Hated Without a Cause (Through the Psalms) Psalm 69

Welcome to through the song's weekend ministry of the truthful teaching God's people. God's word over time will study 150 Psalms with pastor Don Greene from truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were so glad you're with us. Let's open to the Psalms right now as we join our teacher in the truthful after all these years I still can't quite comprehend the fact that the Lord is given me the blessing to do what I do to teach God's word, the teacher to people that I love that I care about that. We've come to know and cherish. I am a man most richly blessed.

I give thanks to God for that as I stand before you here today grateful for every one of you being here. I know almost all of you by name and were going to open Psalm 69 which Andrew read earlier for us and by way of introduction, let me just remind you of the nature of the life that we face as Christians. The Bible tells us that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted second Timothy three verse 12 Jesus said in John 16. In this world you have tribulation, but take heart I have overcome the world, and in Matthew chapter 5 verses 10 and through 12. It's speaks of Blessed are you when men speak evil of you when they insult you, for the sake of the Son of Man, for your reward in heaven is great and that's so important for us to remember, especially in this day and age where it's sometimes presented that God only wants blessing for his children, and there is no hardship that comes with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. That's just not the case in the way that we contemplate these things has a great impact on the way that we anticipate life what our expectations are for life and how we respond to it when it comes. We are aliens in this world we are sojourners we are pilgrims passing through our home is in heaven.

Our citizenship is in heaven, not in this world.

So much so that Scripture would lead us to expect. There are times, as believers, we are going to experience unjust treatment that there may be great injustice that is inflicted upon us as we follow Christ, and that is part of the territory. It comes with what we are and who we are and what the Lord is called us to.

What I would encourage you with is to realize that as we go through those times. Perhaps some of you going through them even now in your personal lives is to realize that at those times where we suffer at the hands of wicked men and a wicked world that that surpassingly what is presented to you is an opportunity to draw into closer communion with Christ himself because Christ himself was hated without a cause. As we will see.

And as we read in Psalm 69 we see David kind of functioning as an early forerunner of those greater sufferings of Christ, as he himself was hated without a cause and we find in Psalm 69 David responding to that kind of spiritual hostility that is the lot of those who belong to Christ. Now in Psalm 69. The primary theme of this Psalm is salvation. Or you might say deliverance of God providing rescue from the troubles that David was experiencing. Let me just show you this briefly to go through this Psalm, in particular in a single message means we can only kind of hit it at the 30,000 foot view but that's all right were glad to have the opportunity. Salvation is the primary theme of the Psalm. Look at verse one, where he says save me. Oh God, for the waters, have threatened my life in the opening tone. The opening note I should say of this Psalm is God save me, meaning that he is in trouble of some kind. In verse 13 he says. As for me my prayers to you oh Lord, O Yahweh at an acceptable time. Oh God in the greatness of your loving kindness. Answer me with your saving truth. Your saving truth is what I need. He says in verse 29. He says I am in I am afflicted and in pain. May your salvation. Oh God set me securely on high. And finally, in verse 35.

He says God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Do you see it from beginning to end at critical points in between. This theme of of God's deliverance of God's saving power of God's intervention to help him is the theme of the song and so that's what we want to keep in mind that's the context in which we are walking through this Psalm and it's the context in which we live. Let me just say by way of preface something that I've tried to emphasize over the years. Maybe I haven't done as good a job as I could, you know, in the Lord's grace hopefully will have time to say it a lot more in the days to come. Beloved there something really really fundamental, it must be clear in your mind when you think about God anything about God the father, God the son God the Holy Spirit.

And this is so fundamental and will frame everything else in your spiritual life. Get this point right everything else will fall into place.

Sooner or later go astray at this point and it's very hard to untangle the damage that it brings to your heart. What you must understand fundamentally if you belong to Christ is that God has made you an object of his love, he is made you an object of his compassion of his affection and all of his intentions toward you are good, without exception.

Look at verse 16. Just for example, just to pick up a point there. Why is it you might ask why is it that David could call so confidently upon God for salvation and deliverance in his trials when so much of the world and the people around him were arrayed against him, when, and you know what this is like from time to time in your life. It seems like every human being in your life is either upset with you angry with you, or opposed to you.

We go through times like that. And yet David being in one of those in the spirit of one of those times is praying with confidence that the Lord would deliver him. How is it that he can be so grounded and confident even when he's being hated without a cause. Look at verse 13 he says, oh God in the greatness of your loving kindness word that means loyal love steadfast love of God in the greatness of your loving kindness answer me with your saving truth.

In verse 16 he says answer me oh Lord, for your loving kindness is good.

