Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 64. 2 and following. Indeed, thebeliever not only feels, as in Psalm 63, the aridity of a world where he cannot quench the thirst of his soul (Ps 63:1-3), but he also feels the hostility of men. They sharpen their tongues against Him like a sword (Psalm 55:21-22; Ps 57.1-7). Fidelity has always excited the animosity of unbelievers. Let us not be surprised, but let us ensure that our conduct does not give rise to justified accusations. Against this sword and arrows, let us put on the armor of justice (that is, irreproachable conduct; Ephesians 6:10-20; 1 Pet 2:11-12) and oppose all manifestations of wickedness “the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13-18). Then God will take our cause into his own hands (Rom 12:9-21).
“Who will see it? ” had said the enemies of the righteous (verse 6; Ps 10.1-13 and Ps 59.1-8). Well, God sees it! His gaze detects in the depths of the heart malevolence and machination (verse 7). And in response to the arrow (that “bitter word”) adjusted and unleashed suddenly against the man of integrity (verse 5), He prepares His own arrow that will deliver His redeemed in an equally sudden way when the time comes (verse 8). In this psalm we can hear Jesus who, suffering, implores God’s protection from the treachery of his unbelieving persecutors who plot in secret against him, and despise God’s judgments.
Listen to my voice, O God! He begins by saying that he prayed fervently and vehemently, indicating at the same time what made it necessary. The voice is heard in prayer, in proportion to the seriousness and ardor we feel. He condescended about the circumstances of distress in which he was currently placed, and took note of the dangers to which his life had been exposed by his enemies, with other points likely to excite God’s favorable consideration. Her prayer for God to protect her life proves that she must be in danger right now. In the second verse, he implies that his enemies were numerous; and that, without divine assistance, he would be unable to sustain their attacks. There is a certain difficulty attached to words, because they are susceptible to two meanings. But the meaning first given, and which I have adopted, seems to me the simplest and most natural, that he solicits the compassion of God, complaining about the number that has bandaged against him. Yet his language implies that he considered the protection of the sky to be more than sufficient against the greatest combination of adversaries. I would add that there is an implicit plea to strengthen his cause in prayer, in what he says about the wickedness and wickedness of those who were opposed to him; for the more cruel and unjust the conduct of our enemies, we have proportionately better reasons to believe that God will intervene on our behalf.
For they sharpened their tongues like a sword. His enemies, in their rage, have aimed at nothing less than his life, and yet what he complains about, more than anything next to it, is the poison with which their words were imbued. It is likely that he is referring to the slanderous reports that he knew were falsely spread to his discredit and in order to damage his reputation among the people. Their tongues he equates with swords; their bitter words and venomous arrows. And when he adds that they shoot against upright and innocent men, he must be seen as opposing his integrity to their unprincipled conduct. This inspired confidence in his religious addresses, namely that he could exonerate his own conscience from guilt and that he was the object of undeserved attacks by worthless and abandoned men. By mentioning that they fire secretly and suddenly, he refers to the craft that characterizes them. They were not only eagerly attached to evil, and determined to look at their opportunities, but so expert and quick in their movements, that they hit their victim before he could suspect danger. When we learn that David, who was a man in all respects so much more holy and upright in his conduct than we ourselves, suffered baseless sprinkling on his character, we have no reason to be surprised that we are exposed to a similar ordeal. This comfort, at least, we still have, that we can surrender to God and obtain His defense of the just cause. He takes particular note of another circumstance, namely that they shot their poisoned arrows from their lips without fear or shame. This spirit of self-confidence defended a degree of abandoned presumption, insofar as they could persist in stubbornly pursuing the conduct in which they had been repeatedly detected, and renew their desperate attempts, in defiance of any fear of God or the shame of the world.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Delivered destructive remarks:
- Protector, a refuge
Ps 27:5 For He will protect me in His tabernacle on the day of misfortune, He will hide me under the shelter of His tent; He will lift me up on a rock. Ps 31:21 You protect them under the shelter of your face from those who persecute them, You protect them in your tent from the tongues that attack them. Ps 46:2 God is for us a refuge and a support, a help that is never lacking in distress. Ps 71:3 Be for me a rock that serves as an asylum, where I can always withdraw! You have resolved to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
- Evil words of men
-Vain Jb 16:3 When will these speeches in the air end? Why this irritation in your answers?
-Hurtful Pr 15:1 A gentle response calms fury, but a harsh word excites anger.
-Thoughtless Pr 29:27 The iniquitous man is in abomination to the righteous, And he whose way is straight is in abomination to the wicked.
“Disrespectful” Ml 3:13 Your words are harsh against me,” said the Lord. And you say: What have we said against you?
-Seductive Col 2:4 I say this so that no one deceives you with seductive speeches.
-Flattering 1 Thes 2:5 Never, indeed, have we used flattering words, as you know; never have we had greed as our motive, God is a witness.
-Deceptive 2 Pet 2:3 Out of greed, they will deceive you by means of deceptive words, which have long been threatened by condemnation, and whose ruin does not lie dormant.
-Bad 3 Jn 10 That is why, if I go to see you, I will recall the acts he commits, making wicked remarks against us; not content with this, he does not receive the brethren, and those who would like to do so, he prevents them from doing so and drives them out of the Church.
- Arrows of God, figuratively speaking
2 S 22:15 He threw arrows and scattered my enemies, Lightning, and routed them. Ps 7:14 He directs murderous features at him, He makes his arrows burning. Ps 18:15 He threw his arrows and scattered my enemies, He multiplied the thunderbolts and routed them. Ps 45:6 Your arrows are sharp; Peoples will fall under you; They will pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies.
- Fear of God, examples of men dominated by the
Nh 5:15 Before me, the first governors burdened the people, and received from them bread and wine, in addition to forty sicles of money; their servants themselves oppressed the people. I did not do so, out of fear of God. Jon 1:9, 16 He answered them: I am Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the earth. 16 These men were seized with a great fear of The Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and made vows. Acts 9:31 The Church was at peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, rising and walking in fear of the Lord, and she grew by the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:2 This man was pious and feared God, with his whole house; he gave many alms to the people, and prayed to God continuously.
From all the above, we note that here we find the request expressed by the Spirit of Christ in communion with the grieving residue of the last day. For it is against the residue that the unbelievers conjured will plot, as they plotted against Jesus himself, as we learn both from the psalms and from the prophets. Psalms of a similar character remind us of what is said of the Lord in 1 Peter 2:23. We also noticed that he called the attention of the righteous Father to the unbelieving world (John 17:25). The righteous know that God has His arrows, just as the wicked have theirs — He has arrows of judgment, they of deception and malice (vs. 4:8). They become firm in the certainty that they will see their enemies caught in their own path of wickedness, when those around them flee from them, and learn, through God’s judgments, to fear Him and tell His deeds. Finally they realize what their part is: to glorify themselves, to put their trust and to find their joy in the God of their salvation. ForPs 64 speaks mainly of the incessant and artificial enmity of the enemy, and asks God: “God will shoot his arrow against them” (v. 7). The consequence of this judgment will be that all men will fear, tell of God’s deeds, and consider His work. Then, for judgment will have come, the righteous will rejoice in Jehovah: his covenant name is now mentioned, judgment having taken away the power of evil. Those who are right of heart will glorify themselves: the judgment thus introduces the millennium. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Ghost. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterhole to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and for centuries of ages. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” The sufferings of the faithful on the part of men (Ps 69).”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Lord of Hosts.