For the leader. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David:
1 O God, my vindicator! Answer me when I call! When I was distressed, you set me free; now have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 Men of rank, how long will you shame my honor, love what is vain, chase after lies? (Selah)
3 Understand that YHVH sets apart the godly person for himself; YHVH will hear when I call to him.
4 You can be angry, but do not sin! Think about this as you lie in bed, and calm down. (Selah)
5 Offer sacrifices rightly, and put your trust in YHVH.
6 Many ask, “Who can show us some good?” YHVH, lift the light of your face over us!
7 You have filled my heart with more joy than all their grain and new wine.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace; for, YHVH, you alone make me live securely.
There appears to be a mirroring effect within this Psalm. Verses 1-4 and verses 5-8 seem to follow a similar path with vastly different outcomes. The structure looks a little like this:
Appeal to God
Condition of Ungodly Men
Action of God
Condition of a Godly Man
The first 4 verses seem to crescendo into a stress-filled position of response, then the last 4 bring it back down into a state of Shalom.
Let’s walk up and then (hopefully) back down this mountain.
It seems that David feels the need to be heard by God, as do we all. And yet it’s as if he has the feeling he’s being ignored. So he appeals to Abba’s memory of when He had reached out before in hope of perhaps getting Him to move again.
“Hey, remember me? I’m the guy you helped that time get vindicated and subsequently set free. Remember that? Yeah, uh, hey…any chance you might be listening? I’m really in a mess and I could use some help again. Uh…hello?”
I’m sure this doesn’t sound familiar to you but this is how some people approach God. Other people, of course. Begging for a remembrance of the time He did something for you. It’s as if we think He’s temporarily forgotten about us and our troublesome life. But surely He hasn’t.
David has been dishonored by men who love vanity and chase after lies. You know, those people completely wrapped up in themselves and diligently chasing after everything they want. Those that sit and eat up gossip, and maybe throw out a little themselves. Those people that roll their eyes behind the backs of people they supposedly love and respect. Those people that are doing everything they can to have the life they want under the conditions they desire. Yeah, it’s those people.
If this dishonor has fallen upon you because you are a selfish and/or arrogant person, then you just need to take your lumps. But if you’ve been holding the line of righteousness, you need to understand that you have been set apart by Yahweh Himself. Meaning the issue is not with you, it’s with Him. And He is more than able to fight His own battles. Yeshua tells us exactly this:
John 15:18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would have loved its own. But because you do not belong to the world — on the contrary, I have picked you out of the world — therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours too. 21 But they will do all this to you on my account, because they don’t know the One who sent me.”
This means you have a decision to make: be angry on your own behalf or be angry on His behalf.
As you lie there and tumble over the troubles of your life, you have to examine the motivation behind your response. So often we sit and replay events that make us feel devalued in some way. You know you are a child of God, and someone with a royal bloodline should never have to contend with the troublemakers of the earth. But you do.
The question is whether these troubles are geared towards you or towards God. And your response is even more of a question. Are you angry because you feel dishonored or because Abba was dishonored?
One is deemed righteous anger and there is a place for this. The other would be considered unrighteous anger and that leads to sin:
Genesis 4:6 …Kayin was very angry, and his face fell. 6 YHVH said to Kayin, “Why are you angry? Why so downcast? 7 If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door — it wants you, but you can rule over it.”
It’s now time to decide.
Lying there in bed turning over the day’s events and wallowing in the pity of being a victim and the receiver of injustice requires a response. We now have to stop and think.
This frustration and perceived injustice are a breeding ground for sin to take hold. If your anger is rooted in your condition then that may lead to sin. But this isn’t the real trouble. The real trouble is where sin takes you. The following excerpt is from Arthur Burk’s Relentless Generational Blessings:
“Sin is generally defined as missing the mark. It is being out of bounds, over the line, not measuring up.
Rebellion is quite a bit stronger than sin. It involves willful, knowing defiance of God's rules. A person in rebellion knows full well that the proposed action is sin and deliberately goes over the line, willing to risk the consequences. Some people walk in rebellion because they think they are smart enough to avoid the consequences of their sin. Others believe the pleasure derived from their sin will be greater than the price they have to pay for their disobedience.
Iniquity is a considerable step beyond rebellion. The root meaning of the Hebrew word translated iniquity is to bend, twist or warp. When a person seeks to bend, twist or warp God's absolutes, that is iniquity. Whereas an act of rebellion acknowledges God's rules but defies them, an act of iniquity denies that the absolutes exist or that they apply to the specific situation.
Thus, an act of iniquity contests either God's ability or His right to establish absolutes. It represents an attack on the essence of God.”
Summary:
Sin = “Oops, I made a mistake!”
Rebellion = “I know I shouldn't but…”
Iniquity = “I did not make mistake”
And it’s this iniquity that chases down your family line through 3-4 generations (see: The 2nd Commandment).
So if you decide that the attack is against you, sin will sow the seed of self-justification. Then rebellion will take root and you will feel justified in your anger. A few steps further and iniquity says that you are justified in expressing that anger.
If you feel the attack is against you, you will live atop this mountain. A life of misery and self-justification. A life that leaks anger at every turn. You become the person no one wants to be around.
But if you decide the attack is against Abba, you can then walk yourself off the peak of that mountain.
Assuming you decide rightly, a new revelation appears.
Instead of trying to get Abba to answer you because of your history with Him, approach Him with your sacrifice today. Trust in Him today. You don’t need to remind Him you exist. You need to remind yourself that He exists. Trust that He will receive your righteous sacrifice.
Now when people come to you with their complaints, accusations and gossip, you realize that the only thing they know about is evil. This is why they ask, “Who can show us some good?”
People that are obnoxious likely have never had true correction brought to them. Their actions are a cry of desperation and all they want to know is whether good exists in the earth. Maybe they have never seen the goodness of God and it’s up to us to call forth His light, not His judgment.
“YHVH, lift the light of your face over us!”
Once we realize our job is to spread light into others instead of receiving darkness from them, God makes a move -- in us.
He plants joy within your heart.
Isn’t this what we truly desire? We typically make the mistake of assuming happiness is the goal but that is not the case. Our hearts cry out for joy. And pivoting away from the victim mindset opens up our hearts to receive more joy than all of the money and power others supposedly enjoy.
“You have filled my heart with more joy than all their grain and new wine.”
We’ve made it! Instead of thinking while in bed, you are now free to rest. Actually rest. You will sleep in pure Shalom. You will be complete and you will be without war. No sin, no rebellion, no iniquity.
“For, YHVH, you alone make me live securely.”
Now go out and love your enemies.