Psalm Category: Individual Lament

Central Thought: The psalmist’s plea for vindication is ultimately represented in Christ Jesus.

As we have seen in previous months, the themes of suffering and persecution form a strain of messianic imagery in the Psalms, reflected particularly in David’s experience. Psalm 69, a psalm of David, takes up these themes again in descriptive detail and provides some of the clearest prophecies in the Old Testament of the passion of Christ. This psalm is second only to Psalm 22 in the number of times it is quoted in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul all draw on this psalm to shed light on the work of Christ. We can hardly read verse 9, “Zeal for Your house has eaten me up,” without thinking of Jesus driving the merchants out of the temple (John 2:17). Verse 21 takes us to the crucifixion with its prophecy of the vinegar and gall that Jesus was scornfully given to drink while on the cross (Matt. 27:34). And, when Jesus explained the world’s opposition to His disciples, the prophecy of Psalm 69:4 was His exhibit of evidence: “They hated me without cause” (John 15:25). Few psalms portray the person and work, and especially the passion, of the Lord Jesus as clearly as Psalm 69.

However, what seems to draw just as much attention to Psalm 69 is its powerful imprecatory tone. “Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let Your wrathful anger take hold of them” (v. 24). David curses his enemies with a ferocity that some find difficult to reconcile with his greater Son Jesus’ commandment to love one’s enemies. It is important to bear in mind, however, that the male-dictions of the psalmist are essentially a plea for justice, which is a concern firmly upheld in the New Testament and not contradicted by the law of gospel love. Even while pleading to God for justice, David surely loved his enemies as he demonstrated in his dealings with Saul and Absalom (see Ps. 35:11-14). Without contradiction, we can love our enemies and also desire the perfect justice of God to be displayed for His glory.

Justice is one thing, but what of the severe and personal tone of these curses? We should see the fierce tone of the psalmist as a measure of the evil deeds that prompted the imprecations in the first place. We are listening to the victim, not the perpetrator, and in a sense the psalmist is speaking on behalf of all the silenced martyrs and all the innocent bloodshed on the earth (Rev. 6:10). The Bible does not merely inform us, in dispassionate tones, about the need for justice in the world. Instead, we hear a personal and passionate plea from one who has felt the sting of evil, the cry of a faithful man who is sensitive to the true horrors of sin and who rightfully desires to see God’s name vindicated. The imprecations of the Bible have their own rhetorical design—to move us to share in David’s sensitivity to evil, his outrage over injustice, and his longing for God’s rectitude. The basic element of these curses—the plea of God’s people for vindication—is still our concern, and is a prayer God promised to answer (Luke 18:7). Therefore, Psalm 69 still occupies a needed place in the songbook of the church.

Even so, we should not thoughtlessly or lightly take up such fearsome words in our prayers. We have enough trouble loving our neighbor as ourselves, let alone our enemies, without presuming to stand in David’s shoes and be the spokesmen of God’s vengeance. It is enough for us to strive to live by the law of gospel love and simply take from this psalm the comfort of knowing that God’s perfect justice will ultimately prevail over all. In the final analysis, we must remember that Psalm 69 is messianic through and through. It is Christ whom we hear describing His passion and pleading for justice. This should remind us that the justice called for by this psalm is the justice of Christ, who alone is righteous enough to carry out the judgment of God.