You know that I have been insulted, put to shame, and humiliated. All my opponents are in front of you.
Insults have broken my heart, and I am sick. I looked for sympathy, but there was none. I looked for people to comfort me, but I found no one.
They poisoned my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let the table set for them become a trap and a snare for their friends. Let their vision become clouded so that they cannot see. Let their thighs continually shake. [vss 19-22]
24 Pour your rage on them. Let your burning anger catch up with them. Let their camp be deserted and their tents empty.
They persecute the one you have struck, and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
Charge them with one crime after another. Do not let them be found innocent.
Let their ⌊names⌋ be erased from the Book of Life. Do not let them be listed with righteous people. [vss 23-28]
I am suffering and in pain. Let your saving power protect me, O God. I want to praise the name of God with a song. I want to praise its greatness with a song of thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than ⌊sacrificing⌋ an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
Oppressed people will see ⌊this⌋ and rejoice. May the hearts of those who look to God for help be refreshed.
The Lord listens to needy people. He does not despise his own who are in prison. [vss 29-33]
Let heaven and earth, the seas, and everything that moves in them, praise him.
When God saves Zion, he will rebuild the cities of Judah. His servants will live there and take possession of it.
The descendants of his servants will inherit it. Those who love him will live there. [vss 34-36]
For the choir director; according to shoshannim; by David. (Psalms 69:19-36 GW)
Sound bites reign in this day and age. For the most part, sound bites are quotes yanked our of a larger context. They're truncated thoughts disconnected from a whole sentence, conversation, or speech. These brief expressions often give a distorted sense of all that was said.
We all blurt out things we later regret or need to explain, and some of us do this more than others, especially when we allow our emotions or passions drive us.
You might notice that some of the psalms, or thoughts expressed within a psalm, seem harsh and judgmental. They are. These are called imprecatory or curse psalms. Thoughts born out of fear, anger, or indignation are given full vent.
These psalms reveal the gut-level truthfulness of the Bible. Thoughts people usually keep within are expressed. It illustrates how open and honest we can be with God in prayer.
This was King David's strong suit—openness and honesty with God.
It's better to say such things to God rather than blurt them out at others who don't understand where these strong feelings come.
I'm reminded of an old chorus that goes, "You can talk about me all that you please, I'll talk about you down on my knees."
This is a truth we can learn from this and similar psalms. Instead of letting our anger, fear, or passion blast out at others, redirect these feelings and thoughts in prayer to God.
He understands. He knows us and the full context of our thoughts and words. He knows us.
Do you vent your feelings to others, or have you learned to redirect and entrust them to God?
God sees the big picture, the context of our lives. He understands and knows us better than anyone on earth, including ourselves.
[Here's the devo for the first half of Psalm 69—Save Me, Oh God]
©Word-Strong_2017
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I won't cover all 150 Psalms, but do selective devotionals through the rest of Psalms.
So if I skip one that you like... let me know and I'll try to cover it!
