Examining Psalm 109

Verses 1-5

“They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.” (Verse 3, see also v. 20)

The writer of the Psalm is blameless. He does only that which is good,

This is regarded as a “Messianic Psalm” – How does it relate to the Lord?

The trial of Jesus – Mark 14:53-65

Verses 6-20

“Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.” (verse 6)

V. 6 “the accuser” = satan

V. 20. “Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers.”

It seems difficult to accept that the psalmist might speak these words about another person!

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (on vv6&ff):  “Some hold that these are the psalmist’s words (his prayer against his enemies); others understand them as those of his adversaries quoted by him. The latter is more likely.”

BUT …

“v. 8 quoted in Acts 1:20 (along with Psalm 69:26) as scriptural warrant for the election of Matthias to replace Judas in the 12.” [“Let his days be few, And let another take his office.” (v. 8)]

Verse 20 is certainly spoken by the psalmist – if 6-19 are spoken by others, he wishes these results also upon his enemies [“Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person.” (v. 20)]

These verses do reflect a great spiritual truth:

“Let…”

הָיָה Hebrew 1961. (vv. 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 19) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.

The Hebrew verb “hayah” is a fundamental term in the Old Testament, often translated as “to be” or “to become.” [CLICK] It conveys the idea of existence, occurrence, or coming into being. This verb is pivotal in expressing states of being and the unfolding of events. It is frequently used in the context of God’s self-revelation, as seen in the divine name “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

Also found in the Creation story!

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־

said, Let there be light: (Genesis 1:3)

And even before that:

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ

And the earth was without form (Genesis 1:2)

“The Divine Esse is at once Esse [Being] in itself and Existere [Manifestation] in itself. Jehovah God is Esse in itself, because He is the I Am, the Only, and the First, from eternity to eternity, the source of everything that is, without whom it could not be. In this way and not otherwise He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega.” (True Christian Religion, 21)

verse 17 “As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.”

“As a person has fled habitually from good during his lifetime, so in the next life he flees from it, and therefore from heaven and the Lord. For the Lord cannot be present except within good.” (Heavenly Secrets, 2335.3)

“Anyone there who does good to another with all his heart receives good in like measure; and therefore one who does evil to another with all his heart receives evil in like measure. For good done with all one’s heart carries its own reward together with it, and evil done with all one’s heart carries its own punishment together with it. So it is that heaven is the reward for good people, and hell the punishment for evil ones.” (Heavenly Secrets, 9049 – also 1011)

Verses 21-31

“But You, O God the Lord,

Deal with me for Your name’s sake;

Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.” (verse 21)

Matthew Henry: “If God bless us we need not Care who curses us; for how can they curse whom God has not cursed; neigh, whom he has blessed?” (P. 545)

V. 6-20 is a principle that applies to us all universally. None escape it. Without this DIVINE work, we are all doomed.

“… there is nothing of good and nothing of truth in a person except from the Lord, … all evil and falsity are a person’s  from his Own; and … any person, and spirit, and even angel, if left in the least to himself, would rush of himself into hell; … This is acknowledged by angels, and he who does not acknowledge it cannot be among angels. It is the Lord’s mercy alone that liberates them, and even draws them out of hell and keeps them from rushing thither of themselves. That they are kept by the Lord from rushing into hell, is manifestly perceived by the angels.” (Heavenly Secrets, 868)

“… the Lord came into the world and took on the human state of being with all its weakness, for by doing so He was able to be tempted as regards the human and by means of temptations to suppress the hells. He was able to restore every single thing to obedience and to order, and to save the human race which had removed itself so far away from the Supreme Divine.” (Heavenly Secrets, 2795, end)

Recorded on Sunday 24 November 2024