Psa 109:14 | KingComments | STEP | In this section, David, through the Spirit of Christ, pronounces a particularly penetrating and comprehensive curse on the wicked and his posterity. is quoted by Peter in Acts 1 ( ). The context in which the quotation appears in Acts 1 ( ) makes it clear that here in Psalm 109 it is prophetically about Judas, the betrayer of the Lord Jesus. Of all the enemies, Judas is the enemy who has been closest to Him. Judas has known Him best and in spite of that has turned against Him, the Righteous One, in the greatest apostasy. A greater wickedness cannot be imagined. The curse called upon him is fully deserved. Here it is not about revenge for injustice suffered, but judgment for the greatest injustice ever done. The curse begins with God appointing “a wicked man over him”, that is over Judas ( ). This “wicked man” is satan. Satan means ‘adversary’ or ‘accuser’. Satan also stands “at his right hand” to accuse him (cf. ; ). After Judas performed his repugnant act of betrayal under satan’s urging ( ), the same satan drives Judas in his hopeless despair to the act of suicide ( ). Judas has done the work of satan, and satan ‘rewards’ him for it with the only reward he has to give: death. He who does the work of satan finds in him no defender, but a prosecutor who fills him with the utmost remorse. Satan does and can do nothing but steal and kill and destroy ( ). Judas is judged and has come forth guilty ( ). He does not receive a sentence reduction and leaves this life as a guilty man. He has received the wages of sin, death ( ). The prayer he utters: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” ( ), is a prayer uttered against his better judgment. It is a prayer uttered only to be delivered from the consequences of sin. It is not sincere, it does not involve repentance for the sin committed. Such a prayer becomes sin. Sin literally means ‘missing the goal’, here it means that the prayer will have no result. If a person serves God faithfully, the promise is that his days will be increased ( ; ). That promise is not always fulfilled during a person’s life on earth. We see this in the life of the Lord Jesus. He was killed in the midst of His days on earth ( ). But He receives His days after His resurrection and those days are without end. With Judas, the meaning of the word that “his days be few” (cf. ) is that they are limited to earthly life. After his heinous act of suicide, he has come into the place of pain to be consigned later to eternal fire by the Judge on the great white throne. The second part of , as indicated above, is applied by Peter to Judas. Peter explicitly says that what is said here is “fulfilled” in what happened to Judas ( ). This makes the whole psalm a prophetic testimony. “His office” is his apostleship. The “other” who takes his office is Matthias ( ). The Lord Jesus had chosen Judas to be an apostle ( ), not to become His traitor. That He became the traitor was because of his greed. To that he gave in and became a thief. As a result, he opened himself to the devil. In addition to judgment on himself, Judas’ act also affects his children, his wife, his possessions, his environment, and his memory and the memory of his posterity. This is described in . A person who sins not only violates his own soul. He always drags others into his fall ( ; ). As someone has said, the way away from God you don't go alone (cf. ). Here it is about Judas as a type of the antichrist. Both Judas and the antichrist are called “the son of perdition” or “the son of destruction” ( ; ). The followers of the antichrist are painted here as his family. Through his suicide, Judas’ “children” become “fatherless” and “his wife” becomes a “widow” ( ). Regardless of the reason for the death through suicide, a suicide always has a great impact on the lives of the family, friends and acquaintances left behind. It is a deed of selfishness that no longer considers the impact this deed has on others. The consequence of his deed is also that “his children wander about and beg” and “seek [sustenance] far from their ruined homes” ( ; cf. ). Because the children have lost their father, they now have to make a living on their own. To do this, they must go begging. The place where they lived has become a desolate place. They no longer have a home. Judas was a thief ( ). After his death, “the creditor seizes all that he has” ( ; cf. ). Also, “strangers plunder the product of his labor”. This makes the situation of his descendants even more dramatic. Because he himself has not shown lovingkindness, he will also have “none to extend lovingkindness to him” ( ). No one will be “gracious to his fatherless children”. They are seen as most closely associated with this evil work of betrayal. Their father committed the greatest betrayal ever. For the posterity of Judas, there is no future. The only thing waiting for them is to be “cut off” ( ). As a result, “their name” will “be blotted out” in a following generation. There will be no one left who will think of them. While “the memory of the righteous is blessed”, “the memory” of the wicked “perishes from the earth” ( ; ). “The iniquity of his fathers” is a reference to his ancestry and also we see a reference to original sin ( ). Judas, like every human being, comes from a family that has done iniquity. The expression “original sin” refers to the sinful nature of man. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, causing all men to sin ( ). This is to be “remembered before the LORD continually” with respect to Judas, that is, there is no substitute for Judas. Children are not lost because of the iniquities of the parents, but because of their own iniquities. Those iniquities do come from a nature inherited from the ancestors. Also the mentioning of “the sin of his mother” points to original sin. It is not about a specific deed of his mother, but about what she imparted to him in bringing Judas into the world. That can “not … be blotted out”. By birth he has become a sinner, which is evident from his deeds. All this does not mean that sinful deeds can never be blotted out. We are talking here about Judas as a type of the antichrist and his not repented deed and sinful life. From anyone who acknowledges that he has a corrupted nature and has lived according to that nature, sins can be blotted out. This happens when sins are sincerely confessed and it is acknowledged that they have come from a corrupted nature. Such a person may know that Christ has accomplished the necessary sacrifice to be reconciled to God, by which God no longer remembers sins because He has blotted them out. The last verse of the curse speaks on the one hand of a “continual” remembrance and on the other hand of a “cut off … from the earth” ( ). On the one hand, the LORD must continually keep in mind the iniquity and sin that has happened on earth. On the other hand, the earth must be cleansed of any memory of Judas, and of people like him. Their influence must not be present anywhere on earth in the realm of peace.