According to the greatness of your compassion turned to me. He knows and hasn't settled in his heart that God to him is a God of loyal love God, to him as a God of compassion who looks on him in his suffering with mercy love it. This frames everything in spiritual life for you if you think that God is remote or if you think that God is a God, not easily pleased, a God who requires a lot of rules to be obeyed before you can speak to him with and with any hope of your favor of receiving his favor. I should say your set on a path that is going to lead you into a sense of spiritual frustration and isolation because inevitably where that mindset leads you is to a place of frustration receipt. I can never please him well.

There's a sense in which that's true, there's a sense in which that you can never offer to God enough righteousness to earn his favor.

But see, that's not the basis upon which we've entered into a relationship with him. We have entered into a relationship with him because he out of his own character out of his own prerogative out of his own initiative has initiated toward us. All of his love all of his compassion, all of the goodness and power of his being that he might be to you a God of blessing and a God of protection and I ask you as we enter into this Psalm is that your fundamental perspective on the God that you claim to know. Do you realize that the cross of Christ that love and that power was being so perfectly displayed as Christ voluntarily laid down his life for you why because you were already his friend. No, Scripture says while we were still enemies.

God loved us and gave his son for us was because you were was it because you were already somewhat righteous and therefore you would prompted that from him, perish the thought was 2000 years before you were born right.

It had nothing to do with your conduct that Christ laid his life down for you at Calvary. You didn't earn that you didn't prompt that from God. This is all God's idea, God's initiative and what you must see is that that was an expression of his eternal and unchanging love.

And now that he's brought you into this, he saved you. Not as a result of your works, but according to his grace. According to his mercy and beloved, now that he saved you through faith in Christ. Beloved, don't you see don't you see that is love. The love the first save you hasn't changed. It hasn't altered he had. He didn't save you in love at the cross and then decide to become a grumpy old man toward you. A grumpy God who cannot eat you cannot be satisfied. That's not who our God is he's got a great compassion. I got a great love again a God of of steadfast, unchanging love, Micah 718 says he delights in unchanging love. He delights in being that kind of God to us and so as we start this song. That's our starting point is that we are dealing with a God of of faithful love toward us. I hope to go into this more on Sunday as well and I hope that you will be with us for that. But David is able to appeal to this God for deliverance because he knows that God is a God of love and compassion toward him, who cares for him in the midst of even his unjust suffering. Beloved is that your fundamental concept of God answer the question carefully answer it well answered.

According to Scripture because do you think God is is going to determine the trajectory of the rest of your life. Theology has consequences and for us who are Christians we look at the cross and we see we see our theology of the love of God fully informed. He loved us and gave himself for us in this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved sync your roots deep into that groundwater of the character of God seeking roots deep into the ever flowing love of God toward you and I have a suspicion informed by biblical truth that it will change your life to realize that this God is so good and so loving and so gracious to his own and that that is his fundamental disposition toward us now as we come to Psalm 69. David is pleading with God to save him from his trouble. He was bearing shame and rejection. For the Lord's sake, and he does three fundamental things here will just kinda break this down into three points here tonight. He asks God to answer him. He asked God to repay David's oppressors and he looks forward to a time of universal praise and restoration so there is the cry for help. The cry for for judgment. You might say. And then there is a hope, and in anticipation of a time of praise yet to come and will see this in David's life will see it mirrored in the life of Christ. Psalm 69 is frequently applied to Christ as will see. And so this is a Psalm of rich biblical significance.

How would we find our path forward in when were in these times hated without a cause. Well first of all, it lets just kinda follow the Psalm along he would put it this way our first point stated this way is it is that we ask God for deliverance. We ask God for deliverance. It's easy to forget to ask under the weight of the problems we forget to ask David and forget to ask, and so you you open in verses one and two.

Let's look at it together. David prays save meal God for the waters, have threatened my life I have sunk in deep Meyer and there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters and the flood over flows me drowning here is a metaphor for his problems in the sense of vulnerability that he has.

He realize it's the what's happening immediately could be an immediate threat to his life. Now when it comes to drowning. I don't often do this but hey were friends will do something a little bit different tonight when I think of drowning, I can't help but think of the time on our honeymoon.

