¹Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men ²who devise evil things in their hearts; they continually stir up wars … ¹²I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. ¹³Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.

Confronted with those who defamed and incited violence against him, David lays out his struggle before the Lord. The specific backstory to this psalm is not given, although the particulars may fit with the time when his predecessor, King Saul, in his insecure and jealous rage, sought to kill him; or later, when David was king and his son Absalom attempted an insurrection to drive David out of Jerusalem. We can’t know for certain, but we can imagine the defamation David endured in both situations. We can relate to this psalm today, for who hasn’t felt the anxiety of being defamed or threatened at some level, whether through financial, reputational, relational, or, in some cases, physical opposition?

The psalmist begins with a summary request, “Rescue me, O Lord.” His adversaries were threatening physical violence and rallying others to join in their efforts to destroy David (vss. 1-2). They were inciting others against him with invective words, which he likens to a snake spewing out sharp words and a viper that spits out poison (vs. 3). [The meaning of the term Selah at the end of verses 3, 5, and 8 is uncertain, but probably indicates that the reader or worshipper should pause and consider what has been written.]

David asks the Lord to protect him from being ambushed by his enemies’ machinations (vss. 4-5). He refers to them as “the proud,” and this suggests that he was king at the time and his detractors were arrogantly trying to supplant his God-ordained authority. Indeed, conflict within circles of power due to jealous ambition is common throughout human history. David’s experience is iconic; we see in him a great example of how a godly man responds when others oppose him.

The psalm contrasts what David’s enemies were saying about him with what he says to God, appealing to the Lord’s relationship with him. He confesses, “You are my God” (vs. 6). He takes his case to “God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,” recognizing that his hope of being saved from enemies rests entirely with God (vs. 7a). He asks for a covering, like a spiritual helmet, to protect him from a lethal blow to the head (vs. 7b). His confidence that the Lord will keep his mind from succumbing to the taunts thrown at him seems to be in view here. We are reminded of the NT teaching to put on the “helmet of salvation.” We are to hold tightly to the truth of our salvation to protect our minds from the onslaught of Satan, who wants to undermine the truth of our security in Christ (Eph. 6:17). While David knows the Lord does not exalt evil, there are times when evil people prosper (see Psalm 73) and (confusing at it may seem) believers may be tempted to think that God is blessing the wicked. David doesn’t just sit passively in this truth but rather enjoins God in his pleading prayer of faith to do what is in line with what he knows of the Lord’scharacter and ways (vs. 8).

Knowing God as he does, David launches into a diatribe against his enemies in verses 9-11. While he presumably would not have said or thought the things in these verses of either Saul (whom he believed to be God’s anointed) or Absolom (a son whom he loved), these imprecations could have been directed at their respective followers (although, as we have said before, we don’t know for certain the backstory). His plea to God comes in the form of five requests, each introduced with the term “may” or “let” (depending on the translation). David, in a very down-to-earth way of speaking, asks that God would visit on his enemies the very calamities that they were trying to bring upon him. May the Lord completely expose them as pathological liars. While God will protect David’s “head,” may the Lord not protect their heads but instead pour burning coals on them! And further, may his enemies be eliminated and their dead bodies incinerated and buried deep— that is, without a respectable burial. Maytheir slander find no traction in influencing anyone, anywhere. May the evil they spread come back on them.

Such imprecatory writings are often held up by skeptics (and sensitive believers) as examples of barbaric, unchristian attitudes. The God of the OT, in their thinking, is a blood-thirsty tyrant and they reject the idea of David being a godly man because he spewed out such hatred, as this passage seems to convey. However, from the beginning, God has established that rejecting God, the Creator, has punitive consequences. As Creator, it is his inherent prerogative to hold all people accountable. Yet He gives sinners a long leash and many warnings to bring them to a place of repentance where they can experience His forgiveness and love.

However, those who choose to remain in their rebellion seal their own destiny, and the final judgment will expose the evil bent of their hearts. This is the ultimate application of what theologians call talionic justice, exemplified in the phrase, “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” (see Exo. 21:23- 25). The principle is that “criminals should receive as punishment precisely those injuries and damages they had inflicted upon their victims” (s.v. talion, Encyclopedia Brittanica). In the case of those who resolutely reject God, they also will experience being rejected by God. The consequence they will face is eternal judgment and separation from God, just as they chose to live apart from submission to God.

Such statements as David uses here should cause unbelievers who remain in their rebellion to take warning and repent! Having said this, David knows the eternal benefit of confessions and repentance in his own experience (see Pss. 51 and 32) and would, like God, welcome and rejoice in the confession and repentance of the wicked.

David concludes this psalm by turning from making requests for retribution to expressing trust and confidence in the Lord (vss. 12-13). He goes from telling us what he said to the Lord (vss. 6-11) to telling us what he knows about the Lord (vss. 12-13): God is always on the side of the afflicted and poor. David is humble and sees himself as being poor and afflicted in the face of his enemies, and he concludes, by extension, that God will vindicate him. This leads him to a profound statement of faith. While David may not have been aware that his words would be considered inspired by God, this statement reflects a truth that keeps all believers moving ahead in faith. There will come a time when all the righteous people of God will be overwhelmed with gratitude for “Your name.” We understand that the name “Lord” (Heb. Yahweh) means that God is actively working in the world and in the lives of believers for their good. Anticipating the future gratitude of verse 13 fills our hearts with gratitude now as we look through the eyes of faith beyond our present circumstances. We experience now the presence of the Lord, which will be more fully our experience in the future.

Lord, thank You for the secret things You are doing now and will openly do in the future to vindicate me in the face of defamations against me.