‏ Psalms 109:14

The Curse for the Traitor

In this section, David, through the Spirit of Christ, pronounces a particularly penetrating and comprehensive curse on the wicked and his posterity. Psa 109:8b is quoted by Peter in Acts 1 (Acts 1:20). The context in which the quotation appears in Acts 1 (Acts 1:15-26) makes it clear that here in Psalm 109 it is prophetically about Judas, the betrayer of the Lord Jesus.

Of all the enemies, Judas is the enemy who has been closest to Him. Judas has known Him best and in spite of that has turned against Him, the Righteous One, in the greatest apostasy. A greater wickedness cannot be imagined. The curse called upon him is fully deserved. Here it is not about revenge for injustice suffered, but judgment for the greatest injustice ever done.

The curse begins with God appointing “a wicked man over him”, that is over Judas (Psa 109:6). This “wicked man” is satan. Satan means ‘adversary’ or ‘accuser’. Satan also stands “at his right hand” to accuse him (cf. Zec 3:1; Rev 12:10). After Judas performed his repugnant act of betrayal under satan’s urging (Lk 22:3), the same satan drives Judas in his hopeless despair to the act of suicide (Mt 27:3-4).

Judas has done the work of satan, and satan ‘rewards’ him for it with the only reward he has to give: death. He who does the work of satan finds in him no defender, but a prosecutor who fills him with the utmost remorse. Satan does and can do nothing but steal and kill and destroy (Jn 10:10a).

Judas is judged and has come forth guilty (Psa 109:7). He does not receive a sentence reduction and leaves this life as a guilty man. He has received the wages of sin, death (Rom 6:23). The prayer he utters: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Mt 27:4), is a prayer uttered against his better judgment. It is a prayer uttered only to be delivered from the consequences of sin. It is not sincere, it does not involve repentance for the sin committed. Such a prayer becomes sin. Sin literally means ‘missing the goal’, here it means that the prayer will have no result.

If a person serves God faithfully, the promise is that his days will be increased (Deu 6:1-2; Pro 3:1-2). That promise is not always fulfilled during a person’s life on earth. We see this in the life of the Lord Jesus. He was killed in the midst of His days on earth (Psa 102:24a). But He receives His days after His resurrection and those days are without end. With Judas, the meaning of the word that “his days be few” (cf. Psa 37:35-36) is that they are limited to earthly life. After his heinous act of suicide, he has come into the place of pain to be consigned later to eternal fire by the Judge on the great white throne.

