The last two verses (vv. 30, 31) are a powerful and effective ending to this admittedly difficult psalm. They anticipate the deliverance David has been asking for and promise that David will use his mouth to praise God for his deliverance. His accusers use their mouths to accuse and curse him. He will use his to extol and bless God.
Today we continue our look at the curses of David, which are being spoken against one or more of his foes. Recall that in yesterday's study we looked at satan, the accuser's accuser.
When we pass from the opening stanza to the second, central portion of the psalm (vv. 6-20) we find an interesting change—quite apart from the curses. The references to David's enemies change from being plural (“they”) to being singular (“he,” “him” and “his”). This continues until verse 20 where the references become plural once again (“accusers”). What are we to make of this? It may be a Hebrew idiom meaning “each and every one of them,” which verse 20 seems to support since its return to the plural seems to be a summary. But it is more likely that David is speaking of a specific individual. The Apostle Peter took it this way when he viewed verse 8 as a prophetic reference to Judas Iscariot (in Acts 1:20).
Although Psalm 109 is going to be filled with terrible imprecations on his enemies, David begins mildly enough, merely asking God not to remain silent, which means to act against his foes (vv. 1-5). Why should God act? What troubles David is his enemies' words, for they speak against him “with lying tongues” and with “words of hatred” (vv. 2, 3). It is by what they say that they repay “evil for good” and “hatred” for “friendship” (v. 5). These opening verses caused Martin Luther to see the psalm as being directed almost entirely "against those who disparage another's reputation."
Psalm 109 is the last of the imprecatory psalms. Imprecation has to do with praying for or calling down curses on one's enemies, which followers of Christ are not supposed to do. So for that reason the imprecatory psalms are among the most troubling parts of Scripture for Christians and Christian sensibilities.
