Well, if you have your Bible with you this evening, please turn with me to Psalm 35. We continue to make our way through the Psalter, and we will begin Psalm 35 this evening, considering the first 10 verses. This is another wonderful Psalm of David, and good food for you this evening. Psalm 35. Let's go before the Lord asking his blessing on the preaching and reading of his word. Almighty God and Heavenly Father, we do pray that as your word is read and preached, that you would open our hearts to your word and open your word to our hearts. Oh Lord, press it deeply. Lord, impress your word and implant your word in us in such a way in which as we feast upon it, we are well nourished We are well-fed, and we go forth with good zeal and energy in your service, even in trying times and trying paths. We pray these things in Christ's name, amen. Well, Psalm 35, beginning in verse one, hear now the holy word of God written for you and for me today. The Psalm of David. Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me. Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for my help. Also, draw out the spear and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation. Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor who seek after my life. Let those be turned back and brought to confusion who plot my hurt. Let them be like chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord pursue them. For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, which they have dug without cause for my life. Let destruction come upon them unexpectedly, and let his net that he has hidden catch himself into that very destruction, let him fall. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord. It shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like you? Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him. Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him. Amen. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. Well, congregation, incessant, intense, and unrelenting persecution can and will take a physical, spiritual, and emotional toll on anyone. This is true whether the persecutor is one person or many. As you know, the main source of David's persecution was from the hands of King Saul. In many ways, he was the driving force behind the fury. And it's appropriate to say that he was the driving force because he wasn't the only one. He ordered many of his officers, along with others who had authority under him, to carry out his will in pursuing and pressing after David. And as this is the course and desire of the world, they cruelly persecuted him to flatter Saul, among other reasons. Now, as we've studied many Davidic Psalms thus far that begin or contain pleas of deliverance from David to the living God in light of their serious threats, Psalm 35 is a psalm of lament as David once again considers himself to be in danger for his life. Scholars believe the account provides the context behind David's words in this psalm is found in 1 Samuel 24. We read in the first seven verses of that chapter, Now it happened when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Take note, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road where there was a cave, and Saul went in to attend to his needs. David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. And then the men of David said to him, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand that you may do to him as it seems good to you. And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, the Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. So David restrained his servants with these words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way." Here's Saul going after David, 3,000 chosen men, a well-trained, mighty force against David and his men. They go into this cave, not knowing that David and his men were there in the shadows of the cave. They lay down to rest to take care of their needs, and David comes. He could have taken care of business against Saul. He could have smote him and killed him, but he did not. He had mercy on Saul, and Saul didn't know the difference he left on his way. Beloved, this evening we'll consider David's words about the Savior of your soul. We will consider the dishonor and shame and destruction that he speaks of in verses four through eight as well. and the joyful soul in verses 9 through 10. Consider verse 1 and how he begins his plea to the Lord. Plead my cause, O Lord, David says, with those who strive with me. Fight against those who fight against me. Here is the king. The magistrate was against David. We've just seen in 1 Samuel 24. David's opening words in this psalm express his plea that God would be both his defense attorney as well as a warrior on his behalf. See both of those in that verse, both phrases there. As David calls Yahweh to plead his cause, David calls him to carry out a lawsuit as his advocate in his divine court against his enemies, against those who strive with him. And know that the Hebrew word for strive, it's the same word in its root as plead. And therefore, you could say that David called God to contend David's case with those who contended with him. David desired the divine legal decree of his innocence and their guilt. And yet he also desired physical defense, resulting in their end. He says, fight against them. That was his plea. Battle and consume those who battle and seek to consume me, Lord. David knew what was true of the Lord in the words of Moses as he sang to Yahweh in Exodus chapter 15, verse three. The Lord is a man of war, we hear there. The Lord is his name. And also God says in Moses' song in Deuteronomy 32, beginning in verse 41, if I wet my glittering sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to my enemies and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood and my sword shall devour flesh. with the blood of the slain and the captives from the heads of the leaders of the enemy." Indeed, the mighty words, very strong words, powerful, even gruesome words about what the Lord would do in judgment and battle. And so in the stand that God would take for David, what would he desire? What would David desire? Look at verse two of Psalm 35. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for my help. Beloved, the shield David refers to, it's a full body shield. We've considered such a shield before in other Psalms. This is one that would come up right above here at eye line and would go all the way down to the ground. It was even an encompassing shield, one that would provide well, full protection. The buckler, David refers to, is a smaller, it's a more mobile shield. And in keeping with the metaphor, taking up both would provide a full defense and protection in every scenario. Whereas the full body shield may be difficult to, or more difficult to move. It may need to be put in place, and that being the direction and the ability that it would guard from. without much movement, and the mobile shield being able to move around with the different attacks as they come, see that this full defense and protection would be good for every scenario, so to speak. Further, in Isaiah 43, verse 13, we read, the Lord shall go forth like a mighty man. He shall stir up his zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud. He shall prevail against his enemies. Indeed, beloved, there is no defeating the Lord of hosts. There is no defeating the God of armies, the man of war, the Lord of war. He is victorious in every battle. In Proverbs chapter 2, beginning in verse 7, we read this, he stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield for those who walk uprightly. He guards the paths of justice and preserves the way of his saints. Do you see that? He stores up wisdom and he is a shield to those who are upright. So the upright are both wise in the decisions and the discernment that they make, even in the midst of a fight, even in the midst of a battle, in spiritual warfare. He is a shield. He's a protector of them. But notice, too, that he guards the paths of justice. He preserves the way of his saints. There is nothing that will get in from Satan or sin or any of his attacks and tries and attempts to corrupt and to twist and to defile the way of the Lord. Trouble comes when you walk away and off the path of the righteous. But the Lord preserves the paths of justice. His justice will stand perfect, untainted, pure, righteous, holy. And he preserves the way of his saints. He protects it. He undergirds it. He supports it so that it remains righteous and true. In verse 13, excuse me, verse 3 in Psalm 35, David also makes this plea. Also draw out the spear and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation. It's an interesting combination of statements here and requests, isn't it? in keeping with the picture of the warrior in battle, see that God not only takes up and makes use of defensive equipments like shields and bucklers, but also draws out offensive weapons to go after his enemies as well with the purpose of stopping them. You may have seen in some battle scenarios where soldiers would line up with those full body shields, shield to shield, shield to shield, and the spears sticking out in between or over for any oncoming and attacking and pursuing armies that would try to come through and press through that line. But here, notice that that spear very well is on the offensive. even in such battle line that I described, but it has the purpose of stopping them, literally shutting up the way to David. So here is the defensive shield, but indeed, take the spear and shut up the way that leads to where I am. This is plea in essence, quite literally. And considering the strong power and actions of God, he also speaks powerful words of comfort to the core of your being, beloved. Do you see that here? He speaks words of comfort to your soul. He was David's salvation through victory and battle, and he is your salvation through Jesus Christ, your Lord. who has defeated sin and death and the power of the devil. As you have been united to Christ by faith, you have access to all of the marvelous benefits of that union in your salvation. Praise the Lord. He speaks to your soul. I am your salvation. In the midst of your trouble, in the midst of your trial and your persecution, He is your salvation. in connection with David's desire for divine pursuit and defeat of his enemies, look at what he says in verse 4. Look, excuse me, let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor who seek after my life. Let those be turned back and brought to confusion who plot my hurt. So here, David repeats this plea in Psalm 40, beginning in verse 14, where he says, let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life. Let them be driven backwards and brought to dishonor who wish me evil. Let them be confounded because of their shame who say to me, aha, aha, as if we've got you. similar to