“Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (v1-5)
An initial note is that in many Hebrew manuscripts, this Psalm is combined with 42, which makes sense since they have the identical wording and this one is only 5 verses long – it does seem to fit better as a continuation of 42 than a standalone Psalm.
Why would the Psalmist ask for vindication from an unfaithful nation? What does vindication even mean? Well, according to the dictionary it means “the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion; proof that someone or something is right, reasonable, or justified.” Odd, why would you need to be cleared of blame or suspicion?
Jesus and Paul both apparently needed to be vindicated.
“When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge -to the great amazement of the governor. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.’ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.” (Mat 27:12-14,19-20) Jesus was completely innocent, yet He was condemned to death anyway.
“So Paul… began his defense: ‘King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews… And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today.’ The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. After they left the room, they began saying to one another, ‘This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.’ ” (Acts 26:1b-2,6,30-31) Paul too was persecuted without a just cause, and we know that he ended up dying in Roman captivity.
The Bible is also clear that we need vindication from sin: “Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:39) “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Rom 4:25) “Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.” (Rom 5:16)
Vindication/justification is a gift of the cross – in God’s eyes we are justified of our sin through Jesus, yet in the world’s (Satan’s) eyes we should receive persecution as a result of that justification. How ironic – God’s justification for us leads to the world’s conviction of us. Inversely, the world’s approval of us/sin leads to God’s disapproval of us/sin (conviction and condemnation). How backwards is the way of the world?
Personally, I rather be approved by God, even though it means being condemned by those “who do not know what they are doing”. (Lk 23:34)
Father, even though I have sinned and fallen short of your Glory, You have redeemed me by Your gift of grace which is in Christ Jesus. Thank you that through our faith in Jesus we are justified, and can be at peace with you. (Rom 5:1, Rom 3:23-24)
~ Conqueror in Training