Introduction: Psalm 35 is addressed to God, and it is a prayer from David's heart for help from God. Let me assure you again that God DOES answer prayer. You don't need to write God a letter, all you need to do is talk to Him, and He is there, and He is listening (share Jerusalem letters to God article from newspaper). David prays for two things specifically in Psalm 35:

I. David prays for God to be his Advocate (vss 1, 23-24).

The King James translation is superior in this Psalm to most of the modern versions, which substitute the word "contend" for "plead."

The Hebrew word is "rib," and according to Vine's Expository Dictionary means "to plead, strive, conduct a legal case, make a charge." The prophets used the word "rib" frequently to indicate that God has an indictment, a legal case, against Israel. Here, David is asking God to be his lawyer, to plead his case.

People often have a negative view of lawyers, but when you need a good lawyer, you REALLY NEED a good lawyer, and you will be grateful. The lawyer image I have in my head is Perry Mason, the fictional TV lawyer who every week saved a poor innocent person from being wrongly convicted of a crime actually done by someone else. I know five lawyers personally, and they are all good Christian people.

Charles Spurgeon wrote this comment about verse one:

"Plead against those who plead against me; strive with my strivers; contend with my contenders. If they urge their suit in the law-court, Lord, meet them there, and beat them at their own weapons. Every saint of God shall have this privilege: the accuser of the brethren shall be met by the Advocate of the saints."

Satan used to be the prosecuting lawyer in Heaven, speaking against us. But he has been cast down (Revelation 12:10).

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down."

Satan has been cast away from God's throne, and replaced by our defense attorney, Jesus Christ the righteous. Our Lawyer in Heaven is Jesus Christ. In I John 2:1 He is called our "advocate," another name for a lawyer.

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..."

The gangster of the 1920's used to call his lawyer a "mouthpiece." The word "advocate" means "to speak on behalf of someone else." The old saying is that the individual who defends himself in court has a fool for a lawyer. When you are in the court pleading your case, you need an expert to plead your case on your behalf. Who better to speak out for you than Jesus, God's Son?

We are all sinners. We need a Savior. Jesus can plead your case better than anyone else, because Jesus died for your sins on the cross. The old hymn by Charles Wesley, "Arise My Soul, Arise," explains what I mean. (Page 199 in our hymn book) Note especially verses one and three:

"Arise my soul, arise. Shake off thy guilty fears. The bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears. Before the throne my surety (the one who guarantees my victory) stands, before the throne my surety stands. My name is written on His hands."

"Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary. They pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me. Forgive him, oh forgive! they cry; Forgive him, oh forgive! they cry; nor let than ransomed sinner die."

Jesus can function effectually as our Advocate, because He is also our High Priest, and our Mediator.

"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
(Hebrews 10:11-14)

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).

And so David asks God to plead his case. And God does indeed plead his case, and our case, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

II. David prays for God to be his Avenger.

David wants God to take up arms against his enemies; not just against Satan, but also against people who hate him, and who try to harm him (Psalm 35:2-8).

Note: David does not go after these enemies himself, but asks God to do it. This is in agreement with Paul's advice to Christians in Romans 12:17-21:

Rom 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
Rom 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Rom 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
Rom 12:20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We are not allowed to take up arms against our enemies in this age of the world in a sort of holy war. We are not allowed to fight the spiritual battle with worldly weapons. Our goal is not to kill people, but to win them to faith in Christ. Christ's Kingdom will be established by the power of the Gospel, not by guns and bombs. But in the case of enemies who are truly evil, and who are the avowed enemies of God Himself, we are allowed to pray that God would be our Avenger. He promises "It is mine to avenge; I WILL repay." The souls of the saints in Heaven cry out for vengeance, and God promises to avenge them at the end of the age:

"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled" (Rev. 6:9-11).

Conclusion: We now live in the AGE OF GRACE, not the AGE OF THE WRATH OF GOD. Jesus said:

John 3:17 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Peter wrote of God's patient offer of grace to a fallen world:

2 Pet 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

The Bible tells us that God is a God of mercy. But it also says that He is a God of wrath. He offers salvation and forgiveness to everyone who will respond to the Gospel message, and repent and turn to Christ. But He also says that judgment day is coming.

Please ask yourself this morning: "Am I ready to die? Am I ready to meet God?" The length of life is very uncertain. We never know when an accident or an illness may bring our lives to a sudden end. If you died today, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven? Let's have a word of prayer together, and make sure right now. Amen.