Not all of us but mine and Nancy's honeymoon. I literally nearly drowned in the pool of the hotel that we were staying in. It's a frightening memory. To this day, as I remember at the pool wasn't that deep but I'm not too good in water, and I'm not a swimmer and I went to I went to stand up in the pool and I realize that I was in water that was over my head, took in a little bit of water and I you know you just start. I started to panic and III had the sense very vivid. Today, almost 30 years later that that my life was in immediate danger here now thanks be to God. Nancy reached over and grabbed me in and literally saved my life at that point she hadn't been there I would've gone down and in that sense of that sense of vulnerability in panic and in the fact that there is an immediate crisis here is the sense that David is using as he describes in a metaphor. The problems that he's facing God. This is sweeping over me. This is coming over my head and I need help right now before I go under and waters and Meyer point to the danger. There was no easy way out for David. Look at verse three, where he says I'm weary with my crying. My throat is parched. My eyes fail while I wait for my God. And so he's describing that in the midst of the danger he's feeling the physical effects of the trials and the weight that it has had upon them. My throat is part of Florida been crying out to you so long on my my throat is dry up exhausted myself and yet there he is still waiting still calling upon the Lord, the process had exhausted him, but here in Psalm 69 is calling out once more for God's deliverance and he shows us in verse four. The source of his trouble. The source of his difficulty and it ties in with what we were saying earlier about the people in the enemies that he was facing in verse four he says those who hate me without a cause, or more than the hairs of my head, those who would destroy me are powerful being wrongfully my enemies what I did not steal.

I didn't have to restore he's on the receiving end of injustice.

There are multiplied enemies that it seems like there are more than he can count. And these aren't simply little snippy puppies biting at his heels. These are men that have influenced men with power who are rising up against him, and who are arrayed against him in there more than he can humanly handle. Been there, have you been there where someone had a measure of position or influence or authority and the repose to you, exercising and unjust things against you, and you don't have the human ability to respond. You can't reach for the side of the pool to pull yourself up. That's a position that David was in his and it isn't it sweet to be a Christian to believe in the full authority of the word of God and to be able to come to a Psalm like this and find that that we find expressed the deepest sorrows of our soul in a spirit inspired way that can encourage and help us. I'm not the first person to go through this in spiritual life, I see that David has walked the path that I have trod. Let me find the way forward that he found apparently from the fact that he wrote this song he came out okay. On the other side. Maybe, just maybe, the God of lovingkindness and compassion that delivered David would have the same kind of mercy on me that he had on David as well and all of a sudden your your eyes or pivoting pivoting away from the enemies, and toward the God who loves you the God of compassion, the God who saved you and that is a great encouragement that alone I should say would be encouragement enough, but then you realize that there's something even better. Something even greater going on in this song. David's life was merely a foreshadowing.

It was merely a something of a prediction of a greater fulfillment to come in a greater David in our Lord Jesus Christ look over at John 15 with me. John 15 in verse 24 what David experienced was to be fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

At this point, Jesus said in John 15 verse 18. If the world hates you, you know that it is hated me before it hated you. If you are the world. The world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world. Because of this, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also goes on to say in verse 23 he who hates me hates my father also and he says if I had not done among them the works which no one else did they would not have sin, but now they have both seen and hated me and my father is well and look what he says in verse 25 as it pertains to the Psalm were studying tonight, but they have done this to fulfill the word that what is written in their Law quote they hated me without a cause a quotation from this verse that we just saw in Psalm 69 verse four David's life of suffering the enemies hating David without a cause were were merely a foreshadowing of the greater fulfillment to come when Jesus Christ himself, the sinless son of God is hated by those around them, if ever, beloved, if ever there was someone hated without a cause. You understand that it's not David. Primarily it's not you and me primarily, right the one who, in whom there is no cause for hatred is the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless, gracious, glorious son of God. There is nothing in him to provoke cause for hatred in those who hate him. The hatred comes from within their own wicked hearts. There is nothing in Christ to prompt such hatred. He was hated without a cause. We look when we find opposition in our own sinful cells. We look and say all Lord you have gone down this path more perfectly you gone but before me in this path, you know what it's like to be rejected and hated without reason. You know what that's like Lord, and you tell me that it's part of discipleship is part of me walking in your footsteps will Lord I can embrace that.

I'm not thrilled with the enemies that are hating me without reason that doesn't appeal to me on a human level the Lord what appeals to me is you've been there you know what this is like and you invite me into close communion and fellowship with you in it. As a result, that's a precious place to be for the disciple of Christ to realize we have a Lord who understands and sympathizes and has been there in the sensitive Hebrews chapter 4 verses 14 through 16.

Now as we think about Psalm 69 applying to Christ, we should realize that the totality of the Psalm does not apply to Christ, particularly as you look at verse five you see that David is not making a claim to being sinless. He realizes that he himself is committed wrongfully verse five with me he says oh God it is you who knows my folly and my wrongs are not hidden from you.

He says God you know my sin.

But whatever my sin may be.

I haven't done anything against these enemies to deserve this kind of treatment. David isn't claiming sinlessness as he goes through Psalm 69. He's confessing sin and fall before God.

What he saying is Lord, and in relationship to these men.

They have no reason to treat me as they do. I have not wronged them and yet they are opposed to me now in this confession of sin. We see this as a versa cannot possibly apply to Christ. Christ had no sin to confess he was sinless. He had never committed wrong, he was free from all sin.

And so the hatred against him was even worse than the hatred against David even worse in the hatred against you and me that we sometimes face in the midst of that confession.

