READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XXVII
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Psalm 35
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Psalm 35 contains motifs already familiar in this series. The besieged psalmist turns to God and prays for his enemies to suffer unpleasant consequences. In this text, those consequences include treading a dark and slippery path, falling victim to the net they have set for the psalmist, and experiencing disgrace. The psalmist acknowledges that his not alone, in human terms, in his dire straits. As he prays for blessings on his allies, he predicts divine deliverance and expresses confidence in God.
The situation in which the psalmist finds himself is severe, as the metaphors reveal. The military metaphor, introduced at the beginning, gives way to the jungle metaphor in verse 17. The attacking army transforms into jungle predators. And the psalmist wonders why God has yet to deliver him.
Human impatience with divine timing is understandable. I recall feeling such impatience. I feel it as I write this post, too. In Revelation, martyrs in Heaven express impatience with perceived divine delays in rescuing the persecuted faithful on Earth. Given that detail, I make no apology for adding my impatience to that of certain Biblical authors.
If the poor are to praise, Yahweh must act for the poor. If the praise is about incomparability, then God must act in incomparable ways. Yahweh is here pressed to be a God for those below. God’s incomparability is profoundly linked to the wellbeing of the helpless.
–Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary (1984), 65-66
Psalm 35 bears comparison to the Book of Job. Both texts ask difficult questions about the nature of God and contain expressions of trust in God despite the protagonist’s harrowing circumstances.
As I ponder impatience with perceived divine delays in rescuing the faithful, I add the absence of rescues in many cases to the agenda. The ranks of the martyrs are legion. I also refuse to offer easy, pat answers to difficult and vexing questions. I add my voice to those of Job, the author of Psalm 35, and the disgruntled martyrs in Heaven in Revelation:
How long, O Lord?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 2, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT GASPAR DEL BUFALO, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
THE FEAST OF JOHANN KONRAD WILHELM LOEHE, BAVARIAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, AND COORDINATOR OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS NARCISSUS OF TOMI, ARGEUS OF TOMI, AND MARCELLINUS OF TOMI, ROMAN MARTYRS, 320
THE FEAST OF SAINT ODILO OF CLUNY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SABINE BARING-GOULD, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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