Psalm 35:13 Komentář

David, in this psalm, appeals to the righteous Judge of heaven and earth against his enemies that hated and persecuted him. It is supposed that Saul and his party are the persons he means, for with them he had the greatest struggles. I. He complains to God of the injuries they did him; they strove with him, fought against him (Psa 35:1), persecuted him (Psa 35:3), sought his ruin (Psa 35:4, Psa 35:7), accused him falsely (Psa 35:11), abused him basely (Psa 35:15, Psa 35:16), and all his friends (Psa 35:20), and triumphed over him, (Psa 35:21, Psa 35:25, Psa 35:26). II. He pleads his own innocency, that he never gave them any provocation (Psa 35:7, Psa 35:19), but, on the contrary, had studied to oblige them (Psa 35:12-14). III. He prays to God to protect and deliver him, and appear for him (Psa 35:1, Psa 35:2), to comfort him (Psa 35:3), to be nigh to him and rescue him (Psa 35:17, Psa 35:22), to plead his cause (Psa 35:23, Psa 35:24), to defeat all the designs of his enemies against him (Psa 35:3, Psa 35:4), to disappoint their expectations of his fall (Psa 35:19, Psa 35:25, Psa 35:26), and, lastly, to countenance all his friends, and encourage them (Psa 35:27), IV. He prophesies the destruction of his persecutors (Psa 35:4-6, Psa 35:8). V. He promises himself that he shall yet see better days (Psa 35:9, Psa 35:10), and promises God that he will then attend him with his praises (Psa 35:18, Psa 35:28). In singing this psalm, and praying over it, we must take heed of applying it to any little peevish quarrels and enmities of our own, and of expressing by it any uncharitable revengeful resentments of injuries done to us; for Christ has taught us to forgive our enemies and not to pray against them, but to pray for them, as he did; but, 1. We may comfort ourselves with the testimony of our consciences concerning our innocency, with reference to those that are any way injurious to us, and with hopes that God will, in his own way and time, right us, and, in the mean time, support us. 2. We ought to apply it to the public enemies of Christ and his kingdom, typified by David and his kingdom, to resent the indignities done to Christ's honour, to pray to God to plead the just and injured cause of Christianity and serious godliness, and to believe that God will, in due time, glorify his own name in the ruin of all the irreconcilable enemies of his church, that will not repent to give him glory. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 35 A Psalm of David. This psalm seems to have been written by David, when he was persecuted by Saul; and when many false charges were brought against him by his courtiers; and when he was the scorn and derision of the people; the subject of it is pretty much of the same kind with the seventh psalm, and might be written about the same time that was, and on the same occasion; and it may be applied to the church and people of God in like cases. There is a passage in it, Psa 35:19, which our Lord seems to refer to and apply to himself, Joh 15:25; and some interpret the whole of it concerning him. The Arabic version calls it a prophecy of the incarnation; though there does not appear any thing in it applicable to that.

But as for me, when they were sick,.... Or under any disorder or distress of body or mind, when any misfortune or infirmity attended them; meaning Saul and his courtiers, before David was persecuted by them; my clothing was sackcloth; that is, he was grieved, and mourned for them, it being usual to put on sackcloth in time of mourning; see Gen 37:34; I humbled my soul with fasting; on the account of them, giving up himself to prayer for them, as follows: and my prayer returned into mine own bosom; that is, he prayed privately and heartily for them, as for himself; he was constant in it, his heart was in it, and he took delight in it, and he was heard and answered; unless the sense should be, that his prayer was slighted by them, and so returned back to himself, as a present despised is returned; but however it was not without its effect, the good for which he prayed for them was returned by the Lord unto him.

"But I, when they troubled me, clothed myself with sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer shall return into my own bosom" [Psalm 35:13]...Brethren, if for some little space with pious curiosity we lift the veil, and search with the intent eye of the heart the inner part of this Scripture, we find that even this the Lord did. Sackcloth, haply He calls His mortal flesh. Wherefore Sackcloth? For the likeness of sinful flesh. For the Apostle says, "God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, that through sin He might condemn sin in the flesh:" [Romans 8:3] that is, He clothed His Own Son with sackcloth, that through sackcloth He might condemn the goats. Not that there was sin, I say not in the Word of God, but not even in that Holy Soul and Mind of a Man, which the Word and Wisdom of God had so joined to Himself as to be One Person. Nay, nor even in His very Body was any sin, but the likeness of sinful flesh there was in the Lord; because death is not but by sin, [Romans 5:12] and surely that Body was mortal. For had It not been mortal, It had not died; had It not died, It had not risen again; had It not risen again, It had not showed us an example of eternal life. So then death, which is caused by sin, is called sin; as we say the Greek tongue, the Latin tongue, meaning not the very member of flesh, but that which is done by the member of flesh. For the tongue in our members is one among others, as the eyes, nose, ears, and the rest: but the Greek tongue is Greek words, not that the tongue is words, but that words are by the tongue....So then the sin of the Lord is that which was caused by sin; because He assumed flesh, of the same lump which had deserved death by sin. For to speak more briefly, Mary who was of Adam died for sin, Adam died for sin, and the Flesh of the Lord which was of Mary died to put away sin. With this sackcloth the Lord clothed Himself, and therefore was He not known, because He lay hid under sackcloth. "When they," says He, "troubled Me, I clothed Myself with sackcloth:" that is, they raged, I lay hid. For had He not willed to lie hidden neither could He have died, since in one moment of time one drop only of His Power, if indeed it is to be called a drop, He put forth, when they wished to seize Him, and at His one question, "Whom do you seek?" they all went back and fell to the ground. [John 18:4, 6] Such power could He not have humbled in passion, if He had not lain hid under sackcloth.

