Thursday, February 17, 2022
Betrayed by Friends
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“A lament of a person betrayed by friends. The psalmist prays that the evildoers be publicly exposed as unjust (1-8) and gives thanks in anticipation of vindication (9-10). Old friends are the enemies (11-16). May their punishment come quickly (17-21)! The last part (22-26) echoes the opening in praying for the destruction of the psalmist’s persecutors. This psalm may appear vindictive, but one must keep in mind that the psalmist is praying for public redress now of a public injustice. There is at this time no belief in an afterlife in which justice will be redressed. 35, 1-6: The mixture of judicial, martial, and hunting images shows that the language is figurative. The actual injustice is false accusation of serious crimes (11, 15, 20-21). The psalmist seeks lost honor through a trial before God”. (Senior 668)
Defend me because you are just, Lord; my God, do not let them gloat over me.
It has been my experience that when enemies gloat over their opponents’ pain and loss, they later suffer the same pain and loss.
I have seen so often the trap dug by one to catch another ends up as the death-bed of the one who dug it.
I know in my bones that God defends those who are his faithful. I have seen too many examples of God’s fidelity to think otherwise.
I believe that God’s plan for conversion of my enemies is far better than any punishment I might ask . . . and so I send intercessory prayers for those who do me harm – whether they are friends from long ago or friends who are newly arrived.
With today’s psalm, we might be tempted to ask God to pull down fire on those who betray us, but this is not what Jesus does. We have the gift of knowing what Jesus has told us: That we are to witness, watch, and wait. Only this way of life will bring us the peace we seek.
So we ask ourselves . . . how much better is it to pray for those who betray us rather than ask for their fiery end? Is it not so that God punishes with the punishment we lay out for others? What then do we fear? Do we believe God incapable of making a just decision that brings about transformation of the soul?
And we also ask . . . now that we know of this precious gift of eternal life . . . why do we jeopardize it for a fleeting, ugly satisfaction that might come when we see our enemies suffer? Can we not intercede for those who are hateful while we await our trial before God? How much more effective it is for God to call each one to him as we move through his plan for our good than it is for us to plot someone else’s downfall?
We find a place for Christ-like thinking when we read this psalm and pray for those who wrong us unfairly. In this season of Lent, let us approach the day of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf with the joy that comes from leaving our worries with him in willing obedience to The Word . . . as we look forward to the day of vindication in Jesus’ name, in Jesus’ Way, in Jesus’ hope for all of humanity.
Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.668. Print.
Image from: http://www.peacemakersinstitute.com/institute/?p=2004
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