Psalms 109:0 ¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
This psalm of David was given to the chief Musician, the director of the Levitical choir, as a song. It is certainly not a song that would make my playlist. It was birthed from a time of depression and anger, but ends in words that praise the LORD.
Psalms 109:1 ¶ Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
Psalms 109:2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
Psalms 109:3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
David starts this prayer calling out to God as the One he honors and glorifies. He asks God to act on his behalf against those that have spoken lies against him, words of slander, deceit and hate that are not justified.
Notice that David’s focus is on slander and false accusations. The spoken word is a powerful weapon of hurt and destruction. Scripture clearly affirms this truth.
James 3:8 “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
Psalms 109:4 For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
Psalms 109:5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
David feels betrayed because these are people that he has loved and prayed for. He has treated them with love and goodness; they have reciprocated with evil and hatred.
Spurgeon: “True bravery alone can teach a man to leave his traducers unanswered, and carry the case unto the Lord.”
Chuck Smith: “So the best thing when someone is lying about me, someone is trying to cut me down and all, the best thing you can do is what David did, give yourself to prayer. Don’t get into the physical. You’ll only get wiped out. But retreat into prayer, and man, you can blast him to pieces and they don"t even know where it’s coming from.”
Psalms 109:6 ¶ Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.
Psalms 109:7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
At this point, David seems to be focusing on one particular man, probably the ringleader. He asks God to place his enemy under the authority of a wicked man to face an accuser (Satan, the father of lies). He asks God to let his enemy face judgment and condemnation.
John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Spurgeon: “…those who serve Satan may expect to have his company, his assistance, his temptations, and at last his doom.”
“let his prayer become sin” - This is a confusing statement. The Complete Jewish Bible offered this understanding: “may even his plea be counted a sin.”
The EBC Abridged offered this insight: “Through the instrumentality of human institutions and by means of wicked people, other wicked people are condemned, and in this process God’s righteousness is vindicated.”
Psalms 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
These words immediately took my thoughts to the words of Peter when the disciples decided to choose a man to replace Judas Iscariot, the one that betrayed Jesus, as one of the twelve. Just as did David’s enemy, Judas betrayed Jesus without cause, acting with evil against one who had only done him good.
Acts 1:15–26 “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said…Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry….For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take….And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
It’s interesting to me that Peter confidently declared that these words of David applied to Judas. We know he was correct since his words were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God….”
Psalms 109:9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Psalms 109:10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
These verses are hard for me to process. I can understand his wanting this man dead so he can’t continue to make him miserable. I don’t understand his desire for judgment against his children—unless these children were adults that had joined with their father in spreading lies about David as well.
Spurgeon: “These awful maledictions are not for common men to use, but for judges, such as David was, to pronounce over the enemies of God and man. A judge may sentence a man to death whatever the consequences may be to the criminal's family, and in this there will be no feeling of private revenge, but simply the doing of justice because evil must be punished.”
Another very thought-provoking observation by Spurgeon: “We confess that as we read some of these verses we have need of all our faith and reverence to accept them as the voice of inspiration; but the exercise is good for the soul, for it educates our sense of ignorance, and tests our teachability. Yes, Divine Spirit, we can and do believe that even these dread words from which we shrink have a meaning consistent with the attributes of the Judge of all the earth, though his name is LOVE. How this may be we shall know hereafter.”
Psalms 109:11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
Psalms 109:12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
Psalms 109:13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
In these verses, David is basically asking God to exact vengeance against this man. He prays that the man will become the victim of other evil men. He wants him to experience what it is like to be shown no mercy; again, he calls for his children to experience the same. He also prays that the LORD will put an end to the ability of this man’s children to produce heirs, that he is left with no one to carry on his name.
Psalms 109:14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
Psalms 109:15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
David continues by asking God to extend His vengeance to include the man’s forefathers, singling out his mother. It would seem that he blames her the most for this man’s wicked character. David’s desire is that all memory of this man’s family be erased.
Psalms 109:16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
David identifies his complaint against his enemy more specifically. He was a merciless man. He persecuted the depressed (from Hebrew for “poor”) and destitute (from Hebrew for “needy”) man with the intent of killing him—in context, I think David is referring to himself as the needy man (v22).
Psalms 109:17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
Psalms 109:18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
Psalms 109:19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
In these verses, David is basically asking God to let this man reap what he has sown.
Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Psalms 109:20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
With these words, David expands his request to include all those that have spoken evil against him unjustly.
Psalms 109:21 ¶ But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
Psalms 109:22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
Psalms 109:23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
Psalms 109:24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
Psalms 109:25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
David turns his attention from his enemy to himself. He asks God to deliver him in light of His great mercy and in honor of His name. He is basically saying that people will judge God in light of what happens to David since he so publicly identified as a man committed to honoring God.
He continues to plead for God’s mercy by declaring himself to be depressed, destitute and heartbroken (cf v16). He is so sick of heart that he hasn’t been able to eat and his body is wasting away toward death. David is utterly shamed and disgraced by how others react when they see him.
Spurgeon: “God himself has performed his grandest deeds of grace for the honour of his name, and his people know that this is the most potent argument with him. What the Lord himself has guarded with sacred jealousy we should reverence with our whole hearts and rely upon without distrust.”
