Psalm 35 is a royal psalm of the king who is seeking the Lord’s assistance both legally and militarily concerning international treaty violations. It appears a foreign power aligned with David through an international treaty is using false accusations to incite legal proceedings in hope of developing a military conflict with Israel.
Military language is used in verses 35:1-3, but reference to the inflammatory legal challenges by false witnesses creating false legal charges are found in 35:11:
“Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.”
Even the Hebrew word in 35:1 for “contesters” (or, “those who contend”) is yerivim which is from the Hebrew word riv meaning “a legal disputation.”
“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!”
David is asking for the Lord’s help in this international legal battle that has the potential of escalating into a war.
Besides being an expert in the courtroom, the Lord is also the champion on the battle field. He is described in 35:3 as:
- The one who steadies the shield carried by the soldier
- The one who steadies the buckler which is the large body shield carried by the armor bearer for the soldier.
- The one who unsheathes the spear for an offensive attack from a distance
- The one who unsheathes the sword for an offensive attack up close in hand-to-hand combat.
The phrase “I am your victory,” could be the oracle from the Lord that was received by the officiating priest. Thus, the king would have received confirmation of victory concerning the international treaty talks or assurance of victory in the case the peace negotiations failed and Israel was drawn into war. In the case of war the oracle "I am your victory" from the lips of the priest could have become the battle cry shouted by the soldiers in battle formation: “The Lord is our victory!” |
