This psalm found new meaning for me when I recognized something in verse 18. I saw that verse and thought of a verse in Hebrews chapter 2 which sounds very similar. I found that the verse I was thinking of quoted a different psalm, but a very similar spirit. And the verse in Hebrews was talking about Jesus. And so I read this psalm wondering if Jesus had similar thoughts on the cross.
Certainly, Jesus was so close to humanity that he mourned when bad things happened (including Lazarus and others). And although Jesus came to bring salvation to all people, all people united in one moment on the side of Jesus' execution- repaying evil for good (verse 12). And at the crucifixion, Jesus was finally beaten by all of his enemies... where was Jesus' vindication?
We find that on the third day- Jesus rose from the dead. In our human-ness, we often want bloodthirsty revenge. Just think about the rise of the revenge movie- almost all superhero movies are really revenge movies in disguise. And they are some of the most popular movies out there. And we love the idea that God will step in and clear our enemies out.
A popular Talmud reading is a story about the crossing of the Red Sea. As soon as the Israelites are across and Pharaoh's army is destroyed, the angels rejoice. God's response to the angels is basically "Why do you rejoice? Those Egyptians were my children too." Let us realize today that our enemies are children of God and long for reconciliation and the day when there will be no more enemies (Isaiah 65:25).
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