Rev. Don Campbell
Psalms 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, May 16, 2019
“BETRAYED”
Each of the psalms stands on its own. Nevertheless, when several are assigned for the day’s reading, it is good to look for some common theme or connecting idea. For example, in Psalm 12 and Psalm 55 David laments the pervasiveness of evil in his world. “Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak” (12:1-2). “Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace. For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng” (55:10-14).
We expect—or at least we should—that the evil world will be hostile toward us; however, when betrayed by trusted friends or family, the hurt can become almost unbearable.
Evil surrounded David, but David did not tremble in fear. Instead, he put everything in God’s hands and slept: “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around” (3:3-6). “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (4:8).
We still live in a hostile world in which family, both physical and spiritual often betray us, for Jesus said, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Luke 12:49-53).
God is still our shield (Psalm 3:3), the godly are still set apart for himself (Psa 4:3), God still guards his people (Psalm 12:7), we can still trust God’s steadfast love (Psalm 13:5), God is still our strength and our refuge (Psalm 28:8), and we are still called to cast our burden on the Lord (Psalm 55:22).
CONNECTIONS
1. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). Is the yoke single with only our necks in it and Jesus walking along behind us to goad us along or is it a double yoke in which we are yoked with him and learn from him?
2. Peter exhorted, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:6-8). According to the Barna Research Group, two-thirds of Americans do not believe in a real Satan; 60% of professing Christians do not. Do you believe that Satan is delighted when people do not believe in him?