David goes on in verse six to appeal to God for mercy so that others who trust God would not be put to shame. As a result of his situation. Look at verse six he says, may those who wait for you not be ashamed through me oh Lord God of hosts. May those who seek you not be dishonored through me. Oh God of Israel.

Now if you were with us last time.

As we talked about the imprecatory Psalms.

We said that one of the motives for the imprecatory songs was a concern for the people of God that one of the reasons that we pray, is to look beyond our own circle and we see that the people of God are about tests and we put our struggles and our difficulties. In the context of the people of God who might be influenced by what happens to us, or be influenced by the way that we responded to our own trials and difficulties. David has these has these fellow saints in mind and he says God as they are waiting for you work and help and protect me, so that they won't be ashamed so that they won't fall into discouragement thinking that God does not help his own and beloved me step back and invite you to kind of maybe have a little bit of an alteration a little bit of a change a little bit of a different perspective. Perhaps on your own trials.

As you go through them to be mindful of the fact that the circle that is affected by your trial is greater than yourself. It's more than just you.

That's at stake to remember this if you look over at Psalm 73 which we will soon get to such a wonderful Psalm in Psalm 73. The psalmist is troubled by the prosperity of the wicked, and it discourages him, he sees them prospering when they have no eye toward God at all while he seeking to be righteous seeking to live a godly life is suffering and in much difficulty and need Heath. He begins to think in verse 13. Surely, in vain, I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence fried been stricken all day long and chastened.

Every morning he says he says I think he's thinking ruminating in his mind and he says with what I'm seeing.

I must be a fool. I must be wasting my time.

Why am I going through all of the hardship of trying to follow God and righteousness when it brings me sorrow and suffering. When people have no regard for Yahweh are living the high life they have prosperity and there are no pains in their lives. Why am I doing this he says, look at what changes him look at what restrains his thinking. He says in verse 15. If I had said I will speak thus, in other words if I realize that if I gave voice to what I've been thinking here something very bad would happen. Verse 15 Psalm 73. He says behold, I would have betrayed the generation of your children. He says, and here's what I want you to see for tonight. Beloved. He says God this this is not just about me.

There are a circle of relationships that I have that I have responsibilities and commitments and I have love to your people who are around, and who see me in my suffering to see me in my difficulty father for their sake I can't speak what I have been thinking in my heart because I would betray them if I gave voice to these kinds of accusations against God. I would deflate the spiritual encouragement of those around me. I'm not an island. Here I gotta think about someone beyond myself as I go through this trial. Now, beloved, I realize for some of you. The trials are very deep and that you get discouraged. Some people, none of you in the room tonight because you're here.

Some people take the occasion of those things to withdraw from the people of God to step back from them to push the people of God away to start to voice things that that that should never be said like on social media and things like that. Not so for us brothers and sisters. Not so for us. We realize that that we cannot let ourselves get carried away with our discouragements and questions.

We can't voice these kinds of doubts because to do that would be a betrayal to those who would otherwise be encouraged as a CS persevere part of your responsibility in your trials. Christian friend is to persevere, Lord, to the glory of God. Yes, absolutely, but also to persevere for the sake of those who around you who will look to you see your faithful life and say oh that's how it's done to say all they have it worse than I do and they are continuing in Christ will then that's what I should do.

Also it takes us out of our naturally self-centered perspective and say I have obligations here that inform the way that I respond go back to Psalm 69 verse six.

You can see this in David's thinking there in verse six, he's thinking about others beside himself. He says those who let those who wait for you not be ashamed through me. God be gracious and help me so that that they would be helped in turn but it's not just a horizontal aspect that is informing his cry for deliverance in verse seven he is consumed with the glory of God as well. We saw this last time he says in verse seven. Because, for your sake I have borne reproach dishonor has covered my face God. I am in this position because I have sought to be loyal to you I is sought to be faithful to you and that has brought me this opposition and how severe was the opposition. Look at verse eight he says I have become estranged from my brothers and an alien to my mother's sons.

He says God this is so bad that the closest members of my own family are opposed to me and even in that Christ had a greater fulfillment during his earthly life did me.

Gospels tell us that even his brothers for believing in him. Even his brothers were mocking him before the crucifixion. Why are you hiding if you're the Messiah, let it be known and so even his even his own family was not believing him and him Christ experienced this as well. The opposition of those closest to him and beloved, if we think further and sympathize in and enter into her Christ wasn't it true that even all of the disciples fled from him on the night that he was betrayed, they all went up and fled and he was left alone foot that sink in for a moment, why was he suffering alone. Why was he in that position in the first place there to fulfill Scripture.

