Psalm 35

Meditating on the Word of God is not the transcendental endeavour which most people associate with the term ‘meditation’. Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Meditation is something we ought to do moment by moment; connecting with heaven’s throne wherever we are, whenever we can. The Hebrew word for meditate is ‘Hagah’ which means ‘to utter, to muse, and to mutter’. Bible verses are to be mused over and repeated thoroughly and in prayer, to ourselves, over every situation, until they become a part of our lives.

Psalm 35

Of David

¹Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;
    fight against those who fight against me.
²Take up shield and armour;
    arise and come to my aid.
³Brandish spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
    “I am your salvation.”

⁴May those who seek my life
    be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
    be turned back in dismay.
⁵May they be like chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them away;
⁶may their path be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷Since they hid their net for me without cause
    and without cause dug a pit for me,
⁸may ruin overtake them by surprise—
    may the net they hid entangle them,
    may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
⁹Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
    and delight in his salvation.
¹⁰My whole being will exclaim,
    “Who is like you, Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
    the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

¹¹Ruthless witnesses come forward;
    they question me on things I know nothing about.
¹²They repay me evil for good
    and leave me like one bereaved.
¹³Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
    and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
¹⁴    I went about mourning
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
¹⁵But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered me without ceasing.
¹⁶Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;
    they gnashed their teeth at me.

¹⁷How long, Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their ravages,
    my precious life from these lions.
¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
    among the throngs I will praise you.
¹⁹Do not let those gloat over me
    who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
    maliciously wink the eye.
²⁰They do not speak peaceably,
    but devise false accusations
    against those who live quietly in the land.
²¹They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we have seen it.”

²²Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent.
    Do not be far from me, Lord.
²³Awake, and rise to my defence!
    Contend for me, my God and Lord.
²⁴Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
    do not let them gloat over me.
²⁵Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
    or say, “We have swallowed him up.”

²⁶May all who gloat over my distress
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
    be clothed with shame and disgrace.
²⁷May those who delight in my vindication
    shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
    who delights in the well-being of his servant.”