The Psalmist urges God to intervene for him because of personal attacks and accusations from those he considered his friends. Having ugly rumors spread about us may be one of the most painful kinds of suffering. Then, the psalmist prays for God to curse his accuser, with a detailed description of how he wants him to be utterly crushed and forsaken (6-20). The Psalmist may not be practicing "love your enemy" here, but at least he is taking his struggle to God and not taking revenge with his own hands. Then, he sends an earnest plea for help to God, confessing how weak he is (21-29). When our strength is almost gone, our prayers may not sound very gracious; still, God will answer in the best way. The Psalmist ends with praise for God who saves the needy (30-31).

The apostles understood this Psalm as a description of Jesus' betrayal and suffering to pay the price for our sins, and of the condemnation that came upon Judas Iscariot. We may take comfort in knowing that Jesus has experienced all the pain that we have, even the pain of betrayal.


Application: Father, help me pour out my heart to you when I am unfairly treated. Thank you for Jesus who was betrayed in order to take the punishment for our sins.
One Word: God saves the needy from accusers.