There to carry out to go to Jerusalem, as it were, with his face set like flint to Jerusalem so that he would fully drink the cup that the father had given to him to drink. Why, because in love he would bring you into his kingdom, and all of the alienation. All of the hostility was part of the price that he paid part of the suffering that he experienced on earth in order to bring about a fulfillment of the saving mission for which he came to save you and save me.

I love him, don't you. I love him for that.

Our redemption was accomplished at the cost of great suffering to the sinless son of God, and he felt the full weight of the hostility of men and went ahead and went through it. Now we walking through lesser trials with lesser virtue find that our elder brother that are champion that are that our Savior has gone before us in the way he knows how to love having gone through it inhumane in his humanity. He knows how to lead us through it in our humanity, and that brings us comfort and confidence. We cry out to him in a sense that he will receive us well because he is been there himself. Oh, this is all about understanding who Christ is and how we respond to him verse nine.

David says for zeal for your house has consumed me and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me and again Psalm 69 the New Testament quotes at this point, pointing to Christ.

Let's look at John chapter 2 for a moment John chapter 2 John chapter 2 verse 15. We see this zeal for the father's glory, that consumed the son of God in his incarnation. Verse 14 he found in the temple. Those were selling oxen and sheep and doves in the moneychangers seated at their tables profaning the temple of the Lord, and he made a scourge of cords and drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables and to those who were selling the dogs he said take these things away. Stop making my father's house a place of business and his disciples remembered that it was written zeal for your house will consume me. David said in his life. Lord zeal is consuming me what the New Testament says is the Christ was a greater David with an even greater zeal, and it motivated him to act when the father's glory was being impinged by the corruption in the temple. This was no mild, meek Savior. At that point who simply wouldn't challenge anyone because he was a God of love, so-called as it is distorted today. The concepts of meekness know we find Christ in his strength resisting for the sake of the zeal of God in Romans 15 verse three it says the Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. Those who would reproach God reproached Christ, and it fell on him and sometimes for us as we follow Christ and are faithful to them.

Sometimes a little bit of that reproach splashes over on us as people reject as separate from us as people treat us as enemies because of our desire to be faithful to Christ. Well we embrace that we say okay that comes with the territory we say okay Lord, you have been there before me and so we see our Lord going before us and all these things well is you go on in the Solomon verse 10. Look at verses 10 through 12 with me. David is dealing with the sorrow that all of this is brought to me said when I wept in my soul with fasting and became my reproach when I made sackcloth my clothing. I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate talk about me and I am the song of drunkards what he saying is, is that that the sorrow through which he is going has become an occasion for just by sinful men, people mock him. They gossip about him.

The city leaders who would sit in the gates were opposed to him.

The drunks, the lowest of society made his suffering, a topic of their songs from the greatest to the least men mocking him and deposing him market mark this all of this going on while he is praying and fasting with righteous desires. God, my godliness has become the occasion of content with my earthly contemporaries so he feels this deeply, you know why I like this aspect of David.

I like this aspect of the songs I like the fact that that here we see a godly man who is articulating some of the desires and the passions and the sorrows of the soul that that this is this is not someone cold and remote that walking with God. This is a man who knows something about sorrow, who knows something about expressing it. A man with feelings in a man with passions of godliness in the when you and I have those same motions going on in our hearts we have we have feelings of betrayed justice.

Feelings of being on the receiving end of unjust treatment that we find in Scripture that those feelings of our heart are given a voice I love God for that. I love his word for that.

I love the fact that we find not shame and reproach from God.

As we go through such times as we feel that what's the matter with you, you weakling kind of thing. No no, God doesn't deal with us. That way, why go back to where we started because he's got a steadfast love is a God of mercy. He's a God of compassion who, as Hebrews 4 says we have a Christ who sympathizes with us in our weakness isn't that precious place to be. Isn't that a wonderful place to find yourself with a God who loves you like that yes, it is well while the drunks were singing in an ungodly manner.

David goes in verse 13 and stands in contrast to them.

He says in verse 13 but as for me my prayers to you oh Lord at an acceptable time.

Oh, God, and the greatness of your lovingkindness.

Answer me with your saving truth. He's desperate, feels like he's drowning, but he still has confidence in God's loyal love. Look at verses 14 through 18. He says deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink may I be delivered for my foes and from the deep waters by the flood of water not overflow me nor the deep swallow me up nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

God don't let me die like this. Don't let me die in this condition. Deliver me.

Verse 16 he says answer me oh Lord Yahweh that that name of God that particularly speaks of his covenant promise keeping faithfulness to his people answer me oh covenant keeping God.

