For the leader. On wind instruments. A psalm of David:
Give ear to my words, YHVH, consider my inmost thoughts. Listen to my cry for help, my king and my God, for I pray to you. YHVH, in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I lay my needs before you and wait expectantly.
For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; evil cannot remain with you. Those who brag cannot stand before your eyes, you hate all who do evil, you destroy those who tell lies, YHVH detests men of blood and deceivers.
But I can enter your house because of your great grace and love; I will bow down toward your holy temple in reverence for you. Lead me, YHVH, in your righteousness because of those lying in wait for me; make your way straight before me. For in their mouths there is nothing sincere, within them are calamities, their throats are open tombs, they flatter with their tongues. God, declare them guilty! Let them fall through their own intrigues, For their many crimes, throw them down; since they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice, let them forever shout for joy! Shelter them; and they will be glad, those who love your name. For you, YHVH, bless the righteous; you surround them with favor like a shield.
Psalm 4 took us to the place of rest and sleep, and here we come out of that state and rise to meet Him again. Not just Him, but all of those in the earth, as well.
Think critically for a moment about how different your life would be if you implemented the following exercise each and every morning: I lay my needs before you and wait expectantly.
Seriously…think about this.
What kind of striving would you need to do if you could turn over all of your needs to Him and simply wait in anticipation. More than that, wait in expectation.
Trust does amazing things for us.
You see, striving is largely birthed out of not trusting Him to provide whatever it is you need. This isn’t just money, food and stuff. In fact, I’d argue those things are WAY down the list of what you actually need. So what are our needs? Well, I think that gets answered for us right here.
But first, let’s consider the lies that are in the way.
First off, we are under the impression that we need more money. This is an age-old idea that has been deeply embedded into most of our thoughts each and every day. More money gives us more options, and more options give us a sense of peace and stability. Worry gets tabled because you can buy your way out of any problem that shows up in your life. Not to mention all of the prizes, toys, and trips you get to have and experience along the way. You know, the “blessings” of God. But money doesn’t change you, it just makes you more of what you already are.
We also think that if we had enough power we could eliminate a lot of the authority above us that’s causing problems in our lives. The key decision makers above you, that are seemingly the root cause of your ulcers, become fewer and fewer the higher you go. Numerically, this is true. Practically, it is not. The higher you go, the more exposed you are in the sight of the leaders from which you were once insulated. Meaning the pressure increases, not decreases.
The other ditch is in assuming that we can (and will) exercise control over those beneath us. We are a point of authority over others and that actually feels pretty good. We feel important and needed, right? But just look at all of the people above you and tell me if the same level of adoration you send up is the same as what you assume is coming from down below. Most people sit in judgment of leadership criticizing every detail of their existence. And yet we arrogantly assume we, as leaders, are viewed differently. And it’s this assumption that makes us feel great.
Lastly, we assume that having more comfort in our lives is the end goal. I mean, that’s the essence of retirement, right? You have all of the resources you could ever need (but it wouldn’t hurt to have a little more) and you decide exactly how each and every day will go. You are now the CEO of your own life and can now exercise supreme power with no one telling you what to do. No meetings. No deadlines. No creditors. No responsibility. We are in the sweetest spot imaginable. The payment for getting here though is that you need to hoard a lot of money and forfeit a lot of life’s experiences in order to someday enter into this place. There’s nothing wrong with being responsible but there is a warning in an possessing an incorrect motivation:
Luke 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will die! And the things you prepared — whose will they be?’ 21 That’s how it is with anyone who stores up wealth for himself without being rich toward God.”
In summary, we want the final say in other people’s lives (power) ensuring no one has a say in ours (comfort). And money is key in making this all happen. Tethering these three together is the most primal recipe we have for selfishness. In fact, a good number of problems among men are due to these areas getting challenged. There are exploiters, and those that fight to keep from being exploited. Both have taken the bait.
Look around and test if this is true. Listen to the words people say. Watch how people make decisions. Look closely at how possessive people are with their money. This isn’t to judge, but to understand -- us.
Once we realize how much we need help, we can then exercise compassion for others. More than that, we can appeal to Abba’s goodness and sense of justice to level the ground.
“For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; evil cannot remain with you.”
The goal is not to have your enemies destroyed. The goal is to have them repent. And most people can’t repent unless they are destroyed. That includes us.
