Psalms 35 1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;fight against those who fight against me.2 Take up shield and buckler;arise and come to my aid.3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.Say to my soul,"I am your salvation."Salvation represents a relationship with a Father- Judge. We learn to intentionally walk in the Christian life by fighting with the authoritative pronouncements. God executed law, covenants curses, decrees, statutes and promises in command form. We command the eternal covenant recognizing God. We command the spiritual forces who fight for us. Because God faithfully performed all the completed work, we depend on His familiar voice of eternal salvation. In overcoming tremendous opposition by commanding God we go from one deliverance to another.   

 35 4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.5 May they be like chaff before the wind,with the angel of the Lord driving them away;" God delivers us by confronting and overcoming impossible opposition. Moreover frequently the gentle saint genuinely wants to look morally capable. But the saint must command respect by pronouncing judgements for all to see. Gods prophets are justly feared. There is nothing wrong with being adamantly rejected for Christ. We enjoy unlimited protection with promises in severe consequences of Gods judgements. We must get respect first through the pronouncements.  

 35 4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.5 May they be like chaff before the wind,with the angel of the Lord driving them away;" God delivers us by confronting and overcoming impossible opposition. Moreover frequently the gentle saint genuinely wants to look morally capable. But the saint must command respect by pronouncing judgements for all to see. Gods prophets are justly feared. There is nothing wrong with being adamantly rejected for Christ. We enjoy unlimited protection with promises in severe consequences of Gods judgements. We must get respect first through the pronouncements.

 35 8 may ruin overtake them by surprise--may the net they hid entangle them,may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.10 My whole being will exclaim,"Who is like you, O Lord?You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,the poor and needy from those who rob them."We must draw the line and sternly command the overwhelming victory. The natural man is an political expert in manipulating penal law. But we must understand when we draw the line, we find we are challenged. This is why the Psalmist pronounces the eternal curses.The natural man will be obstinate to his own hurt. The gentile saints are always locking horns with men who test the pronouncements.

  35 11 Ruthless witnesses come forward;they question me on things I know nothing about.12 They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn.13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting." The Psalmist is not arguing for childlike innocence. He is drawing the line by a personal offense. If we do not draw the line, we will never be forlorner. He is cursing because he is forlorner. We need standing when we experience opposition. The dear saint is a tester of possible abuse. We solely measure the ordinary experience in how we are handled by men.

 35 10 My whole being will exclaim,"Who is like you, O Lord?You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,the poor and needy from those who rob them."The law, covenants, curses, decrees, promise, statutes and decrees are pronounced as the line we draw. The professional understands the clear lines by a constant pronouncing. Pronouncing is learning to identify the error. If a saint does not quite understand the bold lines God draws, he will not defend the absolutes. When we develop judgments by relating to each other by pragmatism, we do not maintain convictions. The Psalmist goes through years of wrestling and conflict to hold the line. This is why he vicariously experiences the whole being will say "Who is like you O Lord." We must willingly endure many accusations to maintain the clear lines.

 35 15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;attackers gathered against me when I was unaware.They slandered me without ceasing.16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;they gnashed their teeth at me." You see the opposition is not interested in getting resolution. They are obstinate. How many lines are drawn by the curse? One. This is why the Psalmist speaks the eternal curses. Because God sets the standard that cannot be crossed. We must carefully avoid sitting comfortably with scoffers. 

35 17 O Lord, how long will you look on?Rescue my life from their ravages,my precious life from these lions." Learning the eternal truth is more than repeating a qualified teacher. It is wrestling in pronouncing the law, covenants, curses, statutes, promises and decrees. It is pronouncing until we uncover the hidden error of teaching. The Psalmist will endure accusations, misunderstanding, and a concerted effort of opposition to be correct. Most of our problems are not about forgiveness or connection. We do not quite appreciate the seriousness of maintaining sincere convictions. We alter our lines. The Psalmist spends years establishing his lines in the culture.

 35 18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;among throngs of people I will praise you.19 Let not those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause;let not those who hate me without reason.maliciously wink the eye.20 They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land."The Psalmist is teaching he must be successful in establishing the axioms in the local culture. He will fight doggedly with the authoritative pronouncements of death. Because the axioms faithfully preserve lasting peace in the world. If the Psalmist loses, the social world will break out into considerable violence. He will pronounce until he wins his persuasive arguments.

 35 21 They gape at me and say, "Aha! Aha!With our own eyes we have seen it."22 O Lord, you have seen this; be not silent.Do not be far from me, O Lord.23 Awake and rise to my defense!Contend for me, my God and Lord."We must develop certain conviction as lines that cannot be crossed. These moral convictions are sufficiently developed by life and death pronouncements. We constructively engage the effective communication a war to subdue the formidable enemy. We cannot lose the civil war.

 35 24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, O Lord my God;do not let them gloat over me.25 Do not let them think, "Aha, just what we wanted!"or say, "We have swallowed him up."26 May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion;may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace." We are easily persuaded by accusations. God produced men to relate by administering law. Without the application of law, man would be dumb and mute. We are wrestling to enforce the law according to the axioms. The axioms are sworn covenant words. We defend the axioms in the same way we fight in bodily wars.

 35 27 May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness;may they always say, "The Lord be exalted,who delights in the well-being of his servant."28 My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long." The man who is a profession in manipulating the law, covenants,curses, decrees,statutes and promises is recreating unity in the world. We cannot create disunity because our conviction is enforced by the curses. I always used to say if you are not part of the solution your the problem. We are always meticulous in quelling all opposition. The early bird always gets the worm.