you could have been saved from.

It's like a man walking by a river

who falls into the river.

The river begins to pick up momentum

and soon enough he realizes

that the momentum

is because there's a waterfall up ahead.

If that man chooses to ignore

the safety rope that is thrown to him,

then the waterfall is a fair enough result

for that individual.

In the same way,

if people choose to reject

the Savior that God offers,

then the destruction

is a fair and right outcome.

The New Testament quotes

this difficult section

in Psalm 69 twice

to show us

just how just it is.

The first one comes in Acts chapter 1.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

And verse 25 of Psalm 69 is quoted.

Verse 25 says,

May their place be deserted.

Let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

When that comes into the New Testament,

do you know who it's talking about?

Judas.

The disciple who betrayed Jesus

for 30 pieces of silver.

When we think Judas,

we think that is right.

He deserves to be judged.

He betrayed his Savior

from right under his nose.

From the inner group

who spent time and traveled with Jesus,

God's wrath deserves

to be poured out on Judas.

The second quote of this section

comes in Romans chapter 11

Romans 11 · chapter mention

and it's a bigger chunk.

And here Paul quotes the passage

pointing to the Jews

who have rejected Jesus

as God's Savior.

Now Paul's not looking for revenge

on the Jews

because Paul himself is a Jew.

And Paul expresses his desire

that the Jews would come to faith in Jesus.

But he's saying

if you reject God's anointed one,

in this case Jesus,

if you reject the Savior

that he offers you,

then it is right and fair and just

that you receive the wrath

that all creation deserves.

Paul is simply saying

the Jews are in the river

and they are ignoring

the life rope of Jesus

and so it is inevitable

that they will face the judgment.

See, David is not crying out

in this psalm

because of his own suffering.

He is driven by a zeal

for God's house.

By a desire that God's name

would not be trampled by men,

that it would not be okay

for people to ignore him,

pretend like he doesn't matter.

David is grieved by sin

because that's what sin is

at its core.

It's a rejection of God,

a rejection of Jesus

as King and Savior.

And David isn't saying,

God, make me strong

so I can beat my enemies.

He's saying,

God, you're God.

You're my God.

I'm your representative.

These are your enemies.

Pour out your wrath

like you said you would.

And this is really,

really important.

God has already promised

Abraham,

way back in Genesis chapter 12,

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

that he would judge those

who rejected his people.

I want you to flick back

with me to Genesis chapter 12

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

really quickly.

Keep your finger in Psalm 69

so that you're there,

ready to go.

But Genesis chapter 12

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

is the promises

that God makes to Abraham,

who's David's great,

great, great, great, great,

great, great, etc.,

grandfather.

And the promises

that God makes to Abraham

are the basis

for Israel's relationship

with God.

They're the basis

for David's relationship

with God.

They define what

that interaction looks like.

And in verse 3

of Genesis 12,

listen to what God says.

I will bless those

who bless you

and whoever curses you

I will curse.

It was right there

in the beginning.

This shouldn't surprise us.

God said

from the starting point,

those who curse you,

those who reject you,

my people,

my representative,

reject me

and they will face

my curse.

They will face

my judgment.

They will face

my anger.

God had promised this.

Those who oppose

his people

would be cursed

because rejecting

God's people

is the same

as rejecting him

and for that

God promised

his enemies

would face judgment.

David is not asking

for permission

to have revenge

on his enemies.

That is not what

this psalm is about.

He's asking for God

to keep his promises,

to keep his covenant,

to bring justice,

and to save him

and that all

goes together

because in Genesis 12

God promised

that he would

save his people.

That's what the blessing is.

That's why David

can say in verse 13,

I pray to you

in the time of your favor

in your great love,

O God,

answer me with your

sure salvation.

He's confident

because God

has already promised it

and necessary

to that salvation

that God

has promised

is judgment

on the enemies

of God.

See,

there's no separation

of those two things

for King David.

He doesn't see

salvation as one request

and the pouring out

of his wrath

as a second request.

Salvation happens

by God pouring out

his wrath

on his enemies.

The pouring out

of God's wrath

on his enemies

brings salvation

for those who hope

in God.

They are one

and the same action.

Now,

I want to say that again

because this is really

important

and you need

to grasp this.

Without judgment,

there is no salvation.

Without judgment,

there is no salvation.

We get very nervous

about the ideas

of judgment

and wrath,

but biblically,

you need judgment

for salvation.

That is how it works.

That is how it worked

from the beginning.

That is how Israel

was rescued from Egypt

by God bringing judgment

on the Egyptians

for oppressing his people.

That is the pattern

that he builds

throughout Scripture.

