Jump Start # 2802
Psalms 70:2 “Let those be ashamed and humiliated who seek my life; let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.”
It’s hard for good people to understand evil people. It’s hard for those who have a kind heart to understand those who have no heart. And, in our verse today, there were those then, as there are those today, who delight in hurting others. It was David who was on the receiving end of the hurt. There were those who loved to see David squirm, cry and beg for uncle. It wasn’t sunrises, puppy dogs and cute quotes that made these folks happy. No, what they liked was to hurt the righteous.
There are some things that we need to understand here:
First, some people are wicked to the core. That is fundamentally hard for some of us to believe. There is that thought that deep down, every one is good. You just have to look deep enough. But I’m not sure that idea can be found in the Bible. Certainly we are all born innocent and pure, but as one makes the choices in life, some don’t tip toe into evil, they dive in head first. They surround themselves with wicked and evil people who take them even further down that ugly path. The movies they watch, are about evil. The music they listen to, is about evil. Some see goodness as weakness, and they never want to appear weak. Void of God, responsibilities, accountability, and any moral compass, they mock goodness and try to prevent anything worthwhile or good. They do not care if someone cries because of their senseless evil. They do not care if someone’s life is ruined by their selfish ways. They are wicked and bent on evil.
Second, people are that way by their own choices. No one is born that way. We are not born broken. Sin does that. I’ve known people who came from the worst backgrounds, with parents that easily could have ruined them, but they rose up and chose to be honest, decent and even godly. Their course was not predetermined nor set. Others, who grew up with all the best advantages, parents that loved them, taught them God’s way and included worship as a regular part of their lives, rejected all of that. They turned their backs on all the blessings given to them. They became radical rebels who despised their upbringing and did everything they could to hurt their parents. Why are some wicked and some not? Why do some delight in the Lord and others delight in hurting? It’s a matter of choice.
Third, a person can always change. That’s the grand hope in Jesus Christ. Forgiveness and hope are possible. One doesn’t have to stay on the dead-end street all the way to the end. One can turn around. Meanness eventually turns on each other. It is said that if a rattlesnake gets so agitated and can’t find anything to strike at, it will bite itself. Some people do the same thing. They will turn on their friends. They will be mean to all around them. There is always hope. Sometimes it takes feeding pigs, or a night in jail, or the death of a friend, or the loss of family to realize that the stubborn meanness is no ones fault but your own. And, when one realizes that there has been those who loved you even when you weren’t very loveable, especially the Lord, then one starts to think about turning around. Where has all the evil gotten you? What has all the meanness accomplished?
Fourth, for David, there were those who were seeking to kill him. They delighted in hurting him. David didn’t launch a counter attack. He didn’t sneak in at night and settle the score. He didn’t sabotage chariots. No, none of those things. What David did, from our passage, was pray to God. Let Heaven deal with this. Take the problem to the Lord. Open the flood gates of Heaven and there is no greater help. With one angel, God has sent armies running. Through the hands of Moses, God could part the sea and then close it up on the advancing Egyptians. So, you have some co-workers who are making life miserable for you? Pray to God. You have some family members who are just being real pills? Pray to God. As, Psalms 70 ends, David states, “You are my help and my deliverer.” God can do all things.
Some people are just mean. Some will get away with things that they shouldn’t. But someday all of us will stand before the Lord. Our time needs to be spent honoring the Lord and following His will. We can allow the wrong choices of others to change what we know is good and right.
Sure some things to consider in our troublesome times…
Roger