In Psalm 139:21-22, is David venting his feelings to God or is God speaking through David?
The answer to your question is: BOTH. David was indeed expressing his own feelings to God and yet through David’s words God is speaking to us. Let’s read Psalm 139:19-22, “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”
I would encourage you to read verses 1-18 of this blessed Psalm, for in those verses David was meditating upon the MAJESTY of God as seen in His divine attributes of omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. These thoughts led David to consider those who dared to speak against God and to take His name in vain. Exodus 20:7 declares “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” David was filled with RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION against wicked sinners who turned against such an awesome God by blaspheming His holy name. He calls upon God to destroy them, believing that they deserved to punished.
In verses 21-22 David goes a step further and expresses the HATRED he had for all who rose up in rebellion against God. Was David wrong in saying “Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee?” Some would say, “God is LOVE, and thus David’s words contradict divine love.” Now it is certainly true that GOD IS LOVE, for we see those very words in 1 John 4:8. But there is “another side” to God’s divine nature. 1 John 1:5 states emphatically that “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” This verse teaches us that GOD IS HOLY! Because He is holy He hates sin and we are told in several verses that God not only HATES SIN, but HE HATES THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST HIM! Psalm 5:5 tells us, “The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” Psalm 11:5 confirms His hatred of those who sin, “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth.” You can also read Proverbs 6:16-19 which starts out by saying, “These six things doth the LORD hate…” and it goes on to list various SINS and the SINNERS who commit them. We often hear it said, “God hates sin, but loves the sinner,” but we have just seen clear scriptures that speak of God HATING SINNERS. David was simply expressing the same hatred for sinners that God Himself had and he could even say, “I hate them with a perfect hatred.” Because GOD IS LOVE, we read in 1 John 4:18 of His “perfect love.” But as we have seen, GOD IS HOLY, and His holiness leads Him to have a PERFECT HATRED of sin and of those who dare to raise their voices against their Creator. David’s heart is in agreement with God’s heart; he hated what God hated! He also adds, “I count them as mine enemies.” If these men were enemies of God, then they were David’s enemies also. Love and zeal for God led David to take this stand against wicked men, and holiness led him to hate them. (182.8) (DO)