Judgment is something

that makes us nervous,

maybe correctly

because it is so horrific,

but it is necessary

for salvation.

In this psalm,

David's deep desire

is God's glory.

That is what he cares about

more than anything else

and we need to ask God

to shape our hearts

so that we desire

his glory

more than anything else.

Our biggest struggle

with this psalm

is when we think enemy,

we think those who hurt me.

The possibility

of being as offended

by what people say

about God

or the way they interact

with God

is just foreign to us

because we are so self-absorbed

in our own world.

It is easy to hate

those who have hurt us,

but only as God

renews our hearts

and teaches us

to love what he loves

can we begin

to be offended by sin

in the way that he is

and that needs to be our prayer

and that is the evidence

of God's work

in David's life

that David is so offended

by those who reject God

that he is grieved

to the point

of being overwhelmed

and crying out

for God to do something.

We need to ask God

to be shaping our hearts

that we might love him

and desire his glory

more than our own.

But that is where

the question of this psalm

gets even more pointed.

As we begin to see

and hate sin

with the same zeal

that God does

and with the same zeal

that David does,

how then do we respond

to that sin?

How then do we respond

to injustice

because in our world

God is still rejected

and hated

by billions of people?

In our world

there is still oppression

and injustice

all around us

so how would God

have us respond?

I mean we've already said

that in this psalm

David is praying

in line with the covenant

and promises

that God made to him

but the question is

as we look at sin around us

is it right for us

to pray the same thing?

Is it okay for us

to call down God's judgment

on the sinners

that we see

in the world around us?

The New Testament

quotes this psalm

quite a lot

and I want to quickly

show you three quotes

in John's Gospel.

You don't need to flick there

if you really fast

go for it

but if you want

just scribble these down

and check them out

later on.

In chapter 2

of John's Gospel

Jesus discovers

that the temple

is being used

as a market

and he is so angry

that he fashions

a whip for himself

and goes through

cracking his whip

and turning over tables

and chasing out

the people

who are in there

and his disciples

are watching him do this

watching his anger

burn

at these people

who have perverted

the use of his

father's house

and suddenly

for the disciples

it clicks.

Jesus is

Psalm 69

Psalms 69:9

verse 9

Zeal

for God's house

is consuming Jesus

that is what's going on

and John 2

says they remember

this psalm

and realise

Jesus is doing it.

Second one

in chapter 15

Jesus is sitting down

with his disciples

and explaining

that they're going

to be persecuted

just like him.

He's explaining

that they're going

to hate you

just like they hated me

and at the end

Jesus says

the world's rejection

and hatred of him

is a fulfilment

of Psalm 69

Psalms 69:4

verse 4

those who hate me

without reason

outnumber the hairs

of my head.

He says

that is me

in that psalm.

He says

I'm experiencing

all those things

that David talked about

and kind of

foreshadowed earlier on

this is about me

and one last one

in John chapter 19

John 19 · chapter mention

Jesus is on the cross

this is beginning

at verse 28

in John 9

and Jesus has been

whipped and bloodied

he's about to die

but one last thing

he does

so he's not sitting

there thinking

what boxes do

I have to tick

this was about him

from the beginning

and he says

as he's hanging there

so that the scripture

might be fulfilled

I'm thirsty

and he's given a drink

of wine vinegar

Psalm 69

Psalms 69:21

verse 21

they put gall

in my food

and gave me vinegar

for my thirst

it's not a coincidence

this psalm

is about God's

anointed king

and leader

it is about

King David

absolutely

it's first about

King David

but then

it is about Jesus

he fulfills

this psalm

he is the eternal king

David was the temporary king

the word used

to describe

David's role

is the same word

that's used

to describe

Jesus' saviour

in the New Testament

because the king

was like the saviour

but Jesus

is the saviour

of God's people

Jesus lives out

this psalm

but the reaction

that Jesus has

to his enemies

is very different

to David's

it's like Jesus

is saying

amen

amen

amen

the whole way through

and then he gets

to verse 22

and something shifts

because

in Gethsemane

you see

Jesus praying

prayers

that kind of

reflect

what David's

feeling

Jesus

feeling

that anguish

of if there's

another way

God

can you do it

but we get

to verse 22

and it's where

David and Jesus

it becomes obvious

just how different

they are

because Jesus'

