The Day of Epiphany (Ps) January 6th

Psalm 35:1-16

¹  Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; 

fight against those who fight against me! 

²  Take hold of shield and buckler 

and rise for my help! 

³  Draw the spear and javelin 

against my pursuers! 

Say to my soul, 

“I am your salvation!” 

⁴  Let them be put to shame and dishonor 

who seek after my life! 

Let them be turned back and disappointed 

who devise evil against me! 

⁵  Let them be like chaff before the wind, 

with the angel of the Lord driving them away! 

⁶  Let their way be dark and slippery, 

with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! 

⁷  For without cause they hid their net for me; 

without cause they dug a pit for my life. 

⁸  Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! 

And let the net that he hid ensnare him; 

let him fall into it—to his destruction! 

⁹  Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, 

exulting in his salvation. 

¹⁰  All my bones shall say, 

“O Lord, who is like you, 

delivering the poor 

from him who is too strong for him, 

the poor and needy from him who robs him?” 

¹¹  Malicious witnesses rise up; 

they ask me of things that I do not know. 

¹²  They repay me evil for good; 

my soul is bereft. 

¹³  But I, when they were sick— 

I wore sackcloth; 

I afflicted myself with fasting; 

I prayed with head bowed on my chest. 

¹⁴  I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; 

as one who laments his mother, 

I bowed down in mourning. 

¹⁵  But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; 

they gathered together against me; 

wretches whom I did not know 

tore at me without ceasing; 

¹⁶  like profane mockers at a feast, 

they gnash at me with their teeth. 

There are many people in the world that set out to lay traps for the faithful.  There are some who will try to convince you of their lies.  They will even set traps to twist your own words against you.  There are even some who will go so far to set up nets, or physical traps to ensnare your life.

The Psalmist reminds us people love to see when we fall, or fail.  There are many people out there that do not care about their neighbor.  They do not care about you.  But who do you gloat over, who do you see stumble and laugh at them when they fall.  Who do you set traps for, maybe not to have them deny their faith but have them look bad in the sight of others.

There are many of us who look upon people who are better than us and mock them.  There are many people in the world who stand by and let other people be hurt or harmed.  Jesus Christ was mocked and beaten while many people watched without doing a single thing.  God often times is mocked by the populous and the world and we just stand by and laugh.

God did not stand by when you fell into sin.  God did not stand by you when you were conceived in Sin.  God does not turn away from you, mock or laugh at you.  God stands ever ready to take your hand and lift you out of your sinful filth.  God offers you the forgiveness of sins.  He offers you salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.