The psalm is a cry for God’s deliverance. The psalmist cried to God for help from those who were speaking evil against him as he struggled to live at peace with himself and others.

In verse 1, he proclaimed that God would answer him when he called to Him for help as he faced wicked liars speaking evil against him. He is confident that God will answer his prayer. In verse 2, he asked God to deliver him from these wicked liars who spoke evil against him.

There will be times when we cannot defend ourselves. We can only turn to God to ask Him for help. We can ask Him to deliver us from those who are causing us frustration and pain, especially those who are speaking evil against us. We must put our faith in God to deliver us from such evil liars who are saying all these lies against us instead of just bearing with them.

In verse 3, the psalmist asked rhetorically, “What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?” The answer is in verse 4, “A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!” In other words, he believes God would vindicate him. He will punish these wicked liars for what they have done or said against him.

These two verses assure us that God will vindicate us on our behalf. He will punish the evil liars for what they have said about us or against us. However, our natural reaction or response would be to defend ourselves or speak evil back against them. We must resist the temptation to retaliate or speak evil back against them. We must rise above such people and do what is right and pleasing to God.

In verse 5, he describes his situation by lamenting to God about it. He said he is living among deceitful people in a land that has no peace. It was a hostile environment that made him feel he faced injustice as strife pervaded the environment he was in. In verse 6, he claimed it had been a long time since he had lived under such a condition. He hopes God will act quickly.

The struggles we face are real, and we can lament in self-pity like the psalmist. But no matter how long we have suffered the injustices, we must resist the temptation to strike back at them. But we can lament or have self-pity, but we must not react negatively in response to what they are doing to us. We are to trust God to vindicate us.

In verse 7, he tells God of his desire to live in peace. But as a man of peace, he could not bear to live perfectly in such an environment. He found himself speaking of war.

Like the psalmist, we can find ourselves responding and reacting negatively towards our enemies in our human weakness. We can speak provocatively, “the words of war.” I pray that we will not resort to anything “war-like” in response or react in times of weakness. We must continue to live in peace despite using words of war.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I ask for grace to be at peace in my heart and mind so that I can learn to live peacefully with others even under provocation. May the Lord of peace give me the strength to overcome my heart and mind to resist the temptation to speak or act like my provocateur in such times. Amen.