How does Psalm 35:5 illustrate God's justice against the wicked? Setting the Scene • Psalm 35 is David’s plea for vindication against enemies who slander and attack him without cause. • Verse 5 sits in a cluster of imprecations (vv. 4–8) where David calls on God to act decisively. • By inspiration of the Spirit, David’s words reveal how God deals with wicked aggressors in every age. The Text “May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.” (Psalm 35:5) Chaff—A Picture of Worthlessness and Exposure • In harvest season farmers tossed grain into the air; heavy kernels fell, light chaff blew away (Ruth 3:2). • Chaff has no nutritional value, no staying power, no future—precisely how God depicts the end of the wicked (Psalm 1:4; Job 21:18). • The image underscores justice: those who oppose God’s servant lose every lasting substance they thought they had. “Drives Them Away”—Justice That Is Swift and Irresistible • A strong wind scatters chaff instantly; there is no time to regroup. • Divine judgment operates with the same certainty—decisive, unavoidable, final (Isaiah 17:13). • Wicked schemes look imposing for a moment, but when God moves, their collapse is immediate (Psalm 73:18–19). The Angel of the LORD—God’s Personal Agent of Judgment • David invokes “the angel of the LORD”—the same heavenly warrior who: – Struck down the Egyptian firstborn (Exodus 12:23). – Routed Midian at Gideon’s call (Judges 6:11–21). – Felled 185,000 Assyrians overnight (2 Kings 19:35). • This shows justice is not abstract; God Himself ensures wickedness meets its due end. Key Qualities of God’s Justice Highlighted in Psalm 35:5 • Righteous: It answers unprovoked hostility with appropriate recompense (Proverbs 17:15). • Total: Nothing of the wicked remains—like chaff, they are dispersed (Malachi 4:1). • Timed by God: David prays, but God decides the moment; His calendar is perfect (2 Peter 3:9). • Protective: Judgment on the wicked simultaneously safeguards the faithful (Psalm 34:7). Echoes in the New Testament • John the Baptist applies the chaff imagery to Messiah’s end-time purge: “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). • Revelation depicts angels executing final judgments, mirroring the angelic activity David calls for (Revelation 14:18–20). Takeaways for Today • God sees unjust persecution; no evil deed slips through the cracks. • When His justice arrives, it is thorough—nothing solid remains of wicked power structures. • Believers can rest, knowing divine retribution is both literal and certain; we need not craft vengeance ourselves (Romans 12:19). • Psalm 35:5 assures us that temporary triumphs of evil are like chaff in a gust—brief, empty, soon forgotten, while God’s people endure forever (Psalm 37:18). |
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