4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.
5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.
6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.—The words of King David from Psalm 5:4-6
“Sometimes, when I read the Old Testament, the words make me shiver.”
I understand the sentiment this person expresses. Do you? It seems that the somewhat primitive war-like cultures of the early civilizations on this earth created an enviroment where a lot of time was given over to strife.
I suspect that the truth is that today’s really not that much different. We’ve just become all too used to the presence of consuming evil.
In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, King David acknowledges a quality of God that remains true. God does not take pleasure in evil. God does not cause evil. He does not sustain evil. He does not appreciate evil. He does not commend evil. He does not enjoy evil. In fact, God stands as the absolute antithesis to evil.
David goes on to acknowledge that God is the God of Justice. He does not tolerate lies. In fact, God destroys those who tells lies. David calls such liars “bloodthirsty and deceitful men.”
In your life, do you have any liars? I do. In fact, on almost a weekly basis I receive a phone call from someone reporting yet another lie that some person has told about me. Now granted, I am going through a period of time where I am standing in the gap while a battle for the minds and hearts of God’s people rages around me. As I have reported in numerous previous blog posts, the church which I have attended for over ten years is currently embroiled in a horrendously nasty and divisive fight. Part of the fallout from this heartbreaking “battle” is the fact that a lot of lies continue swirling around the core of the problems that led to this dysfunction.
David certainly lived at a time where every aspect of his being was attacked by lies. Those individuals who had purposefully chosen to make David their enemy used such lies as a principal means of attacking him. They wanted to discredit David and dishonor God’s annointing.
As I have suggested in a previous blog, David makes a conscious choice to leave the resolution of the matter in God’s hands. Part of the reason David can do this is because he knows that with God “the wicked cannot dwell.” And likewise, “the arrogant cannot stand” in God’s presence.
If you are under attack—or, if you are standing in the gap watching those around you engage in a battle—let God fight in your behalf. He will always respond to the attacks against you with your best interest in mind. And, you can trust Him because He will “destroy those who tell lies.”
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, we consciously choose to release the strife that swirls around us into Your loving care. We acknowledge that You will protect and keep us. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, You will destroy those who tell lies about us. You will enable us to remain above the fray and to rest securely in the protective covering of Your love.
We thank You that You make provision for us to live in safety and security and willingly grant us a strong sense of Your presence and Your peace. And, we thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1 comment:
Thank you so much Dean. I embrace this blog.
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