Today we meditate on the second half of what is admittedly a rather difficult psalm. Slandered by enemies, David prays that God would bring judgment on them and their families—a reminder of sin’s solidarity. The evil done by one person will always harm others, especially those closest to him or her (v 9-15). The one attacking God’s anointed king shows no signs of repentance. All of us sin, but this person is sinning deliberately and gleefully, and fully intends to keep doing so. He never considered showing kindness to others, but found pleasure in persecuting the poor and the brokenhearted. Yet David recognizes that people reap what they sow, and God’s judgment often works through natural consequences. In the long run, evildoers will receive back what they did to others. Their punishment will correspond to their sins (v 16-19). Then the mood suddenly changes with the words, “But You, O God, my Lord.” With his eyes drawn heavenward, David makes an appeal for God to act on his behalf and save him. Since he has been slandered, it is remarkable that his great concern is not with his own reputation, but with God’s. Most of all, David wants God’s name to be vindicated. Conscious of his own weakness, he grounds his appeal in the LORD’s “steadfast love.” Though his enemies curse him, David knows God loves him and will answer his prayers (v 20-29). The final two verses provide a powerful and effective ending. Early in the psalm, David spoke of liars who “accuse” him (v 4), and he wished that an “accuser” would stand at the right hand of the one who hates him (v 6). This sets a legal or judicial tone for the psalm, for in the ancient courts, your accuser would stand at your right hand, prosecuting his case against you. Later, we read of “accusers” who are speaking evil against David’s life (v 20), and “accusers” who have cursed him (v 29). What a defendant needs in this situation is an advocate or lawyer, someone who will stand at his right hand to plead his case before the judge. And as Psalm 109 comes to a close, that’s exactly what happens. David is giving thanks for God’s salvation, and the lawyer who “stands at the right hand of the needy one” is none other than the LORD Himself (v 30-31). In Jesus Christ, God has come to be our advocate. Satan is our accuser, and we have no answer, because we are sinful. We are unworthy. But praise the Lord, the Savior stands in our defense! Only through faith in Him can our souls be saved, rather than justly condemned to eternal death. For further meditation: