O God, it is You who knows my folly,
And my wrongs are not hidden from You.
May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Dishonor has covered my face.
I have become estranged from my brothers
And an alien to my mother’s sons (Psalm 69:5-8).

How strangely this prayerful soliloquy of David reflects my own heart and situation these days. It's not clear what David meant by "my folly" and "my wrongs", but his expression suggests that only God is aware of it or only to God has he confessed it. Whatever the folly may have been, David commends those who wait on the LORD and seek Him, and he prays that his actions might not cause them any shame or dishonor. It is also clear that as David was seeking to honor the LORD, some of hs closest relations ("brothers", "mother's sons") had turned against him. 

When David declared, "O God, it is you who knows my folly," he was declaring God's omniscience. God not only knows David's folly, He also knows the folly of those that opposed him. And because God knows the hidden things of every heart, and because He is the standard for righteousness, He alone can bring a truly right and impartial judgment. David was doing what Paul would encourage the Corinthians to do:

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).

Friends, and I call you my friends because, like me, you know the Lord and trust in His Word as the supreme authority over our lives, let us seek God's wisdom, discernment, providence and grace for our attitude and conduct. Let us patiently act in obedience and trust and not swiftly react in anger and frustration. Let us first seek God's honor and then let us honor one another before we seek our own good. It is in this way that we will fulfill the Law of Christ. 

For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12).

Here is the difference between the hardships that God brings upon the righteous versus what He will bring upon the wicked. The righteous will be refined while the wicked will be destroyed. The righteous may suffer the same trials and may be even more grievously oppressed, even taken through fire; however, they will finally find themselves in "a place of abundance." But as for the final destiny of the wicked, Asaph writes,

Surely you place them on slippery ground;
    you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors! (Psalm 73:18-19).

Friends, this is why you should not grieve or complain if you suffer hardship in this life. If it is for God, then God will bless you (1 Peter 4:12-16). But if it is for sin, then you ought to confess and accept the discipline of the Lord, so that you may be restored to a right relationship with Him (cf. 1 John 1:9; Hebrews 12:4-11). If there is no explanation for your suffering, then you should simply keep on praising and serving God, trusting that He may be refining you, if not for this life, then for glory.

I have discovered that I complain far too much, and I am embittered far too easily by others. But I know that my God is in control of all things. Nothing escapes His perception. He has established my future in Christ, so what do I care about the irresponsibility, selfishness, pride, insensitivity, laziness, and ill-treatment by others. God does not call me to be bitter but better. He calls me simply to trust and to obey what He has designed for me to do. I know that once He has tried me through spiritual discipline, hard circumstances and unruly people, I will be refined and come forth as gold.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually. Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger. Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted. Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free. Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous. (Psalm 69:22-25, 27, 28 NLT)

Psalm 69 is called an "Imprecatory Psalm." It is called this because the psalmist pronounces imprecations (i.e. "spoken curses") on their enemies. This tone seems so very different from what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount:

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44 KJV)

Many theologians and scholars have, therefore, tried to depersonalize the nature of these imprecations, calling them instead an echo of God's judgment on the wicked.

But is this really necessary to do? Couldn't we just accept that Jesus taught something different than what was taught in the Old Testament? The very earthy nationalism of the Jewish people of the OT, which centered around Jerusalem and the Temple, was being displaced by a spiritual mission and message. That is why Jesus says to the Samaritan woman, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).

Even in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus first says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." And then follows with, "But I say unto you..." (Matthew 5:43-44 KJV). Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus cites several Old Testament teachings and then proceeds to clarify and enlarge their application, often showing that not merely an act but also the intention is just as important. In the Old Testament Jewish nationalism dictated their attitude toward their "enemies," where Jerusalem and the Temple defined true worship; however, with Jesus, national boundaries are removed and the Temple is in people's hearts; therefore, the enemies are not "flesh and blood" as before but spiritual. The battle is not agaiinst nations and rulers but against sin and spiritual forces of darkness (see Ephesians 6:10-17).

