Returning Evil for Good…

 Fierce witnesses rise up;

They ask me things that I do not know.

12 They reward me evil for good,

To the sorrow of my soul.

13 But as for me, when they were sick,

My clothing was sackcloth;

I humbled myself with fasting;

And my prayer would return to my own heart.

14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;

I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.

15 But in my adversity they rejoiced

And gathered together;

Attackers gathered against me,

And I did not know it;

They tore at me and did not cease;

16 With ungodly mockers at feasts

They gnashed at me with their teeth—Psalm 35:11-16

There is not much else that brings more sorrow to the heart of a believer than when their good (Christ’s good) is spoken of as evil...when the people close to them return the good they had done toward them with evil, lies and ingratitude.  In David’s adversity they rejoiced!  They gathered together as attackers and tore at him without ceasing.  

But as for me, David laments, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting and I prayed for them.  I paced about, he continues, as though he were my friend or my brother.  I bowed down heavily as one who mourns for his mother.  David’s heart was tender toward them!  He gave them good for evil.  

Beloved, as a follower of Christ, what happened to Christ, what happened to David WILL in one shape or form happen to you.  Take heart, and know that you are in good company. Be encouraged also, because in Christ, God has given you everything you need to navigate through these waters.  He is Your sufficiency.  His word is replete with advice and encouragement for just such a time as this. Immerse yourself in it.  Allow it to penetrate your heart and be the anchor of your soul.  As you do this, hear the footsteps of Christ...He is with you even as He was with His disciples in the midst of the storm saying:

“Be of good cheer: it is I, be not afraid”. 

All others may forsake, but not our God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He loves you with an everlasting love.  In your grief, sorrow and betrayal, go to your Jesus.  Make His footsteps Your pathway.  He Himself has passed through these flames and braved these floods.  Allow Him to plead your cause and comfort your heart.  Jesus is your friend who loves at all times and also your brother born for your adversity.  Bring your sorrow to Him...He is your defense. Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart before Him...Your God is a refuge for you.  

Beloved, may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.  

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Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.—Matthew 5:11-12

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.—1 Peter 1:13-17

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;—1 Peter 2:23

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.—James 1:4-5

For I am ready to fall,

And my sorrow is continually before me.

18 For I will declare my iniquity;

I will be in anguish over my sin.

19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;

And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.

20 Those also who render evil for good,

They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;

O my God, be not far from me!—

22 Make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation!—Psalm 38:17-22

11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One.

Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.

They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.

Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.

12 But, O LORD of hosts,

You who test the righteous,

And see the mind and heart,

Let me see Your vengeance on them;

For I have pleaded my cause before You.—Jeremiah 20:11-12

Psalm 69

Save me, O God!

For the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in deep mire,

Where there is no standing;

I have come into deep waters,

Where the floods overflow me.

3 I am weary with my crying;

My throat is dry;

My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause

Are more than the hairs of my head;

They are mighty who would destroy me,

Being my enemies wrongfully;

Though I have stolen nothing,

I still must restore it.

5 O God, You know my foolishness;

And my sins are not hidden from You.

6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;

Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;

Shame has covered my face.

8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,

And an alien to my mother’s children;

9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,

And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,

That became my reproach.

11 I also made sackcloth my garment;

I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate speak against me,

And I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You,

O LORD, in the acceptable time;

O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,

Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

14 Deliver me out of the mire,

And let me not sink;

Let me be delivered from those who hate me,

And out of the deep waters.

15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,

Nor let the deep swallow me up;

And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;

Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.

17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,

For I am in trouble;

Hear me speedily.

18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;

Deliver me because of my enemies.

19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;

My adversaries are all before You.

20 Reproach has broken my heart,

And I am full of heaviness;

I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;

And for comforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me gall for my food,

And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table become a snare before them,

And their well-being a trap.

23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;

And make their loins shake continually.

24 Pour out Your indignation upon them,

And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.

25 Let their dwelling place be desolate;

Let no one live in their tents.

26 For they persecute the ones You have struck,

And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,

And let them not come into Your righteousness.

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,

And not be written with the righteous.

29 But I am poor and sorrowful;

Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song,

And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull,

Which has horns and hooves.

32 The humble shall see this and be glad;

And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

33 For the LORD hears the poor,

And does not despise His prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,

The seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion

And build the cities of Judah,

That they may dwell there and possess it.

36 Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it,

And those who love His name shall dwell in it.

He Will Rejoice Over You With Singing…

 Sing, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

The LORD has taken away your judgments,

He has cast out your enemy.

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

You shall see disaster no more.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

"Do not fear;

Zion, let not your hands be weak.

The LORD your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."—Zephaniah 3:14-17

As a believer these words of the Lord through Zephaniah are our present reality and our sure and certain hope in eternity. The Lord has taken away our judgment.  He has cast out our enemy. The King of Glory, the Lord Our God is in our midst. Because the Spirit of God lives in our hearts, nothing can harm us.  There is no need to fear.  The Mighty One is with us to save us.  He rejoices over us with gladness and quiets us with His love. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit sing a hymn of joy over us! Do therefore as He says in verse 14:

Sing, shout and be glad and rejoice with all of our heart.

