Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. (Psalm 35:1-2)
Based on the number of psalms accredited to him and considering their content, it appears that a good part of David’s life was contentious and strife filled. Typically he was not the instigator but the victim just trying to stay ahead of his pursuers. It must have been frustrating to say the least and, no doubt, there were times when emotions got the best of him as evidenced by the psalms that bear his name. In that light, consider the beginning of this psalm, written during one of those times when he was trying to evade his oppressors. David asked for the “Lord to plead my cause.” It might be better translated as “Contend for me.” However, some commentators boil his statements down to this word — “Fight!”
My point is, in his frustrated and anxiety filled state of mind, David speaks rather plainly to the Almighty — “Fight for me.” This raises a question in my mind: are we permitted to direct God to do as we wish? I say this because it could be argued that the wording used by David doesn’t sound like a request as much as it does a command. And so I say again, can we speak to God in such a way and expect Him to respond according to our word? As we ponder this, let us consider what happened during the conquest of Canaan:
“Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.’ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped”
Notice Joshua spoke to the Lord; again, this doesn’t sound so much like a request but sounds more along the lines of a command. Whatever word you want to use to describe it, the bottom line is this — God did according to what was spoken. The sun did stand still in the sky until Israel’s enemies were decimated. There are other instances when God responded to a person’s declaration, seemingly, without any hesitation. And so it does appear as if there are times when plain speaking resulted in a miraculous outcome.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that we can or should issue orders to God or treat Him as some genie. No, He is the Sovereign Lord of the Universe and it behooves us to approach Him reverently and with a Godly fear. At the same time, there is plenty of Scripture supporting the notion that we can make our petitions known and expect Him to answer. It might be that, sometimes, the answer is “No.” Nevertheless, as it is written: the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). At times that prayer may require many words, but sometimes, it may be as simple as “Fight!”
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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