Even if my prayer proved unacceptable to God and was sent back to me on account of the unworthiness of what I prayed for, I nevertheless did everything on my part with the purpose of obeying God.

"But I." Above, the Psalmist set forth the wickedness of the Jews; here he shows their pertinacity, by which they persist in evil. And the pertinacity of some is reproved from the fact that they are brought back to good by no remedy. Now there is a twofold remedy by which some are usually recalled to good. First, through the holiness of the one they persecute; second, through the divine scourge. First, therefore, he shows their pertinacity from the fact that they were not recalled by holiness; the second, at "they were scattered." Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he sets forth his holiness against tribulations; second, their pertinacity in evil, at "and against me." Regarding the first, he does three things, according as holiness consists in three things: namely, in the mortification of the flesh, in devotion of spirit, and in piety of affection. And the Psalmist sets these forth in order: for first he speaks of the mortification of the flesh; second, of devotion of spirit, at "and my prayer"; third, of piety of affection, at "as a neighbor." Regarding the first, he does two things. Because the flesh needs covering and nourishment, the affliction of the flesh can be done either by harshness of covering or by subtraction of nourishment. And therefore first he says that he is afflicted by harsh covering; second, by subtracted nourishment, at "and I humbled." He says therefore, as to the first, "But I, when they were troublesome to me, was clothed with sackcloth." Here sackcloth is spoken of metaphorically if it is explained of Christ, because it is not recorded that he wore sackcloth. But this is made of goat's hair. And in the Law, a goat was immolated for sin; and therefore sackcloth signifies sin. Christ is therefore said to wear sackcloth because he was clothed in flesh that was not indeed sinful, but had the likeness of sinful flesh. And we also ought to wear sackcloth, that is, penance for sins. Is. 3: "Instead of a breastband, there shall be sackcloth." As to the second, he says, "and I humbled my soul with fasting"; as if to say: not only did I afflict my flesh with harsh covering, but also with nourishment, by subtracting it from myself through fasting. Concerning the bodily fasting of Christ, see Mt. 4. It can also be said of the spiritual fasting of Christ. For Christ desired human salvation. This is that water which he asked of the Samaritan woman, Jn. 4. And on the cross he said, "I thirst," Jn. 19. But he fasted for this, because he found men far from salvation. But if this is said in the person of a just man, then it can be understood in two ways. In one way, that fasting is the cause of humility in the just man; and by "soul" is understood the carnal life, so the sense is: "I humbled," etc., that is, I humbled the pride of the carnal life by mortifying it. Ps. 108: "My knees are weakened," etc. Jdt. 8: "Let us humble our souls in spirit," etc. It can also be said when humility is the companion of fasting, because when humility is not joined to fasting, that fast is not acceptable to God. Is. 58: "Why have we fasted, and you have not regarded?" etc. But when humility is joined to fasting, such a fast is pleasing to God. And therefore he says, "I humbled myself in fasting." But because it is of no avail to humble the flesh unless it fattens the spirit and strengthens it -- for the enemy must be weakened and the fighter strengthened, and the spirit is strengthened through prayer -- therefore he added, "and my prayer shall return to my bosom." Tob. 12: "Prayer with fasting is good." Prayer is a special aid in tribulation. Jas. 5: "Is any one of you sad? Let him pray with equanimity and sing psalms." Ps. 76: "My soul refused to be comforted; I was mindful," etc. But he says, "it shall return to my bosom." If this is understood of Christ, it is understood in two ways. In one way, as referring to God whom he adores, because to the Father in whose bosom he was. Jn. 1: "The only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father." In another way, as referring to those for whom he prayed, because he prayed for those who were in the bosom of Christ. But the bosom of Christ is the secret of God, and this is the purpose of predestination; hence he prayed for the predestined. Jn. 17: "I pray for them, not for the world." But if this is referred to some just man who prays for another, he does not always obtain for the other. Jer. 7: "Do not pray for this people," etc., because their sins do not merit being heard. Nevertheless, he is heard for himself, since his prayer becomes meritorious; hence, "to my bosom," that is, to myself. Mt. 10: "Your peace shall return to you." But it is true that the aforesaid things are useful, yet they avail little unless one has a pious affection toward one's neighbor; and therefore he adds:

The Psalmist invokes God's aid, contrasting the hypocrisy, cunning, and malice of his enemies with his integrity and generosity. The imprecations of the first part including a brief notice of their conduct, the fuller exposition of their hypocrisy and malice in the second, and the earnest prayer for deliverance from their scornful triumph in the last, are each closed (Psa 35:9-10, Psa 35:18, Psa 35:27-28) with promises of praise for the desired relief, in which his friends will unite. The historical occasion is probably 1Sa. 24:1-22. (Psa. 35:1-28) God is invoked in the character of a warrior (Exo 15:3; Deu 32:41).

prayer . . . bosom--may denote either the posture--the head bowed--(compare Kg1 18:42) --or, that the prayer was in secret. Some think there is a reference to the result--the prayer would benefit him if not them.