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Psalm 109:17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be for him.

”What goes around comes around.” In this imprecatory Psalm, David prays a prayer of reciprocity upon his enemy. “You get what you give.” The man that curses others finds that his curses return back upon himself. And if he does not bless others, blessings will not come to him. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Give, and it shall be given.” This “law of reciprocity” is built into the Creation, and we do well when we live by this principle.

The natural man’s response to bad people and things is to curse; the godly man’s response is to bless and forgive. “Forgive us as we forgive.” The expected response to being forgiven is to forgive. We love because He first loved us. The sequence is continual: we sin, Jesus died for us, we believe and receive, we forgive and do good. Forgiveness and blessing is a way of life. It is what we do. And when we pray for our enemies and bless, not curse, them, the blessing returns back upon us. Life is good and we feel better.

Psalm 109:4, 7 For my love they are my adversaries; but I give myself unto prayer….When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

In this Imprecatory Psalm, David prays for curses of all kinds on his enemies. David’s response to his enemies’ attacks and accusations is prayer. He is so full of prayer that, in the literal translation, he says, “I am prayer.” He submerges himself so fully into God and that relationship that he is prayer. And on the other hand, he prays that the so called prayers of his adversaries become sin, that is, they offend God in their hypocrisy and unbelief.

Our spiritual enemies, sin, death, and the devil, are constantly attacking us, but by faith in Christ we immediately and continually turn to God in prayer so that we are victorious in Him. Jesus has defeated the Enemy once and for all at the cross and the tomb. We take that victory and turn it into prayer for the good of self and others and against the evil intentions of our enemies.

A helpful key is recognizing the spiritual enemies and praying, but since we don’t always see what is going on we turn ourselves into prayer, practicing the Presence of God, thinking of His love, and always thanking and praising Him in our hearts. In this way we are prayer and always ready.

Psalm 107:8, 15, 21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

Repeated three times in this Psalm, “Praise the Lord” becomes a theme of this Psalm and all the Psalms. Praising the Lord all the time and for everything is the continuing response of the believer, for the goodness of God lasts forever and is always there, and for His wonderful works which is how He shows His goodness and mercy. The goodness of God and the great works of God is shown to us in the gospel of the death and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation.

The effects of this Gospel message are always in effect, for God the Father in Christ through the Spirit is constantly loving, caring, forgiving and saving us. The response of praise never ends as we hold His grace in our spirit all the time and as we praise the Lord in the gathered congregation on Sunday. We always have something to praise God for, His goodness and His works, and for His mercies which are new every morning.

Praising the Lord always lifts our spirits for these words and actions make us aware of God’s Presence and conscious of His goodness and mercy. Knowing, believing, and thinking about God has the effect of making us feel better.

Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them.

This refrain is spoken four times in this Psalm. The truth is repeated because the problem (trouble) and the solution (delivered) is repeated many times in the life of the people. From the beginning of their salvation at the Exodus, through the wilderness wandering, after the conquest of the Land, and to the present day, the cycle is repeated: sin, trouble, crying out, and deliverance.

So it is in our life, too, when we analysis it Biblically. Over and again, our sin causes trouble and distress, we pray when we are in trouble, and the Lord hears, answers and delivers. The Christian, being both saint and sinner at the same time, lives within this pattern weekly and daily. We don’t see precisely how this pattern works itself out or where we are in the cycle, for we are always sinners, always in trouble, always praying, and always being saved, with all four parts working at the same time. So we pray without ceasing, repent and believe daily, and always live in the peace, love and joy of the Lord.

Psalm 107:1-2 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

This refrain of prayer and thanks is written many times in the Psalms, and it is used as a mealtime prayer by Christians everywhere. Giving thanks is our constant prayer throughout life, spoken every day. Thanking God always is a hallmark of the believer’s life. A thankful attitude of gratitude is everlastingly in our hearts, keeping us humble, faithful, and dependent on God for all things. It is our constant state of mind, for He is always good and His mercy (faithful love) is forever.

The Lord has done it all, finished the work of salvation, and continues to provide daily and richly. Nothing is left for us to do but give thanks all the time. And then we say so, speaking and living lives that witness to the goodness and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” We thank God always, and at times say so, confess with the lips and praise God. We respond in faith to God’s redemption from our spiritual enemies. Say so with prayer, praise and thanking.

