FOUND GUILTY OF EXCESS OF LOVE
PSALM 109:1-8
PSALM 109:1-8
Key verse: v. 4, “For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.”
Introduction:
In this psalm David is supposed to refer to Doeg the Edomite, or to Ahithophel. It is the most imprecatory of the psalms, and may well be termed the Iscariot Psalm.
What David here refers to his mortal enemy, finds its accomplishment in the betrayer of the Son of David. It is from the 8th verse that Peter infers the necessity of filling up the vacancy occasioned by the death of Judas: it was, says he, predicted that another should take his office. —Paton J. Gloag, in “A Commentary on the Acts,” 1870.
I. THEY HATE ME BECAUSE I LOVE THEM
A. Jesus was rewarded evil for His good, vv. 1-3; Psalms 35:12, “They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.”
1. Jesus followed that which was good, Psalms 38:20, “They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.”
2. He spoke the truth about God, John 1:14, 17,“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 17-For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
3. Yet they hated Him for the truth, v. 3; John 15:24-25, “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25- But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”
B. On various occasions Jesus was almost stoned, John 10:32, “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”
1. The Jews envied Jesus, Ecclesiastes 4:4, “Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.”
2. The works of Jesus were righteous and those of the Jews were evil, 1 John 3:12, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
C. The more the Lord loved the less He was loved as the Apostle Paul expressed it, 2 Corinthians 12:15, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
II. JESUS WAS REWARDED HADRED FOR LOVE
A. Evil for good is Satan’s line of action, and his children upon earth follow it greedily, Psalms 35:11-12, “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. 12- They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.”
B. These folks are under a curse of sin, Proverbs 17:13, “Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.”
C. It was not an enemy that reproached the Lord, v. 6; Psalm 55:12-14, “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 13- But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 14-We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.’
1. In this we see the prophesy of Judas Iscariot, Mark 14:10, “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.”
2. Let his days be few, v. 8; Matthew 27:5, “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
III. I GAVE MYSELF UNTO PRAYER
A. David was a man of prayer, Psalms 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
1. David had been betrayed by his close counselor, Ahithophel, 2 Samuel 15:31, “And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
2. Godly men have always been men of prayer in time of decision, Daniel 6:10, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
B. Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
1. Men whose hearts were evil crucified the Lord, Luke 6:11, “And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.”
2. The hearts of men are full of rage and madness, Ecclesiastes 9:3, “This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”
3. Yet the Lord prayed for and forgave them, inviting them to come to Him for life, Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”
CONCLUSION:
David had suffered at the hands of the wicked and yet he had learned to pray and put his burdens in God’s hands. While he was a great warrior with great courage he was also a man of compassion and love as revealed in his psalms.
Our Lord Jesus was such a man and much more as He brought the truth to man and paid the price that God demanded for our sins. He continues to invite men to trust Him as their Savior today.