Psalm 35:7-8

 Psalm 35:7-8

Traps and snares

 The bloodthirsty nature of these verses continue the theme of their predecessors. The King of Israel is not a happy man, he is angry with his enemies for their duplicitous scheming and their endless plots and plans for his demise. His anger is founded on a sense of injustice – he has done nothing to deserve such treatment. Why do men aim to destroy him? David uses the analogy of the hunter / poacher’s nets and pits; as you will be aware, these were often dug on pathways regularly used by the hunted quarry. They would be concealed and the unsuspecting victim would walk straight into them and be snared. In David’s mind the best thing that could happen is that his foes suffer the same fate that they had planned for him! May they be caught by surprise, hoisted by their own petard!

If you are under attack right now and the cause of your enemies is unjust, it does not hurt to pray like David. In fact, it’s a whole lot better to give voice to frustration and anger than to physically retaliate. Does our God not see what is happening to us? Of course He does, so we might as well speak to Him about it! The Satan will often spring surprises, he is an expert at snares and nets, and arrows fired when our defences are down are all part of his devious entrapments. Pray daily, that the angel of the Lord will be your protector and your enemies will not catch you unawares. 

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