Beloved…Let us sing despite out trials and despite the grief we face as we walk through this vale of tears. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. We can sing even in dark times because even the night with our God is light about us. Truly, He has done great things for us and we are glad.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

And their righteousness is from Me,"

Says the LORD.—Isaiah 54:17

Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid;

For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;

He also has become my salvation.'"—Isaiah 12:2

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

The LORD preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.—Psalm 116:7-8

Faith Living…

 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.—Habakkuk 2:4

Obviously, the “proud” here refers to the King of Babylon and the Chaldeans and the “just”to the believing remnant of Israel.  The former would die in their pride and the latter live...by their faith.  God differentiates between the wicked and the righteous. The wicked are puffed up trusting in themselves.  The righteous live by faith trusting God moment by moment.  The literal rendering in Habakkuk's context, is "By his faith the just shall live." It could also be paraphrased "the justified-by-faith-one shall live." Faith is not a one time act, but a way of life.  The true believer perseveres in faith as the pattern of his life. 

This “faith” living is hard for me.  I find myself going backwards daily...returning to worry and fear rather than trust and faith.  I keep at it though and my perseverance has blessed me in that I am beginning to feel a  sweet joyful peace and sense of relief as I cast the burdens that He has allowed in my life back on Him who promises to sustain me through them all.  I come to Him when I am laboring and heavy laden and He truly does give me rest.  He is a gentle Savior.  His yoke is easy and His burden light.  

God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.—1 Peter 5:5b-7

As we see at the end of Chapter 3 this kind “faith living” triumphs! Praying that we, like Habakkuk, can trust in God and go in His strength.  

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God* is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.—Habakkuk 3:17-19

Paul’s attitude in Philippians 4 also comes to mind:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.—Philippians 4:4-8

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christfn who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:11-13

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.—Philippians 4:19-20

As They Became Malice, He Became Prayer…

 In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.—Psalm 109:4-5

They hated him without a cause....they returned evil for his love.  Where gratitude was expected, hate reigned in its stead.  How do you combat slander?  What do you do when you are encompassed by hatred....by people who return evil for your good?  You do what David did...he gave himself to prayer.  Spurgeon says that as they became malice, he became prayer.  I like that picture.  Psalm 55:16-17 says this:

As for me, I will call upon God,

And the LORD shall save me.

Evening and morning and at noon

I will pray, and cry aloud,

And He shall hear my voice.

Reading through David’s desires for the enemies of God was a little hard for me.  Each of us, if we have lived long enough, know that their are people out there who are not for us.  But as believers it is not us they are not for...it is God.    David’s pronouncements of judgment on those who did this evil are NOT sugar-coated.  Matthew Henry says that these imprecations are not from the spirit of passion but from the spirit of prophecy.  David’s desire for the enemies of God was biblical...he is angry not on behalf of himself but on behalf of the oppressed and helpless.  Our God is a God of justice.  The wicked will be judged.  God judgment may tarry to accomplish His purposes, but it will come.  Vengeance is mine our God says, “I will repay.”  Jesus faced similar circumstances. 

“Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”—John 10:32

Jesus prayer from the Cross at Calvary was this:

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.—Luke 23:34

For himself David prayed that God would be his help in his distress. He, like Jesus committed his soul to his Father for safe keeping. 

But You, O GOD the Lord,

Deal with me for Your name's sake;

Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.

For I am poor and needy,

And my heart is wounded within me.—Ps 109:21-22

 Help me, O LORD my God!

Oh, save me according to Your mercy,

That they may know that this is Your hand--

That You, LORD, have done it!—Ps 109:26-27

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;—1 Peter 2:23 

I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:8-11

Cast your burden on the LORD,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.—Ps 55:22

Who Does the Lord Take Pleasure In?

 

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,

In those who hope in His mercy. Psalm 147:11

The LORD favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], Those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness.—Psalm 147:11 AMP

This verse stops me in my tracks every time I read it.  I confess to having a hard time digesting it.  Every time I read it it, I piece it apart.  My life, my actions here on this ball of dirt can give the One that hung the stars, pleasure!  That is an awesome thought and for me a wonderful incentive to trust and obey Him. My God who is so great and awesome delights not in the mighty but in anyone who fears (reverences) Him and hopes in His mercy.  

This morning as I once again attempted to digest these words I turned to Spurgeon’s Treasury of David for help. Loved what he wrote:

As a father takes pleasure in his own children, so doth the Lord solace himself in his own beloved ones, whose marks of new birth are fear and hope. They fear, for they are sinners; they hope; for God is merciful. They fear him, for he is great; they hope in him, for he is good. Their fear sobers their hope; their hope brightens their fear: God takes pleasure in them both in their trembling and in their rejoicing. Is there not rich cause for praise in this special feature of the divine character? After all, it is a poor nature which is delighted with brute force; it is a diviner thing to take pleasure in the holy character of those around us. As men may be known by the nature of the things which give them pleasure, so is the Lord known by the blessed fact that he taketh pleasure in the righteous, even though that righteousness is as yet in its initial stage of fear and hope.

My Bible reading this morning included 2 Kings 22.  King Josiah in my mind embodied this verse…

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, "Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD." Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.

Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her. Then she said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to Me, "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.'"' 

But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard— because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD. "Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place."'" So they brought back word to the king.—2 Kings 22:8-20 (emphasis mine)