Psalm 119:78

We continue considering the prayers of the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Jod.  We are in a stretch of prayers that all begin with the word let. 

Psalms 119:78  Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.

In this psalm the author mentions the proud five times.  According to verse 21, the proud err from God’s commandments.  They think they know better than God what is best for their lives.  Setting themselves at odds with Almighty God, the proud also oppose the servants of God such as the psalmist.  Therefore, they had had the psalmist “greatly in derision” (verse 51) and they had forged a lie against him (verse 69).  In the next octave we find that they had digged pits for him (verse 85).  In today’s verse he states they dealt perversely with me without a cause.

Perversely – In a way obstinately contrary to what is proper, true, or good; untowardly, vexatiously, crossly.

The proud did not treat the psalmist right.  He had given these people no reason to cross him.  Yet they dealt with him crossly.  Of course, at the root of their mistreatment was the fact that there was something about his life and testimony that rebuked them, that exposed their wrong.

Psalms 38:20  They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.

Proverbs 29:27  …he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

If you have no just cause to deal adversely with someone, you have no cause at all!  Therefore, if someone ever deals wrongly with you, if they shun you, if they smite you, if they make fun of you, if they slander you, if they drag you into court on false charges, ask yourself why they are doing this.  If the answer is because you are telling the truth or doing the right thing, then you know you are dealing with a proud person, with someone who is too stuck on himself to admit his error.  And should this be the case, then you are in good company.  This is just how the proud dealt with our Lord because His teaching and works exposed them.

John 15:22  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

23  He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24  If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25  But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

Being dealt with perversely by the proud is part of the price we pay for being the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now the psalmist prays this prayer for the proud who dealt perversely with him:  Let the proud  be ashamed.  There are two ways this prayer might be answered.  It will be answered in the destruction of the proud when God arises to avenge His servants.

Psalms 94:1  O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2  Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

23  And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

Psalms 83:17  Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish….

Or it may be answered in the proud seeing their error, being ashamed, and turning to the Lord as did Saul of Tarsus, for example.

Psalms 83:16  Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

Acknowledging the ill treatment he had received from the proud and committing the problem to the Lord in prayer, the psalmist returns to the recurring theme of this 119^th psalm, which is the written word of God.  Instead of using all his mental and emotional energy fretting over how the proud had treated him, the psalmist rather turned his focus upon his Bible:  but I will meditate in thy precepts.  In God’s precepts we find our strength to cope with whatever is thrown at us by the proud.  Moreover, in meditating in God’s precepts we shift our focus to what the Lord commands us to do.  Instead of thinking so much about what proud men do to us, we rather put our mind to what we need to do to serve and honour the Lord.  What the proud do to you is not nearly so important as what you do.  The Lord will take care of the proud.  Just you mind that you do your duty to your God regardless of what men do to you.