The second part of Psa 109:8, as indicated above, is applied by Peter to Judas. Peter explicitly says that what is said here is “fulfilled” in what happened to Judas (Acts 1:16). This makes the whole psalm a prophetic testimony. “His office” is his apostleship. The “other” who takes his office is Matthias (Acts 1:26).

The Lord Jesus had chosen Judas to be an apostle (Jn 6:70-71), not to become His traitor. That He became the traitor was because of his greed. To that he gave in and became a thief. As a result, he opened himself to the devil.

In addition to judgment on himself, Judas’ act also affects his children, his wife, his possessions, his environment, and his memory and the memory of his posterity. This is described in Psa 109:9-15. A person who sins not only violates his own soul. He always drags others into his fall (Jos 22:20; 2Sam 3:29). As someone has said, the way away from God you don't go alone (cf. Exo 20:5).

Here it is about Judas as a type of the antichrist. Both Judas and the antichrist are called “the son of perdition” or “the son of destruction” (Jn 17:12; 2Thes 2:3). The followers of the antichrist are painted here as his family.

Through his suicide, Judas’ “children” become “fatherless” and “his wife” becomes a “widow” (Psa 109:9). Regardless of the reason for the death through suicide, a suicide always has a great impact on the lives of the family, friends and acquaintances left behind. It is a deed of selfishness that no longer considers the impact this deed has on others.

The consequence of his deed is also that “his children wander about and beg” and “seek [sustenance] far from their ruined homes” (Psa 109:10; cf. Jer 18:21). Because the children have lost their father, they now have to make a living on their own. To do this, they must go begging. The place where they lived has become a desolate place. They no longer have a home.

Judas was a thief (Jn 12:6). After his death, “the creditor seizes all that he has” (Psa 109:11; cf. 2Kgs 4:1). Also, “strangers plunder the product of his labor”. This makes the situation of his descendants even more dramatic.

Because he himself has not shown lovingkindness, he will also have “none to extend lovingkindness to him” (Psa 109:12). No one will be “gracious to his fatherless children”. They are seen as most closely associated with this evil work of betrayal. Their father committed the greatest betrayal ever.

For the posterity of Judas, there is no future. The only thing waiting for them is to be “cut off” (Psa 109:13). As a result, “their name” will “be blotted out” in a following generation. There will be no one left who will think of them. While “the memory of the righteous is blessed”, “the memory” of the wicked “perishes from the earth” (Pro 10:7; Job 18:17).

“The iniquity of his fathers” is a reference to his ancestry and also we see a reference to original sin (Psa 109:14). Judas, like every human being, comes from a family that has done iniquity. The expression “original sin” refers to the sinful nature of man. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, causing all men to sin (Rom 5:12).

This is to be “remembered before the LORD continually” with respect to Judas, that is, there is no substitute for Judas. Children are not lost because of the iniquities of the parents, but because of their own iniquities. Those iniquities do come from a nature inherited from the ancestors.

Also the mentioning of “the sin of his mother” points to original sin. It is not about a specific deed of his mother, but about what she imparted to him in bringing Judas into the world. That can “not … be blotted out”. By birth he has become a sinner, which is evident from his deeds.

All this does not mean that sinful deeds can never be blotted out. We are talking here about Judas as a type of the antichrist and his not repented deed and sinful life. From anyone who acknowledges that he has a corrupted nature and has lived according to that nature, sins can be blotted out. This happens when sins are sincerely confessed and it is acknowledged that they have come from a corrupted nature. Such a person may know that Christ has accomplished the necessary sacrifice to be reconciled to God, by which God no longer remembers sins because He has blotted them out.

The last verse of the curse speaks on the one hand of a “continual” remembrance and on the other hand of a “cut off … from the earth” (Psa 109:15). On the one hand, the LORD must continually keep in mind the iniquity and sin that has happened on earth. On the other hand, the earth must be cleansed of any memory of Judas, and of people like him. Their influence must not be present anywhere on earth in the realm of peace.