Psalm 106:47-48 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting; and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.

The Lord saved us and gathered us from among the heathen of this world. Our response is to thank Him and triumph in His praise. We sing the victory song and do the victory dance, for our Lord and Savior has defeated our enemies and won the victory. From eternity past to the present to eternity future the Lord is blessed forever. God is good; God is great; all the time.

Therefore, if we are eternally saved and constantly blessed in Christ, our whole life from morn till even our days are filled with thanks, praise and victory. Faith in Christ brings never-ending thanks. God is always good, even when we are not feeling good. But we praise God for He is good and His mercy is everlasting, even when we don’t feel it. We praise the Lord in every circumstance for He never fails. Faith knows, loves, and praises. All the time. Then our feelings catch up. And everyone said: Amen!

Psalm 106:37-39 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils. And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they were defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

The children of Israel sinned against the Lord in the most abhorrent way imaginable: they sacrificed their own sons and daughters to demons. Worshipping other gods and idols was evil enough, but sacrificing one’s children to them is something else. Israel came into a new land and asked, “How do you get it to rain and grow crops here?” The pagan residents showed them how to sacrifice to the idol gods, which are actually demons.

This kind of response to the grace and salvation of God is a graphic example of how dark and ugly the sin in us really is. Our sins should be as abhorrent to us as child sacrifice and demon worship. When we see our evil sin nature to be as dark as it really is, then we are all the more thankful for the forgiveness of sin earned for us and given to through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After we confess, we deeply appreciate the love of God for forgiveness and life.

”Religion” seeks to impress the supernatural with our own works, ideas and inventions, while the true and only religion tells us that God is only pleased with the sacrifice of His Son for us. No further sacrifice is required.

Psalm 108:34-36 But they did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them; But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

The children of Israel did not respond to God’s salvation with pure and single-minded devotion to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Not only did they live among the heathen, but they also adopted their ways and their gods.

It is sin and rebellion to not worship the Lord alone, but to mix and mingle with the world’s ways and its gods. It is hard to be in the world but not of the world. The Lord holds a jealous love for His beloved children, and He knows the dangers and temptations of the gods of this world. Leaving the narrow way to God exposes us to the snares of the devil, the world, and the flesh.

We sinfully want to have our feet in two different worlds, which are opposed to one another. Paul says, “What fellowship has Christ with Belial?” Elijah says, “How long will ye limp along with two opinions? If the Lord be God, serve him; if Baal, be god, serve him.” We believe Jesus alone, and live for Him alone.

Psalm 106:32-33 They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill for Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

The people responded to their experience of thirst and pain by complaining bitterly against the Lord and against His servant Moses. This action provoked Moses so that he struck the rock instead of obediently speaking to it as the Lord commanded. For this action of anger and unbelief Moses was banished from entering the Promised Land himself. It may have been the people’s fault, but Moses reacted wrongly in frustration to the complaints and unbelief, and he suffered the consequences.

We may cry, beg, and complain to the Lord in time of need, but to carry it further into blame and accusation is sin and unbelief. Then it causes others, like Moses, to sin and blame. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we complain about our lot in life and blame God for it. Complaining never does any good, and it negatively affects other people. It can also lead to unbelief and rebellion, and that will not go well for us. Therefore, we confess our sinfulness and receive forgiveness for Christ’s sake.

Psalm 106:28-29 They joined themselves also unto Baal-Peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions; and the plague brake in upon them.

Even after the Lord delivered them and made a Covenant with them, they broke the First of the Commandments by worshipping (joining themselves to) false gods. Baal and other idols were in fact demons and the inventions of their corrupted human minds.

Idolatry, trusting in something other than the Lord God, is a grievous sin that provokes God’s jealous wrath. The Lord has placed His worth and value on and given His life to His created humans beings. To replace God alone as the source of all good is to despise Him and His love. Understandably, this releases God’s righteous wrath.

Idolatry comes in many forms and temptations present themselves in so many different ways that we don’t always recognize the sin. We are simply to look to God alone for all good, which we find impossible to do for it seems to us that good things come from the world. Jesus is the only good, and we seek first His kingdom.