Enemies
without and within
As with many of David’s Psalms, his enemies are the subject of his prayers. From Saul to the Philistines, to the Amalekites, and even to his son, Absalom, David dealt with a lot of opposition during his life. He prays, “Let not my enemies exult over me.”
David also recognized something we often forget – not all of his enemies were the flesh and blood type. Further, some of them existed within his own heart. He had enemies without and within.
This is why in the middle of praying about his external, human enemies, David turns his attention to the man in the mirror. He prays for pardon from his guilt “for it is great,” (verse 11). He wants God to “consider his affliction and trouble,” (those external foes), but also to forgive all his sins (verse 18).
I was talking with someone recently, and they were ranting about other people who had done them wrong. They had a substantial list of offenders. I gently commented that there are usually two sides to every story and rarely are conflicts 100 percent someone else’s fault. It might be 70/30 or 60/40, but we all have some guilt to bear.
David is not absolving his enemies of their responsibility before God, but he also is not honest about his faults. There is wisdom in this
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