How To Handle Those Who Betray You?




1 Save me, O God, by your name;
    vindicate me by your might.

2 Hear my prayer, O God;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me—
    people without regard for God.
4 Surely God is my help;
    the Lord is the one who sustains me.
5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
    in your faithfulness destroy them.
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
    I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.

7 You have delivered me from all my troubles,
    and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Here is the context of this psalm. "There were actually two times the Ziphites betrayed David unto King Saul, first in 1 Samuel 23 and the second in 1 Samuel 26. David escaped both times, but the circumstances of this Psalm seem to best fit the circumstances of 1 Samuel 23, when David learned of the Ziphite betrayal but before the deliverance of God was displayed (1 Samuel 23:26-29)

In both cases after God delivered him from these betrayals David had a chance to kill Saul, but he did not.  After realizing God had delivered him justly, he trusted God would handle Saul's own sin.  What strikes me in this psalm is how much trust David has in God.  Despite David's circumstances he knows God has delivered him before and he will deliver him again.  

David's attitude is best summed by this line in the psalm, 
"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me."

The question we might ask ourselves is, "Where am I being treated unfairly?" Or, "How could those I trusted do this to me?" For David to be betrayed by both the Ziphites, who were Israelites descended from his house, and King Saul; was a pretty big deal.  But he had a big God to trust in and he knew that God would deliver him.

May we have as much confidence in God to deliver us in our circumstances and also to give a willing and free sacrifice of praise to us. A freewill sacrifice wasn't required in the Jewish faith it was done in gratitude for what God had done.    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more