Proverbs 14:12 There can be a way which seems right to a person, but at its end are the ways of death.
This way which seems right was outlined above. And A LOT of people fall into it. I know I sure do. But we have to be careful as those ways of life (fulfilling our “needs”) can begin to change us -- and not for the good. The descriptors laid out here in Psalm 5 serve as a testimony for those that have (or are in process) of losing their way. Double check yourself to see if you subscribe to any of them:
This does not necessarily require words. Bragging is a posture of showing you have more than someone else. You have a better life, you have more money, you have more power, you have more comfort, you have more…well, you simply have more. Other people should therefore envy you and seek you out to grab a hold of just a little bit of the greatness you possess.
These lies do not need to be overt. They can be lies of omission or lies of misleading. Sure blatantly telling a falsehood is never ok, but worse still is lying while thinking you aren’t. Letting others draw conclusions that are not true and not seeking to correct what you know is an incorrect conclusion. Remaining silent isn’t always the mark of maturity. Sometimes it is evidence of a lying heart.
This would be a murderous person. Sure actual murder qualifies, but so does hate. Allowing an offense to grow, an agitation to sprout, or frustration to mount can put you on the path of hate. We usually start with people disconnected from us (read: the “other” political party) and gradually become numb to the conviction we would otherwise receive if it were someone close to us. That numbness becomes comfortable and it then extends into our closer circles. Conviction turns into justification and that puts us into the position of judge, jury and executioner. A gradual process to be sure. So gradual that we are usually blind to the birth of our hatred.
Telling lies is one thing, deceiving people is another. Deception is trying to convince people that a lie is the truth (this is exactly what happened in the Garden). Perhaps you put on a show as to how great your life is when things are literally on fire (much like the orchestra continuing to play while the Titanic was going down). Maybe you try to convince people that you are ok when you are wallowing in deep pain and unforgiveness. Note: Humility and honesty are the traits of the true children of God.
The Hebrew word here means: Firm - To set something firmly in place, either physically or with words. A lack of firmness makes you flimsy and flaky. Your yes does not always mean yes, and your no does not always mean no. You may make declarations of what you will do but you aren’t really all that trustworthy.
A calamity is literally translated as: disaster, wickedness, perverse, mischief. It seems that the things you touch perpetually enter into ruin. Maybe you break things and/or destroy relationships then go on about your day as if you are the victim. Maybe you spin up trouble through gossip. Or maybe you trick others through lies. No matter the expression, you are responsible for ushering in disaster.
Proverbs 18:20 A person’s belly will be filled with the fruit of his mouth; with what his lips produce he will be filled. 21 The tongue has power over life and death; those who indulge it must eat its fruit.
We have a choice every moment of every day. We can spread words of life or words of death -- and there is no in-between. Critical words, complaints, gossip, accusations, mocking, blasphemy… all words of death. As we see here in Proverbs, what falls from your mouth is what you are filled with. Yeshua reiterates this exact point:
Matthew 15:10 Then he called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand this! 11 What makes a person unclean is not what goes into his mouth; rather, what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean!”
This is the peak. Sure, lying and deceiving are bad, but this is different. With flattery you are lying to (or about) someone’s identity. Convincing them they are ok when in fact they are not. Or worse, manipulating because you want something from them or want them to like you. Plainly speaking, this is witchcraft. Using the tools of darkness in order to bring “light” into your own life is pure evil. You want something, such as approval or favor, and you are willing to manipulate to get it. Not good.
“God, declare them guilty!”
Acknowledging our guilt is the first step to recovery. That old man must be put down and a new man must rise up. We have to be born again. And when those ways of old make an appearance, we need to be diligent in capturing those thoughts and seizing those actions. We must then replace them with the Ways of God. Good thing we have His Son to show us how it’s done.
Repentance then gives us what we wished money, comfort, and power could: joy, gladness, favor.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice, let them forever shout for joy!
Shelter them; and they will be glad, those who love your name.
For you, YHVH, bless the righteous; you surround them with favor like a shield.
YHVH, in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I lay my needs before you and wait expectantly.
Wait patiently and expectantly on the goodness of God. Allow Him to meet your needs without you getting in the way. Lay down the ways of evil men and repent. Joy, gladness, and favor await!