Psalms 109:26 Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:
Psalms 109:27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.
David repeats his call for the LORD to save him in light of His mercy. He asks that it be done so as to clearly reveal that his salvation is of the LORD.
Psalms 109:28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
Psalms 109:29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
David knows that he has nothing to fear from his enemies if the LORD responds to him with blessing. He prays that his enemies will be the ones put to shame for their actions against him.
“let thy servant rejoice” - Another gem from Spurgeon: “It ought to be our greatest joy that the Lord is honoured in our experience; the mercy itself ought not so much to rejoice us as the glory which is thereby brought to him who so graciously bestows it.”
Psalms 109:30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
Psalms 109:31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
David closes his song with a commitment to praise the LORD, publicly thanking him for delivering him from his enemies.
Psalms 110:0 ¶ A Psalm of David.
This is yet another psalm attributed to David. I think it has to be classified as prophetic in reference to Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus affirmed this as true.
Matthew 22:42–45 “Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” (also in Mark 12 and Luke 20)
Interesting note from Guzik: “This remarkable Psalm is one of the Old Testament portions most quoted in the New Testament. James Montgomery Boice counted 27 direct quotations or indirect allusions to Psalm 110 in the New Testament.”
Psalms 110:1 ¶ The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
David opens by revealing words that God the Father said to the Messiah, whom David recognized as His Lord. I am not sure if he realized that the Messiah would be the very Son of God. The Father tells the Son to take the seat at His right hand to wait until He had humbled his enemies to the point that they were nothing more than a footstool for his feet.
Wiersbe: “…Jesus present to the Pharisees asking them how Dvid’s Lord could also be David’s son (Messiah). The only answer is by incarnation: The eternal Son of God had to come to earth as a human born into the family of David.”
Spurgeon: “While we see our Lord and representative sitting in quiet expectancy, we, too, may sit in the attitude of peaceful assurance, and with confidence await the grand outcome of all events. As surely as Jehovah liveth Jesus must reign, yea, even now he is reigning, though all his enemies are not yet subdued.”
Psalms 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
The LORD, the self-existent eternal God, the Father, notes that the authority and power of the Messiah would extend from Zion to rule over His enemies throughout the earth.
These words prophesy of the time that Jesus will assume the throne of David in Zion (Jerusalem) as King of kings. That time is yet future, and Jesus is even now seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for all those that have placed their faith in Him as He waits for the time appointed by the Father for Him to take that throne.
Mark 16:19 “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”
Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Colossians 3:1 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
Hebrews 1:1–3 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Courson: “Who is the rod of Jehovah’s strength? Isaiah gives us the answer….”
Isaiah 11:1–5 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”
Psalms 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The Hebrew for the word “power” makes reference to “army, host and war” among other things. “Willing” makes reference to the fact that those who are part of his army are volunteers; their service isn’t compulsory. “The beauties of holiness” seems to refer to His majesty, perfection and purity. I think “the womb of the morning” makes reference to the dawn; when Jesus returns as King it will certainly be the dawn of a new day and age for planet earth. “The dew of thy youth,” I believe, makes reference to the strength and vigor of a young man. All of this, I think, is descriptive of how Jesus will appear when He is revealed coming from the heavens with all His hosts to defeat the forces of the enemy led by Satan in the person of Antichrist.
Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war….And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.…And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
This verse is especially interesting since David tells us that the Father has charged this king to also serve as a priest—something that had been forbidden to the kings of Israel. After Saul, the royal line was established through David, who was of the tribe of Judah; Jesus was a descendant of this tribe. All priests were to be descendants of the tribe of Levi through Aaron.
Numbers 3:10 “Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.” (NIV, clearer than the KJV)
Matthew 1:1 “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Luke 1:30–33 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
In this verse, David identifies an authorized priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. The writer of the Hebrew sums up what we know about this priest who was also a king.
Hebrews 7:1–3 “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.”
Primary truths:
He was a king.
He was a priest of the most high God.
He was known as a king of righteousness and peace.
He was of unknown descent.
His birth or death are unknown.
His priesthood has never been invalidated.
He was the only King-Priest of the Most High God before Jesus, who will be the last.
When Jesus returns as King to rule from the throne of David, He will also be recognized as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek—not Aaron. His reign will be characterized by righteousness and peace. He differs from Melchizedek in that we do know His heritage. He is the very Son of God who humbled Himself to be born as a babe and become the perfect man that would willingly sacrifice Himself to redeem us from sin. His position as our High Priest will endure for eternity.
Philippians 2:5–8 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Galatians 4:4–5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
Titus 2:13–14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
Psalms 110:5 ¶ The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
Psalms 110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
“The Lord at thy right hand” is a reference to Jesus, the Messiah and King. He will destroy many wicked kings when he returns in wrath to establish His kingdom in peace. The slaughter will be great, and the dead will include the leaders of many countries.
Psalms 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
This closing verse I think is a word picture of the King returning in victory, remaining refreshed and unscathed since the only weapon He will need to use is His word.
Revelation 19:15–16 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….”