Oh Lord, for your lovingkindness is good. According to the greatness of your compassion turned to me and do not hide your face from your servant, for I am a distress answer me quickly hold draw near to my soul and redeem it ransom me because of my enemies. The two things I would have you see in that passage, which just requires more time than we can give it this evening. Is this call that he makes to God for help and for deliverance and that call for help and deliverance is rooted in his knowledge and his trust in the eternal love of God that is why he can pray in his distress. That is why he can pray for help. God, I know I can appeal to you because you are this God of loyal love to me and beloved right there coming back to where we started.

I ask you whether you know God like that. I ask you whether your sense of confidence in your knowledge of his attributes is such that you can pray to him with the exact same confidence in David. Did God.

I know I can pray to you for help in my distress because I know that you are a God of love God all go so far as to say I know it better than David did.

Because since David Christ has come since David, you have become flesh since David, the cross has been there since David Christ is given his life.

I see the fullness of it.

So I pray with even more confidence in David did Lord I know you love me, help me in my distress. Do you know God like that is your trust in him like that. David goes on and he expresses his his his certainty that God knows the situation even though there is no comfort for him on earth with verse 20 he says reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick I look for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.

They also gave me goal for my food and for my thirst. They gave me vinegar to drink golf was a bitter substance. It was mixed with wine, it would not be pleasant to drink. It might even be poisonous. What he saying here is, here I am in my distress and these people come to me and rather than giving me food to strengthen me rather than giving me drink for my for my thirst.

They betray me even further at the simple basic level of basic human kindness and they give me that which would injure me further God. That's the kind of enemy that I am dealing with. It is the height of treachery is the height of betrayal from David's perspective and what we find with Christ is hanging on the cross. John 19 says they offered in gold to drink what was probably a cheap sour wine that very well. If he had taken it would have prolonged his life. Therefore, prolonged his pain. According to commentator DA Carson in his commentary on John so that even in the midst of Christ suffering there offering them something that would make them suffer more.

How wicked, how despicable, how how how viable is the is the sinful black heart of unregenerate men to deal with a man in suffering such and not just a man and suffering in David's case, a godly man in Christ case the God man, what is it the prompts such wickedness and how do we deal with that. Well, we seen our first point that he asked God for deliverance. That's verses one through 21. What David does in Psalm 69 as we come to the second point here as he assigns the wicked to God. He hands them over to God. He asks the Lord to repay their evil and as we read this passage ever so briefly, let me remind you that we've dealt with this difficult topic of imprecatory Psalms in our prior two messages so I'm not going to repeat any of that here. Let's just look at it briefly for tonight. David prays and he says, may their table before them become a snare and when they are in peace. May it become a trap. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see and make their loins shake continually. Pour out your indignation on them and may your burning anger overtakes them either can't be desolate. May none dwell in their tents for they have persecuted him whom you yourself have smitten and they tell of the pain of those whom you have wounded. What's he saying there is he saying that Lord they they have boasted and laughed in the suffering of your people. We are we are experiencing the discipline of your hand in our lives. And rather than stepping back in reverence they have made it a topic of sport and laughter of their own perverse entertainment Lord you see the injustice of this Lord you see the wickedness that is about the Lord. This needs to be addressed. God I'm asking you to deal with these wicked people. Verse 27 add iniquity to their iniquity, may they not come into your righteousness may they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with righteous what David is saying is this God you've already brought me low. The circumstances have already humbled me and these wicked men are finding delight in adding to my pain and in and affliction. They should have shown me compassion, instead they piled on.

Instead, they are delivering a late hits. You might say God what I'm asking for you to do is this.

You see what they are doing. You see what they are sowing the seeds of sin. The seeds of wickedness. What David is saying here. In essence in the Psalm is God. Let them reap what they have sown.

They deserve to feel the consequences. Now just to make a point about it was for the man. Pray this way. Listen, listen, David here.

Keep one thing really straighten your mind and a lot of the other aspects of imprecatory Psalms fall into place.

David here in this Psalm is not taking his own revenge. David is not going out and striking them with his own hands.

In fact, David's life shows remarkable restraint when he is the object of personal insult or personal attacks from King Saul from Sim EI who cursed him as he was walking by. David said let them alone.

David had opportunities to take Saul's life and he always passed on it. David was not a man of personal vindictiveness and David was not taking matters into his own hands to extract his own vengeance here he's praying he's pouring his heart out to a God who knows his situation knows the wickedness that he is being subjected to and to the God who is a God of compassion and it was on his side.

God, I commit them to you. Let them report their sewing but Laura leave the outworking of that to your hand hold them accountable for their sin. And when he asked God to blot them out of the book of life.

He's asking that they would have no sharing God's blessing.

Charles Spurgeon says the inner meaning of this request is that David wanted to be made evident that their name was never written there at all, that they were never a part of the true family of God.

They were never part of spiritual Israel, because they never would have acted this way if they had been God make it manifest they were never part of yours and he says this is quoted in Romans 11, referring to how Israel's hard heartedness will bring judgment to them.

