For the leader. On the death of Labben. A psalm of David:
I give thanks to YHVH with all my heart. I will tell about all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you. I will sing praise to your name, ‘Elyon.
When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before you. For you upheld my cause as just, sitting on the throne as the righteous judge.
You rebuked the nations, destroyed the wicked, blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy is finished, in ruins forever; you destroyed their cities; all memory of them is lost.
But YHVH is enthroned forever; he has set up his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will judge the peoples fairly.
YHVH is a stronghold for the oppressed, a tower of strength in times of trouble. Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you have not abandoned those who seek you, YHVH.
Sing praises to YHVH, who lives in Tziyon; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. For the avenger of blood remembers them, he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted: “Have mercy on me, YHVH! See how I suffer from those who hate me; you raise me from the gates of death, so that I can proclaim all your praises at the gates of the daughter of Tziyon and rejoice in this deliverance of yours.”
The nations have drowned in the pit they dug, caught their own feet in the net they hid. YHVH made himself known and executed judgment; the wicked are ensnared in the work of their own hands. (Higgayon; Selah)
The wicked will return to Sh’ol, all the nations that forget God. For the poor will not always be forgotten or the hope of the needy perish forever. Arise, YHVH! Don’t let mortals prevail! Let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, YHVH! Let the nations know they are only human. (Selah)
Wow, David sure does seem to have a lot of enemies. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone that was on the receiving end of so much evil business.
Was he just a disagreeable guy? Did he exercise his self-righteousness full time in the face of others and it simply annoyed everyone around him? Maybe he was just a jerk?
Or maybe this is what happens when you align yourself fully with God. This is what I would guess.
Yeshua gave us a sampling of what life may be like when we fully give ourselves over to Him:
Matthew 5:10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! 12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.”
David’s meanderings on the wickedness of men and the state of his enemies could be exactly why he was considered a man after God’s own heart. He saw the battles as they truly were and trusted Abba to be by his side.
These enemies weren’t exclusively David’s, they were God’s.
Besides, what’s wrong with these people anyway?
It seems as though David objects to the ways of just about everyone else in the earth, and the Psalms are his way of whining about it. But I don’t think he’s whining -- it appears as though he’s spectating. But not passively, like this:
Oftentimes, this is how I view the workings of God.
Sitting idly by and spiritualizing every negative event in my life. Of course, I do so in the privacy of my own mind. If I have an ear I can speak to, I may vent my frustrations and perhaps gossip a little behind my enemy’s back but the battle remains within me. All the while I’m waiting for God to smite them and bring forth justice. Of course, it’s usually justice according to me.
Fortunately, David is not behaving like I do.
Instead of living a “powerful” version of Christianity in the silence of his mind, he cries out in a bold, accurate, and clear manner. He appeals to the goodness and justice of God to judge rightly.
There are oppressors and the oppressed. David sees them both and understands Abba’s heart in the matter. He eagerly seeks to have God intercede and level the playing field.
If you notice how David describes things, he almost always frames it in terms of Abba winning his battles. Is this just a spiritual passing of the buck? Is David just wanting an easier life and he’s asking Abba to fight people so he can have it? How does this work?
Well, first we need to know who the enemy actually is.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength! 11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing.
People are never the issue.
Once we understand this, we can walk in forgiveness all of the time. We’d finally realize that people are usually responding and behaving from a position of woundedness and lies. And in their quest to combat the pain, they absorb the ways of the world to numb it. It’s here that the Adversary and his kingdom step in to “save”.
Instead of seeking God to fill the void in our lives, people seek the promises of the world. Selfishness is then the only way of survival. Once the enemy has that fertile ground set before him, he plants lies that get fed and watered by even more lies. A vicious cycle is now in play. This largely describes how most people end up walking through this life. These people need truth and healing.
But there are some that take it even further -- they seek to eat from the tree. The desire to be a god becomes so great that man really does sell his soul to the devil. They then press and oppress. Their ways are the supreme path and they bully others into taking it with them. It then appears the oppressed have no choice but to follow.
With their backs against the wall, the poor think that the only way to eat will be to follow after those that have the power and money. And in an oppressive environment, they may not be totally wrong.
Even in this state, however, our battle is not against people. We have one enemy and this is how David can appeal to Abba for the victory. We can’t fight those powers on our own. We need help.
The funny thing in all of this is that the victory is already won.
Yeshua has already defeated the Enemy.
Every good believer knows this to be true. But for some reason, we struggle with believing this is true. We see the evidence set before us and think that the Enemy is winning. But don’t be deceived.
The avenger of blood is one that seeks to level the spilling of blood. It isn’t revenge, it’s a leveling. It’s atonement. When death makes an appearance at the hands of men, there is One that comes to level it out. And it’s typically the gallows they have prepared for others that are used on them:
The nations have drowned in the pit they dug, caught their own feet in the net they hid. YHVH made himself known and executed judgment; the wicked are ensnared in the work of their own hands.
The Avenger of Blood remembers you. He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
For the poor will not always be forgotten or the hope of the needy perish forever.
He has already won. These nations are not gods. They do not have supreme control over your life -- unless you give it to them.
Let the nations know they are only human.
Be like David and align your heart with His. And if you are a part of the oppressors, repent.