On the surface, Psalm 109 seems to be another plea for God to save the righteous ones from the grasp of the wicked, but below the surface and embedded in the structure of the psalm, as well as in the surrounding context, something more subtle and much more beautiful than an isolated psalm is found. Allow me some “nerd” time to explain.
Let’s go back to the beginning of the Psalms and remember how Psalm 1 and 2 are often seen as an introduction to the entire psalter. Psalm 1 introduces us to the differences between the righteous ones and the wicked ones and tells of the consequences of being one or the other. Psalm 2 sings of the coming king and how the Lord will set him up on Zion to oversee the raging nations. Together, these psalms introduce what I see to be the three major themes of the entire book of Psalms: the righteous ones, the wicked ones, and the coming king.
Following this introduction, we are taken on a journey beginning in Psalm 3 and culminating in Psalm 106 where the righteous man finds himself continually under the thumb of wicked men. This journey is punctuated with cries to God for his intervention and longing for the coming king and his kingdom. But it seems that the righteous man never sees this kingdom. Instead, God’s chosen people are scattered and left to wait for a time when God will remember his covenant with them.
Psalm 107, if you recall, is that moment when God promises to remember his covenant and finally gather his people. Psalm 108 tells of how God restates his intention to provide a kingdom for his people, and then there is Psalm 109, and here is where it gets interesting.
The cry of Psalm 109 comes from the lips of a righteous one who has been oppressed by wicked ones. It describes the many ways in which the wicked ones have been a scourge to him and concludes with a prayer for a quick and complete destruction of the wicked. In many ways, Psalm 109 repeats the major themes of Psalm 1: the destruction of the wicked and the exaltation of the righteous to the presence of the Lord. And if we look ahead just a bit, we find Psalm 110 describing the coming king and how he will sit in Zion ruling the nations, very much a repetition of Psalm 2’s theme.
It’s almost as though the compilers of the Psalms wanted to tell us that God’s promises of Psalm 1 regarding the destruction of the wicked and the prosperity of the righteous will come true after God gathers his scattered followers. And it’s almost as though the compilers were intentional as they followed up that claim by repeating the promise of Psalm 2 about a king coming to rule over the nations. If true, then what should we expect to come next? Should we expect more psalms tracing man’s longing and failure or should we expect something else?
Look for a moment at Psalm 111 and we might see the answer to this question. In contrast to the beginning phrase of Psalm 3 (“O Lord, how many are my foes!”), Psalm 111 begins with the simple phrase “Praise the Lord!” And following Psalm 111 we find many other psalms in Book V are praise psalms and not laments. Instead of leaving the promise of the coming king and immersing the reader into the plight of the righteous ones, we find ourselves taken to the steps of the throne praising God for all that he is, all that he has done, and all that he will do. There is more to say about Psalm 111 and Psalm 112, but I will leave that for another entry.
If you have stayed with me thus far, in echoing Psalm 1, Psalm 109 reminds us that even though many struggles might occur during the course of our life, God is faithful to his words. He assures us that the righteous will survive and that the wicked will be judged and dismissed from his presence, and ostensibly from history itself. And Psalm 110, as it echoes the content of Psalm 2, reassures us that God will one day take his throne and rule the nations.
Is it possible the compilers of The Psalms structured the book this way deliberately? Is it possible God wants us to know he will fulfill his promise that the wicked will pass away like chaff? Is it possible that he wants us to know that the righteous will grow strong in the Lord’s presence? Is it possible that his chosen king is the once AND future king? Is it possible God tells us this so as to encourage us as we tread through the muck and mire of our lives? Is it possible that, despite how we often feel about life, God is faithful?
I don’t know about others, but I know my hope quickly fades if I don’t constantly receive some assurances about the future. On the days when I wake not knowing if there is anything beyond the grey curtain of the morning, I can easily fall into despair and become petty, conniving, lustful, and downright despicable. But there are some days when I wake with the assurance of a pleasant awaiting land ruled by the King of the universe who rewards those who have been faithful to him. On those days, I find my demeanor changed. And while it may not be obvious to the outside world, it is to me. Under the muck and grime of a life less desirable than I had planned, there is hope. It is a small sliver of hope, often just out of the periphery of my vision, but there is hope nonetheless. And for most days, that is enough.