Verse 25 of Psalm 69 he says me.

There can't be desolate.

May none dwell in their tents yet again. The New Testament draws upon Psalm 69 and applies this to Judas, that wicked man who betrayed our Lord. Speaking of Judas. It says in acts chapter 1 verse 20 is written in the book of Psalms let his homestead be made desolate, and let no one dwell in it, and let another man take his office.

The New Testament writers showing the fulfillment of this judgment and the life of Judas, so he commits the wicked to the Lord and beloved, here you go, I want to say what I'm going to say let's apply this for just a moment and think rightly about things is David's praying this.

Remember that he's praying in a representative capacity. Remember that others are affected by what's happening to him.

Remember that zeal for the Lord in the glory of the Lord is is animating everything that he says there are broad consequences to what's happening to David. Many people are affected by it. This is not the situation where a man is individually in conflict with another individual man. Like much of our conflict comes up.

This is not a good way for me to speak this way, but this is not David being upset because another man had cut off his chariot on the freeway right you go y'all can or y'all can relate to that and you get angry about that one said so in so doing cutting me off is not that kind of cheap temporary passing personal insult when you and I are personally insulted when people personally react against us. Even in the cause of Christ.

Christ calls us you pray for your enemies you love those who persecute you, and on a personal level, as were responding to those things that are individually directed at us.

We respond with that spirit of grace that the Lord showed to us in our salvation and our own wickedness against him. There's that personal response that is informed by things we seen in the sermon on the mount for Matthew chapter 5. What David is doing here is different because the circumstances are different here. The cause of God is at stake here the glory of God is at stake in a way that is usually not it's at all at stake if were thinking rightly and clearly in the personal animosities we deal with day-to-day. That said, beloved, let me put it this way to give to give a sense of perspective. You know I have people that are still hostile to me after decades. I don't I don't like that but I'm not angry with them.

I'm not asking God to bring judgment on them. I'm asking God to save the HUD show mercy to them. They need mercy in their hostility directed to me as a Christian is dealt with in that perspective. That's what you should deal with hostility that's directed to you in your personal thing. Your personal situation but think with me about something that is different if I either I wear that personal individual hat. I also wear the hat of pastor. I also wear the hat of Shepherd. I have people like you that I care about and I have responsibility for the spiritual realm. If there is someone who come, who would come to speaking hypothetically if someone came doing damage to you someone doing damage to your spiritual lives. Someone doing damage to your spiritual well-being. Pray differently about that little Pray differently about that because now I'm not personally involved.

Now I'm saying God, your people are at stake here this person. These people, whoever it is I'm just speaking hypothetically here to make the point God for the sake of your people. I ask you to deal with them to restrain them to stop them to do whatever is necessary to bring whatever is necessary for severe omnipotence to stop the harm that they're doing to your people.

I pray differently when other people are at stake when the cause of God is at stake when the people of God are at stake. I can't treat that I can't lightly dismiss that following through on the hypothetical because it your well-being at stake. It's something beyond me and so I would say God I give them to you and ask you to deal with them to stop that wicked influence so that your people would not be harmed by what these wicked people are trying to do. See the difference. There's this representative capacity that changes the way that you think about it and so we kind of separate ourselves out we say David knew what it was like he didn't raise his hand against the personal enemy great. I see that that's what Christ calls me to in Matthew five, but Lord, when your glory is at stake when people are perverting your truth and people are our leading your people astray God when I ask you to intervene. I don't have a personal stake in this itch are people that are at stake, and for their sake.

Lord I ask you to exercise your strength to protect them. Whatever that means for the wicked people that are bringing this harm upon.

I think that's right way to sit.

I don't think the people in spiritual leadership can just idly stand by in prayer and to say well you know whatever's going to be is going to be God. This matters. These are people for Christ died.

I won't raise my own hand against them. But God I will sure appeal to you to exercise your protective Shepherd care to exercise your rod and staff to drive away the rules, whatever it takes, so that your people would be safe and secure and protected.

That's how I understand this.

That's how I see the enduring relevance of imprecatory Psalms not done lightly but when the occasion presents itself. There's time for men of God to step up and pray God you need to help us. This is greater than us.

This is more than we can deal with this is beyond our control, God. There are forces of wickedness behind these men. We are wrestling with principalities, Lord, deal with the whole situation so that your people would be safe and secure and delivered safely into your heavenly kingdom will have it no other way. God, if I pray wrongly discipline me, but I'm going to pray for the protection of your people so there you go.

I said I was going to say it. I said it. That's it.

Point number three said that we ask for God's deliverance, we assign the wicked to God.

Point number three David here in Psalm 69 anticipates final deliverance anticipates final deliverance as almost always happens in the song he went on a high note of praise and David having assign the wicked to God.