the beginning of Psalm 2 and the raging nations who plot vain things against the Lord and his anointed. David's plea here is that though his enemies stood proud and strong, even 3,000 strong, believing that they were doing what was right and honorable in their persecution because they were carrying out the orders of the king, David desired the opposite. Let shame and dishonor be their cup. May their plans be foiled, right? May there be confusion in their minds and hearts. When men make plans and strategic plans, when they make battle plans, they desire all the clarity in the world. To root out contingencies, to account for such things, to have wise and strategic inventions. But David's plea is, confuse them. As they seek to devise such plans, let them even break apart in their minds. They can't figure it out, even in their own plans, and they short-circuit there. Keep in mind that David didn't say these things out of a vengeful spirit. but rather a godly prayer from a heart that desired true justice to prevail, that God would accomplish his own threats and execute his law of retaliation for his own glory. Look at verse 5. Let them be like chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord pursue them. If you think about it, chaff in or before the wind, it's powerless. When you throw the wheat and the chaff up in the air, the chaff doesn't have a stand that it makes. It doesn't try to make itself dead weight when it has nothing of the sort in it. It's powerless before the wind. The wind will blow it wherever the wind drives it, and here the picture is in divine judgment. Similarly, the dark and slippery way would cause them to stumble and fumble, having no traction. Right? It'd be almost like you're walking and you're marching on your path and your war path, and you walk across wet algae or slime of some kind. You can't gain traction. You can't dig in. You can't advance quickly. You can't increase or accelerate your speed. It doesn't work. In the darkness, you fumble. You have no light. And though Saul and his men chased after David, notice that David desired the angel of the Lord to chase after and to pursue and easily catch them. Make them be the ones on the run, Lord. Asaph proclaimed in Psalm 73 verse 18, surely you set them in slippery places, you cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation as in a moment, they are utterly consumed with terrors. And so as this is David's plea that this would happen and that it would happen in these ways, again, who is this angel of the Lord? If you think back to our study of Psalm 34, verse 7, the one who set up his tent in a circle around God's people, here is the one whom God sent to defend his people. Again, quite possibly Christ himself, and Christophany as the angel of the Lord, pursuing the enemies of his people. And there was good reason for David's desire for angelic pursuit, wasn't there? Look at verse seven of Psalm 35. For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, which they have dug without cause for my life. Indeed, God's righteous servant had done no evil toward them. The enemy had no cause. They had no case. They had no conviction of any type of sin or crime. And therefore what they had laid in nets and traps and snares was all evil. And they did so. But beloved, see how David points you to Jesus here again. Consider the wonderful prophecies in Isaiah 53. Let's start off, and we're going to look at two here briefly, but let's start off in verses seven through nine. where we read there, he was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living, For the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And notice verse 9, and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death. And why? Because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Here David was innocent of the charges, if there were any charges, which again there were none, and thus why there was no cause. Here Christ had no standing and lasting charge against him either. And yet he was crucified. He was stricken because and for the sins of his people. He hadn't done anything wrong, no violence. There was no lie or deceit in his mouth. The innocent lamb of God, Two verses later, in Psalm 53 verse 11, we read this. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Here is the divine sin bearer, the innocent, the righteous servant, the one who was not defiled, As he was hanging on that cross, he hung there, not for his own sins, because he had none, but for the sins of his people, for you and for me. Indeed, that he would justify us and bear our sins. And so David thinks about these things. He speaks out for the Lord and makes his case as to why he desires God's action in the ways that he does. And he also desires, looking at verse eight, that the plans of the wicked would backfire on them. He says, let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, and let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Into that very destruction let him fall. Indeed, quick and swift, unexpected destruction. We read and hear about this elsewhere in scripture, don't we? Consider Isaiah 47, verse 11. Therefore, evil shall come upon you. You shall not know from where it arises, and trouble shall fall upon you. You will not be able to put it off, and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, which you shall not know." You know, my friends, oftentimes, as we see the Lord's patience, as we see his long-suffering, and