Picture this scenario:
Every day, at work, your coworkers terrorize you. They call you names, get you in trouble on purpose and even mess with your work. One day, the leader of this group comes and ask if you could work for them that night because they weren't feeling well. You agree to the arrangement as much as you would like to say no. This person is nice to you for about five minutes, but the next day goes back bullying. How might you handle this situation?
In Psalm 35, David seems to be facing this same dilemma. In my opinion, he reacts the same way most of us would.
"I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one mourneth for his mother. But in mine adversity they rejoiced and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not." Psalm 35:14-15, KJV
We often times react this same way. Even though we say we are doing good works out of selfless ambitions, we usually still have a selfish ambition hiding in the background.
Why do we expect others to treat us any differently due to our good deeds?
Why do we treat others with respect and love?
In reality, does David treat them with respect?
Towards the end of the chapter, David asks for the men to be "clothed in shame and dishonor"(verse 26, KJV). That doesn't sound selfless, at all. We don't treat people well with the assumption that they will treat us the same way. If that were the case, there would already be world peace, and we could all just go home.
The point I take away from this poem is that no matter what, we should treat others with love and compassion because that is what God called his people to do.
It's not a matter of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." It's more like, "I'll scratch your back, now go scratch someone else's back." Even if that person isn't showing you love and compassion, you might plant a seed for them to treat the next person better than they ever treated you.
