This Psalm may be read as a silent musing of the afflicted soul of Jesus as he stood before Pilate. He pleads with God both for His own rescue and for the judgment and confusion of His persecutors. The “false witnesses” of Psalm 35:11 are heard in Matthew 26:59; the “abjects” of Psalm 35:15 are seen in Luke 23:1; the Lord’s saying, “I knew not,” in Psalm 35:15, is verified by His attitude in Luke 22:64; His “quietness in the land,” of Psalm 35:20, is seen in Matthew 12:19; 22:21; and this shows that the charge against Him in Luke 23:2 was the “deceitful matter” here referred to by this blessed sufferer and witness in Psalm 35:20.
One thing especially might be observed here—that the Lord Jesus pleads for judgment upon the persecutor and the enemy. But we should be prepared for this; for in the Gospels we get the same, just heard from His lips for a moment—“O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee.” In these words He does not utter the full request which we meet occasionally in the Psalms, but as distinctly does He leave the world in its unbelief and rejection of grace before the righteous judgment. So that these words in John 17 are of the spirit of those Psalms where Messiah calls for judgment. And if in the Psalms He is heard even pronouncing judgment, that would not be beyond His language in the Gospels “Behold your house is left unto you desolate;” or, as He again says, “Woe unto thee, Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida;” or still more fully, and in the solemnities of a judgment seat in Matthew 23 His words to Caiaphas in Matthew 26:64 savor of the same. And beside, we are told that the Lord committed Himself to the righteous judge (1 Peter 2:23), without reviling or threatening. This Psalm appears to be a sample of such communion. In Psalm 69, with the commentary we get on it in Romans 11, we find the same. (See also Psa. 40:14-15.)
But the Spirit of Christ in the Remnant will be heard more distinctly crying for judgment, as the iniquity of the world is filling up its measure in their day. We find this not only in the Psalms, as here, but in Luke 18:1-8; Revelation 6:10 and other Scriptures.
We may notice, all the “bones” were kept in the preceding Psalm (see Psa. 34:20); here they are presented as praising and giving thanks (Psa. 34:10).