prayer is

Father forgive them

for they know

not what they do

see Jesus

actually embodies

the judgment

that David

prays for here

he experiences

the judgment

he takes it

on himself

Jesus wraps up

all of verse 22

through to 28

on himself

Jesus on the cross

is not just about

physical pain

there is significant

physical pain

but it is more

about what this

psalm talks about

it is more about

the fierce

anger

of a holy

God

being poured

out

on his son

Jesus takes

that judgment

in verses 22

to 28

and rolls it up

with the rejoicing

that David has

in verses 29

to the end

he combines

them together

and judgment

and salvation

become

inseparably

connected

Jesus

far surpasses

anything

that David

could have

even begun

to hope

for

we get

excited

when we

glory

in the

forgiveness

that comes

by the

cross

of our

Savior

but we

cannot

fully

understand

the

forgiveness

that we

have

we cannot

fully

understand

the love

that God

has shown

us

unless we

understand

that at

exactly

the same

time

as that

forgiveness

was won

the most

direct

and severe

act of

judgment

that this

world

will ever

know

was being

poured

out

until we

grasp

that all

of God's

wrath

was poured

out on

Jesus

instead of

us

we will

never

begin

to

understand

the love

that God

has shown

us

can we

pray this

prayer

as

forgiven

sinners

wrath

is not

ours

to give

we

have a

covenant

that is

better than

the one

that David

knew

we have

a covenant

that guarantees

our eternal

salvation

through the

blood of

our son

and as

forgiven

sinners

wrath

is not

ours

to give

it is

God's

alone

as

followers

of

Jesus

the

model

that we

are

given

is to

love

our

enemies

love

for our

brothers

and our

enemies

there's a

great set

of verses

in Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

beginning at

verse 17

it says

do not

repay anyone

evil for

evil

be careful

to do

what is

right

in the

eyes

of

everybody

if

it

is

possible

as

far

as

it

depends

on

you

live

at

peace

with

everyone

and

here's

really

important

do not

take

revenge

my

friends

but leave

room for

God's

wrath

for it

is

written

it

is

mine

to

avenge

I

will

repay

says

the

Lord

on

the

contrary

if

your

enemy

is

hungry

feed

him

if

he

is

thirsty

give

him

something

to

drink

in

doing

this

you

will

heap

burning

coals

on

his

head

do

not

overcome

by

evil

but

overcome

evil

with

good

the

command

to

love

doesn't

remove

the

desire

for

justice

it

just

helps

us

understand

what

justice

really

is

justice

isn't

my

vindication

it's

God's

vindication

it's

those

who have

rejected

him

receiving

what

they

deserve

and

those

who have

trusted

in

the

son

being

given

the

life

that

they

do

not

so

how do

we

respond

to

injustice

and

sin

in

the

world

around

us

as

God

does

shape

our

heart

to

love

him

more

than

us

and

as

we

do

God

willing

become

more

offended

by

the

irreverence

that

we're

surrounded

by

how do

we

respond

like

David

ultimately

did

from

verse

29

he

says

I'm

in

pain

and

distress

may

your

salvation

oh

God

protect

me

I

will

praise

God's

name

in

song

and

glorify

him

with

thanksgiving

this

will

please

the

Lord

more

than

an

ox

more

than

a

bull

with

its

horns

and

its

hoofs

and

he

rejoices

because

even

though

he's

surrounded

by

injustice

back

in

verse

13

he

already

knows

that

salvation

is

sure

that

judgment

will

come

that

God

will

bring

justice

and

judgment

and

salvation

respond

like

David

ultimately

did

but

more

than

that

respond

like

Jesus

did

with

sacrificial

love

even

especially

for those

who persecute

us

because we

are confident

that God

will bring

justice

we are

confident

because in

Jesus

he's already

begun to do

it

and because

he has

promised

that when

Jesus

returns

he will

bring

justice

fully

and

forever

let's

pray

father

god

we

acknowledge

that

it is

our

hearts

first

desire

to

protect

ourselves

but we

ask that

you would

strip

that

away

please

shape our

hearts

that we

would love

you

as you

deserve

that we

would care

more about

your glory

and your

honor and

your name

and your

purpose than

any of our

own ambition

father

as you

shape us

and as we

recognize

just how

sinful

and dark

our world

is

may we

be moved

to love

like you

loved

maybe we

move to

love

sacrificially

humbly

without

judgment

knowing that

it's you

who judges

give us

the ability

to love

and forgive

those who

hurt us

again

knowing that

it's you

who judges

and that

your judgment

is sure

and right

and just

father

be enough

for us

that we

might be

content

in you

that we

might be

released

to love

especially

when it

hurts

father

we thank

you for

your son

we thank

you that

he was

willing to

take

the punishment

that we

deserved

lord

may that

truth

daily

break

our hearts

and excite

us

to share

that love

with others

who don't

deserve it

thank you

god for

your word

amen

so

you

you

other

who