Allow God to Take Care of Our Enemies

Commentary

Psalm 109, a personal lament of David, is one of the imprecatory (cursing) psalms. As he writes, David is calling on God (Elohim = the Strong One) to avenge his enemies. David had endured many false accusations and now he asks the Lord to not be silent (v. 1). The psalmist prayed that the Lord would take vengeance on his enemies. They were deceitful (v. 2) and hateful (v. 3) and rewarded his love with false accusations (vv. 4-5). Some of David’s closest friends like Saul, Absalom, Shimei and others had turned against him. Nothing is worse than to have someone we have loved, trusted, helped, and honored turn against us.

David says, “but I give myself to prayer” (v. 4), translated literally “But I am prayer.” David is saying, “For to me, to live is Prayer.” Paul expressed a similar idea in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ” and in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing”. Prayer comes easiest to us when life is uncertain and out of control. And David was at the end of his rope. 

David had resolved not to personally retaliate, but to go to the Lord in prayer concerning his enemies. He prayed that they would be opposed (v. 6) and be found guilty (v. 7), that his enemy’s wife would become a widow and his children vagabonds (vv. 8-l0). While it may seem a bit extreme, if not downright cruel, for David to be praying such curses down upon children, we should remember that in ancient Semitic thought the fate of a man was inseparably bound to that of his descendance. There are many accounts in the Old Testament of a father’s actions affecting the destiny of his children, whether for good or ill. 

Application

David was not taking vengeance into his own hands but asking God to bring judgement on the evil people. I should never try to bring vengeance against those who have hurt me but allow God to take care of these matters.