Psalms 35 - Introduction

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‘A Psalm of David'

This is the Psalm of a man who is being hard pressed by his enemies who are seeking to accuse him falsely and maliciously before the courts of the land. But it is quite possible also that his life was literally in danger, for he calls initially for deliverance from his enemies in words put in military terms, and this may suggest that they had at first sought to attack him in other ways before they brought him to court. So we may see the Psalm as applying to any situation where a man is in danger because of his faithfulness to God.

Initially then his call is to God for personal protection, and then he prays that God will vindicate him when the case eventually comes to court.

Some have seen it as written by David with respect to his treatment by Saul, and some of the jealous men who composed Saul's court. On this basis we may see it as follows:

· the first three verses may be seen as asking for protection in view of Saul's deadly hunt for David (1 Samuel 21-26; see especially 1 Samuel 23:25; 1 Samuel 24:11; 1 Samuel 26:2), as he prays that YHWH will personally arm Himself in his defence and be his salvation.

· In Psalms 35:4 he calls on God by His Angel to drive his enemies back and put them to flight (compare Exodus 23:20; Exodus 23:23).

· In Psalms 35:7 he asks that those who hunt for him might fall into the trap that they themselves have set so that again he can rejoice in YHWH's salvation.

· In Psalms 35:11 he bewails the false charges made against him and the way in which his one time friends and colleagues, whom he had treated as though they were his own family, have now turned against him, even though he had acted well towards them (see 1 Samuel 24:9).

· In Psalms 35:17 he points out how false their accusations are and asks for deliverance from their attempts to bring him down.

· And in 22-28 he calls on God to vindicate him, to punish those who are against him, and to reward those who take up his cause, at which point he will make known to all what God has done for him.

However, although he may well have done so, we do not know of David actually undergoing the kind of trial described in Psalms 35:11; Psalms 35:15; Psalms 35:19, thus the Psalm may refer to a later son of David. It does, however, make this a prayer which will bring comfort to any who are falsely accused because of their loyalty to God, whatever the particular danger involved, because all those who follow Christ are warned that such things could happen to them in one way or another (Matthew 10:17; Matthew 10:26; Matthew 10:33).