In verses 22 through 28 in verse 29.

He summarizes his overall lament and plea for help. He says, verse 29 but I he's turned his focus away from the wicked and now he's he's back verse 29 but I am afflicted and in pain. May your salvation.

Oh God set me securely on high kind of a summary of everything set up to this point from that summary, he turns to praise.

I love this verse 30 having committed himself fully to God his cause to God the wicked to God. He's dealt with it all in prayer. Now he pivots leaves that behind and turns to praise. In verse 30. He says I will praise the name of God with song and magnify him with thanksgiving and it will please the Lord better than an ox or young bull with horns and hooves Thanksgiving he says is a better sacrifice to God than any animal ever could be echoes of Psalm 51 verse 16 when David speaks in a similar vein, God. Thanksgiving and praise is a better sacrifice. That's more pleasing to you than any animal ever could be.

So I offer you my praise father, knowing that it pleases you. Verse 32.

The humble have seen it and are glad you who seek God, let your heart revive you see again his concern for the people of God, he says, as I praise you, the people of God will draw strength. The humble will find encouragement.

They will be glad in it is a pseudo-God, why can we have this corporate rejoicing in the midst of our affliction. Verse 33. For this reason is because the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his who are prisoners. We might be afflicted and despised by men, but the Lord doesn't despise us. He doesn't afflicted us, you know why. Let's answer the question. Let's keep coming back.

You know why he never despises us you know why he never despises our plea for help. It's because he is a God of loyal love who has compassion upon his children, and if we belong to him through faith in Christ.

That is the infinite storehouse that we draw upon when we go to him in prayer. God, I am confident in your presence because I know you love me. I know that you are gracious and I can come to you and I can pour out my heart before you with an absolute certainty that you will receive me well and if my prayers are somehow misdirected.

Lord I know that you will straighten all of that out and so in verse 34.

He says let heaven and earth praise in the season.

Everything that moves in them, for God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. The descendents of his servants will inherit it and those who love his name will dwell in it.

David here looks beyond his present situation to the future salvation of Israel and so he ends in praise God the outcome for your people will be there final deliverance and in that final deliverance. We will be offering you pure and un-hindered undistracted praise. That's what is looking forward to that final deliverance that informs the way that he praise in the midst of his opposition now, let's draw this to a close, let's bring this plane in for a landing. What can we draw from Psalm 69. Beloved Christ has gone before you in sorrow and how did it end with Christ is exalted to the right hand of the father. He went through sorrow. He went to the cross he went to the grave, but he came out in glory, and he ascended and he is exalted to glory.

That's who Christ is and that is the pattern of God in dealing with his own Christian, are you walking the path of unjust affliction will take heart. God knows the way of the righteous. Sometimes he takes us through affliction. Sometimes we go through accusations. Sometimes those who are close to us pushes away but God knows all of that. It's not the end of the story for you. God knew the way of David and David says this comes out in glory. God knew the way of Christ, and Christ is now exalted to glory one day to come back again from that glory to make it known. Overall the earth that he is Lord of Lord and Kings of Kings in Christ, God himself walked that way. Beloved, I beg you to take to heart that in your affliction, the love of God for you has not changed he receives you now in sympathy and in the end he will deliver you completely and all that will be left for you after all of the sorrows of this life are done. What will be left with you will be your presence at the throne of Christ giving him praise and honor and glory with all of the tears wiped away with all of the sorrows forgotten and nothing but bliss and joy and praise. Consuming your every thought forever and ever. Amen. God never forsakes his own your hard path. Beloved will land in praise with me father for all that are here under the hand of affliction. Take your word and encourage them greatly assure them with what your word says about yourself that you are a God of steadfast love, let us draw upon that in prayer as we go through the times would seem to drown us give us is the proper sense of grace toward our personal photos. Father protect your people from those who would cause them harm. There are many false prophets in the world. Lord deal with them, isolate them, 14 them so that they would not have an effect on those who truly are yours and father bring us certainly to the end to the conclusion that you've appointed for all of those who know you that great conclusion of resounding praise. Assure throne when our lives proved to be one more infallible evidence of the fact that you always good. So with that father commit ourselves to in the name well friend thank you for joining us on through the Psalms. Did you know that we also offer a daily podcast. It's a shorter format that is a perfect companion for you as you start your day drive to work or maybe have your workout on your treadmill. You can find that daily podcast at the truth. Pulpit.com look for the link that says radio podcast again that's found on the truth.

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God bless you. Thanks Don and Fran through the Psalms is a weekend ministry of the truth sure to join us next week for our study is Don continues teaching God's people. God's word and we also invite you to join us on Sunday at 9 AM Eastern for our lives screen from truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can find the link at the truth. Pulpit.com this message is copyrighted by Don Green. All rights reserved