Saturday, January 21, 2006
Rescue Me! (Count: Psalm 140)
Here's a Psalm I'd like to look at from two different angles.
The Personal Angle: If I'm ever in a bind, facing enemies in any circumstances, this is a great Psalm begging God for help and defense. "Rescue me... Protect me... Keep me...." - and then a list of things I'd like to see happen to my enemy, just David being honest.
The Theology Angle: Yeah, a list of things I'd like to see happen to my enemy. David doesn't mince words:
"Let burning coals fall upon them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into miry pits, never to rise." (Psalm 140:10).
Question: Here's a guy wishing destruction upon His enemy... but aren't Christ-followers supposed to LOVE our enemies?
See, here's where a lot of people might say, "Well, I guess the Bible contradicts itself. I'm done reading this."
But I'd just like to list a few ways this is worked out, both logically AND biblically.
(1) I think David establishes the fact that his enemies are ALSO God's enemies. These are wicked people, full of violence, malice, slander, and all sorts of junk. They should not be allowed to do evil things. Basically, David is taking God's side, wanting to see evil stopped.
(2) When we talk about "loving our enemies," we sometimes must think about what it really means to show love. If we love them, wouldn't we want what's best for them? Love sometimes means confronting an enemy with the truth. Point out the consequences of their actions. We benefit from a legal system that is set up to correct destructive behavior, and hopefully restore the person to what they could/should be.
(3) When Jesus talks about loving our enemies, he specifically mentions praying for them who persecute you, which is exactly what David prays. In the Old Testament, the "burning coals" that David wants to see on his enemy's head are often used as symbols of repentance - Is he praying that his wicked enemy would be turned towards repentance and see the error of his ways? I think so.
(4) Let's give David credit for allowing God to take revenge if He wants. David is not taking matter into his own hands, he's leaving it up to God. Pretty impressive, knowing our human emotions and anger and wanting to make things even.
At the end of the day, I hope when I think of my enemies, I pray for them. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to have enemies, necessarily, but I would like to know what to do with them when I do. =)
The Personal Angle: If I'm ever in a bind, facing enemies in any circumstances, this is a great Psalm begging God for help and defense. "Rescue me... Protect me... Keep me...." - and then a list of things I'd like to see happen to my enemy, just David being honest.
The Theology Angle: Yeah, a list of things I'd like to see happen to my enemy. David doesn't mince words:
"Let burning coals fall upon them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into miry pits, never to rise." (Psalm 140:10).
Question: Here's a guy wishing destruction upon His enemy... but aren't Christ-followers supposed to LOVE our enemies?
See, here's where a lot of people might say, "Well, I guess the Bible contradicts itself. I'm done reading this."
But I'd just like to list a few ways this is worked out, both logically AND biblically.
(1) I think David establishes the fact that his enemies are ALSO God's enemies. These are wicked people, full of violence, malice, slander, and all sorts of junk. They should not be allowed to do evil things. Basically, David is taking God's side, wanting to see evil stopped.
(2) When we talk about "loving our enemies," we sometimes must think about what it really means to show love. If we love them, wouldn't we want what's best for them? Love sometimes means confronting an enemy with the truth. Point out the consequences of their actions. We benefit from a legal system that is set up to correct destructive behavior, and hopefully restore the person to what they could/should be.
(3) When Jesus talks about loving our enemies, he specifically mentions praying for them who persecute you, which is exactly what David prays. In the Old Testament, the "burning coals" that David wants to see on his enemy's head are often used as symbols of repentance - Is he praying that his wicked enemy would be turned towards repentance and see the error of his ways? I think so.
(4) Let's give David credit for allowing God to take revenge if He wants. David is not taking matter into his own hands, he's leaving it up to God. Pretty impressive, knowing our human emotions and anger and wanting to make things even.
At the end of the day, I hope when I think of my enemies, I pray for them. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to have enemies, necessarily, but I would like to know what to do with them when I do. =)
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