Now, back to the matter of imprecations. Let us understand that such curses are not to proceed from our lips. We are to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us. This is the Law of Christ. And this is how we do spiritual battle. The Old Testamnent principle of equal and retributive justice is no longer the rule for individual believers, even though governments still execute justice in this way. 

Therefore, friends, it is vital that we understand such changes from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Otherwise, you may find yourself reciting a psalm of imprecation against your enemies, or perhaps even against Christian brothers and sisters you don't like or who have done you wrong. You must not do it. Every Scripture must be seen in its own context and in the context of the whole of God's revelation in His Word. When we fail to do this, we misconstrue and distort God's truth to our own hurt and to the hurt of others. 

That said, within the Law of Christ there seems very little tolerance for false teaching. If there is any kind of imprecation, it is toward those who mishandle the Word of God. Thus, we find strong language from the Lord Jesus Christ against the teaching of the Pharisees, scribes and teachers of the Law (cf. Matthew 23). We find Paul condemning the false teaching of Judaizers in the Book of Galatians. In Revelation, John pronounces curses on those that would add to or take away from the book. And false teachers are not to be tolerated within the church (Titus 1:10-16). 

Friends, someone asked me a great question. It relates to Psalm 68:18, which says,

You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious,
That the LORD God might dwell there.

As is, the verse seems easily understandable. God has ascended to his throne in absolute triumph over his enemies, receiving gifts of tribute from everyone, even rebellious people, such that God might live among them. The ony problem is that when we come to the citation of this passage in the New Testament, there is a change in the wording:

      When He ascended on high,
      He led captivity captive,
      And gave gifts to men.

One reads that God received gifts among men, while the other reads that Christ gave gifts to men.  Is Paul purposely changing the Old Testament passage or is he trying to bring out a more expansive understanding of it? I think perhaps a bit of both may be happening here. Paul is citing the essence of the passage in the Old Testament, but there is no rule that forbids him to change up the wording to make his point. Jesus also does this in a citation of isaiah concerning the coming of Messiah (cf. Luke 4:18-19 with Isaiah 61:1-2). After all, the context of Psalm 18 is not immediately recognized as being Messianic but rather pointing to God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, as is evident from repeated references to Sinai. However, perhaps Paul is making a comparision and contrast here. In the victory of Sinai God triumphed over His enemies through violence. In the victory of Christ, He triumphed over His enemies by sacrificing Himself. When God triumphed, He received gifts from men. When Christ triumphed, He gave gifts to men. God did so to dwell among men. Christ did so to dwell in men. Both passages speak of a descent and ascent. And both speak of the triumph of God. Could Paul be comparing the redemption in the Exodus vs. the even greater redemption believers have in Christ?

From this citation Paul launches into a discussion on "the work of ministry for the edification of the body of Christ..." (Ephesians 4:12ff). What Sinai failed to do because it was weak in the flesh (i.e. people's sinful natures) God would accomplish through His Son (see Romans 8:1-4). The passage lists "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors-teachers" (Ephesians 4:11). As in other places, the order seems significant. The Bible teaches that the first two were foundational (cf. Ephesians 2:20) but do not persist to today. However, evangelists, who propogate the Gospel, and pastors-teachers, who establish new believers into the church, do persist. I've only skirted the surface of comparing the context of Psalm 68 with Paul in Ephesians 4. It would be an interesting study for someone to pursue further. Hint. Hint.

The Psalmist here asks God to bless him and his people so that all the peoples on earth may know God. I see the reason for God's election for the Israelites: to bless all the peoples on earth. They were supposed to be separate from other peoples and to show the Way of God but failed miserably due to their sinful nature. God blessed us in so many ways not only that we may enjoy them but also that we may be a blesser to others. Everything that we do or have is for His glory and honor!