“He has put forth his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords…”
These are the words of David in Psalm 55. He is being hounded by vicious men bent on his demise, men twisted by hatred, malformed by their jealousy of his anointing and many victories. It’s hard to imagine a man so beloved by us being so reviled by so many enemies. Characters like Saul, Doeg, Nabal, Absalom, and Ahithophel pepper the biography of King David.
David was lied about and lied to. They weren’t all enemies who opposed him. He was maligned and slandered even by those who were close to him; “even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). Both words and spears were flung at him from friend and foe.
You can almost hear the anguish in other Psalms where David cries to the Lord for vindication. Listen to his words and ask yourself what it would be like to be in his sandals:
Psalm 5:9 - "There is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue."
Psalm 31:13 - "Have mercy on me, oh LORD, for I am in trouble…for I hear the slander of many— terror on every side!— as they plot together against me, as they scheme to take my life."
Psalm 41:5 - "My enemies speak evil of me, 'When will he die and his name perish?'"
Psalm 64:2-4 - "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of evildoers, who sharpen their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting in secret at the upright in heart, shooting at him suddenly and without fear."
Here in Psalm 55:13-15, he says the same sort of thing; “It is not an enemy that taunts me, then I could bear it, nor an adversary who deals insolently with me, then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, and my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together and walk among the crowds in God’s house.”
Perhaps you have been the subject of gossip or slander like King David. You know the pain of betrayal. You know the hurt that words may render. Maybe your reputation has been stained or even shredded by the careless words of others.
Maybe it’s worse. Maybe they’ve assassinated your character deliberately. Maybe they wanted that job promotion and tore you down to get it. Maybe they clawed at you because of their own deep insecurities. Maybe family drama or office politics has left you wounded. You know the heartache of sharpened words and you’ve even been tempted to sling some of your own angry words back. Maybe they just wanted to make a joke at your expense?
Have you been on the receiving end of verbal slings and arrows flung by angry, vengeful, or bitter people?
Take heart, my friend. You are in good company. You are with King David.
And even better, you are with the “Son of David”, our Lord Jesus Christ who was ‘hated without cause.’ And you are with every great man or great woman of the Bible. None of the great heroes of our faith were unwounded or unslandered. None were left unmolested by the devil and his agents.
James says that the tongue is ‘a world of iniquity’ and ‘set on fire by hell’ (James 3:6). Remember how Satan accused Job before the Lord? “Does Job fear God for nothing?” he queried, insinuating that Job only served the Lord for the blessings. This is why Satan, that ‘serpent of old’ (Rev 12:9), is called the ‘accuser of the brethren’. Even the word devil, “diabolos,” means accuser.
When you are maligned by those whose tongue is set on fire by hell, don’t be surprised or lose heart. Remember that the enemy only attacks those who are making a difference for God’s kingdom.
Stand firm; and while you close your ears to those lies, open your heart to prayer like David who said in Psalm 109:2-5 - "Wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love."
May the Lord Jesus continue to shepherd your precious souls into His good pastures. May He lead you to new meadows of His richness and grace. May you see a “table set before me in the presence of my enemies.”
These are the words of David in Psalm 55. He is being hounded by vicious men bent on his demise, men twisted by hatred, malformed by their jealousy of his anointing and many victories. It’s hard to imagine a man so beloved by us being so reviled by so many enemies. Characters like Saul, Doeg, Nabal, Absalom, and Ahithophel pepper the biography of King David.
David was lied about and lied to. They weren’t all enemies who opposed him. He was maligned and slandered even by those who were close to him; “even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). Both words and spears were flung at him from friend and foe.
You can almost hear the anguish in other Psalms where David cries to the Lord for vindication. Listen to his words and ask yourself what it would be like to be in his sandals:
Psalm 5:9 - "There is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue."
Psalm 31:13 - "Have mercy on me, oh LORD, for I am in trouble…for I hear the slander of many— terror on every side!— as they plot together against me, as they scheme to take my life."
Psalm 41:5 - "My enemies speak evil of me, 'When will he die and his name perish?'"
Psalm 64:2-4 - "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of evildoers, who sharpen their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting in secret at the upright in heart, shooting at him suddenly and without fear."
Here in Psalm 55:13-15, he says the same sort of thing; “It is not an enemy that taunts me, then I could bear it, nor an adversary who deals insolently with me, then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, and my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together and walk among the crowds in God’s house.”
Perhaps you have been the subject of gossip or slander like King David. You know the pain of betrayal. You know the hurt that words may render. Maybe your reputation has been stained or even shredded by the careless words of others.
Maybe it’s worse. Maybe they’ve assassinated your character deliberately. Maybe they wanted that job promotion and tore you down to get it. Maybe they clawed at you because of their own deep insecurities. Maybe family drama or office politics has left you wounded. You know the heartache of sharpened words and you’ve even been tempted to sling some of your own angry words back. Maybe they just wanted to make a joke at your expense?
Have you been on the receiving end of verbal slings and arrows flung by angry, vengeful, or bitter people?
Take heart, my friend. You are in good company. You are with King David.
And even better, you are with the “Son of David”, our Lord Jesus Christ who was ‘hated without cause.’ And you are with every great man or great woman of the Bible. None of the great heroes of our faith were unwounded or unslandered. None were left unmolested by the devil and his agents.
James says that the tongue is ‘a world of iniquity’ and ‘set on fire by hell’ (James 3:6). Remember how Satan accused Job before the Lord? “Does Job fear God for nothing?” he queried, insinuating that Job only served the Lord for the blessings. This is why Satan, that ‘serpent of old’ (Rev 12:9), is called the ‘accuser of the brethren’. Even the word devil, “diabolos,” means accuser.
When you are maligned by those whose tongue is set on fire by hell, don’t be surprised or lose heart. Remember that the enemy only attacks those who are making a difference for God’s kingdom.
Stand firm; and while you close your ears to those lies, open your heart to prayer like David who said in Psalm 109:2-5 - "Wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love."
May the Lord Jesus continue to shepherd your precious souls into His good pastures. May He lead you to new meadows of His richness and grace. May you see a “table set before me in the presence of my enemies.”