In Brazil we have a saying when something very bad happens to us and we do not wish that on anybody, we say, “I do not wish that on anybody, not even to my worst enemy.” The last verses of the Psalm 129, the psalmist expresses some harsh words toward his enemies.
Some scholars think that it is a prayer, but others think that it is a prophecy. It is as if the psalmist was saying that this is what would happen if the enemies do those things. Some commentators just believe that the psalmist desires their defeat.
That is the second part of this psalm; it is an expression of his desire toward his enemies. As you can see he is clear in his desire, he wants their defeat in all areas of life.
This can shock you, but this is the beauty of the Scriptures, and principally, the psalms, we can see inside the heart of the psalmist. They express things that we would never say out loud. The psalmist really wants his enemies to be defeated; it is as simple as that.
A – In the Social Life (public) – “[5] May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.” Turn back in shame. The first defeat that the psalmist desires for his enemies is the defeat in the public life. The psalmist prays for a public defeat, so everybody would know that his enemy’s war and attacks were an unjust and wrong war.
B – In the Material Life – “[6] May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;” On top of public defeat, the psalmist desires his enemies to have brevity of life and productivity. Yes, this is the second thing that he desires a material defeat in their lives. He wants them to be ashamed and to pay financially for what they have done against God, faith, and the children of God.
C – In the Spiritual Life – “[8] May those who pass by not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.” Finally, he does not want them to have the blessings of the people and the blessings of the Lord. If they are doing something wrong the psalmist does not want people to say: “God bless you!”
As you can see the psalmist desires a spiritual defeat for those enemies. They will know that their gods and beliefs are wrong. They will not be blessed by anybody. The blessings that support us in our struggles will lack in their lives because they do not accept God and His word.
This psalm helps us to know that in our lives we will face enemies who do not like our God, our faith and consequently, us. This psalm helps us to learn how they act, how they do, and what they will do against us. But we also learn how to resist and how to deal with the desires that we have in our hearts toward those enemies.
My friend, in our journey in this world we will suffer, some of us a little bit, some of us a lot, and we will face enemies that will do anything in their power to slow us down or totally immobilize us, but they will not succeed. At the end we will stand victorious with our Lord and our faith.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Lucas