we don't see quick actions of temporal judgment often, You see here these great and terrible words of complete destruction, desolation, the execution of judgment suddenly, unexpectedly. There's no strategy for this. There's no plan for defense. None would stand even if they had an inkling of what was coming. But desolation comes upon them suddenly, which they don't know, it's like the wind, where did it come from? It's here, it's upon you, you're done. Remember what the Apostle Paul foretells will happen to the wicked at Christ's second coming in 1 Thessalonians 5 3. For when they say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape." Even when an attack of an enemy comes, the alarm sound, get out the guard, the army rushes forward to defend, get out your defensive postures, go, go, go. No, not when the Lord comes. with judgment and destruction. They will be sudden, unexpected. They will not escape. Indeed, having committed his cause to the Lord and considering and witnessing the grace and work of God toward him, David would have true, satisfying joy. And notice that in verses nine and 10. He says in verse 9, and my soul shall be joyful in the Lord, it shall rejoice in his salvation. See that the soul that is told God will be his salvation, the soul that is comforted in the midst of his trials and persecution, seeing the ongoing fruit of that promise carried out that he is his salvation, It's that soul that rejoices in his salvation. Beloved, knowing that you are the recipient of the saving grace of God is the best news and surety that you will ever have, especially in the midst of trouble. There is no condemnation for you who are in Christ. You are the beloved of the Lord Jesus. You are his children. You are his special treasure. In verse 10, David says, all my bones shall say, Lord who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him. Yes, the poor and needy from him who plunders him. Consider these words, these words of grand totality and completeness and thoroughness, considering the persecuted and their persecutors. My friends, if David's bones refer to his whole body, as you connect verses 9 and 10 together, you see the picture of your whole person, body and soul rejoicing in the Lord. If your bones could speak, they would praise him. Hear that. And why? Consider the language of the poor and needy. Having been dried up with sorrow, they have been refreshed by God's mercy and saving grace, by his deliverance. You are refreshed, enlivened, body and soul, because of Christ. Indeed, who is like your God? No one. Like Moses and God's people saying to the Lord in Exodus 15, beginning in verse 11, who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand. The earth swallowed them. You and your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. Beloved, here is the work of your Lord, saving, delivering. There is none like him. And he is mighty at work for you, fighting for you, standing for you, protecting you all the way home. And so, my friends, in light of the incessant and unrelenting persecution that you have or will face in this life, that persecution brings heavy burden on heart, mind, and soul, especially in the midst of false accusations. And therefore, like David, regularly cry out to the just and merciful and all-powerful God to be your defense and procure justice as he stands and fights for you. It is not that God is aloof to your situation or unconcerned. He doesn't ignore your troubles or your grief. He knows and loves and cares for you in ways that you'll never know. Cry out to him. He stands for you and he fights for you, even as he's doing now, whether you recognize it or not. But also have rich and deep peace and comfort knowing that the battle belongs to the Lord. He fights and he wins. Indeed, Christ has won. He has accomplished all that was needed to save you from divine wrath and will execute full divine wrath on his and your enemies in the final judgment. You will see the great power of God and the fruit of it in his actions on that day. Indeed, he is the victor. And like David, your soul, having heard God's words, I am your salvation. May your whole person, body and soul, rejoice in the truth and its reality that you have in Christ. There is none like your loving and merciful God and Savior. There is none like Jesus. He is your sympathetic and merciful high priest. He is the faithful one. He knows your struggles. He intercedes for you. He fights for you. He is one for you. Why would you not go to him? There is no reason that is legitimate or stands. There is none like your God. There is none like your Savior. Cry out to him. He is your salvation. As that's been spoken to your soul, remind your soul of that when it doubts and when it struggles because it remains true. Praise God that you will see the wonderful fruition of that when he returns and even for eternity. Amen. Praise God for his word. Let's pray together. Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, such wonderful and awesome words of truth that you have for us here tonight. Lord, as we hear them, even if we struggle with them, oh Lord, may your spirit apply them and work them in just the ways that our hearts and souls need. that we would truly rest upon your truth and promises in and through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we would praise you, that we would have true joy in our souls. Refresh us this evening, Lord, we pray. In Christ's name, amen.