Psalm 35

Just an observation I made while looking over Psalm 35 . . .

Thinking about David's plea for protection and safety and comparing it to a lot of the New Testament calls for God to come to their defense, there seemed to be a big disconnect. We can all assume that David's story turned out pretty much on the positive. It appears that God ended up coming to his defense and shielded him from his enemies. In fact, I would guess that God flat out wiped the floor with David's enemies! Just like a lot of the other stories in the Old Testament. It's interesting, all the Old Testament stories are great. There are some bad stories in the Old Testament too, but they're all about people who deserved what they got. Everybody that got something bad in the Old Testament deserved it. At the same time, all the good guys in the OT seemed to come out ahead. Just think. Daniel in the lion's den! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace! Jonah getting swallowed up by a huge fish! David and Goliath! Moses at the Red Sea, all he's got is a stick (not to mention everyone in Pharaoh's army gets wiped out in the process)! These stories in the OT have something in common: The bad people die, and all the good people live.

This whole trend leads up to Bethlehem and the birth of The Savior of the world, and when He was just an infant child they already tried to kill him. And all of a sudden, everything changed. And in the New Testament, all the good guys die. When Jesus knew his life was in danger from his enemies, his words didn't exactly sound like David's in Psalm 35. Before leading up to the cross, Jesus was basically saying in Luke 22:41-44, "I don't want to do this! But at the end of the day, not my way, but your way!" Before he could even get the words out of his mouth, a mob arrested him in the night. He was beaten, scorned, insulted, thrown into a jail cell, and awoke to a scourging where he was trashed within an inch of his life. And then the crucifixion, which was the worst thing you can imagine. Once again . . . everything’s changed.

Much like what David was referring to, we know we have an enemy on our hands as well. We know we have a very real enemy who doesn't want people to be liberated, to be alive, and to come to see the grace of God. He wants to take as many as he can into darkness with him. It's a battle now, and Jesus knew it. Look at what He said to his followers regarding this new reality. Read John 16:17-33. Jesus knew why this would be a big deal to us. He tells us that things are going to get crazy with Him as our Lord. But here was Jesus' promise: In Me, no matter what happens around you, you can have peace and ultimately there's going to be victory!

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

If what I’m wanting from God is what David was asking for in Psalm 35, I'm not positive the "Old Testament result" is promised to me anymore as follower of Christ. God now operates on a new promise since Jesus had broadcast his coming. If we ask something like "Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord," God may not choose to protect us right then and there, but have faith that in the end, Jesus promises peace if we abide in Him.

Check out these other instances were God chose to not "protect/defend" his followers (these may be long passages, but read them anyway!):

Stephen

Paul

Much Love,
Roberto