Day 73
Numbers 21:1‐22:20; Luke 1:26‐56; Psalm 57:1‐11; Proverbs 11:9‐11
The Sheep Have Teeth
“I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among man-eating beasts, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.” – Psalm 57:4
Before he was the leader of Israel, David penned a lot of lyrics like this one. Reading the whole psalm you would think he was being hunted by an opposing army, but interestingly enough he was being hotly pursued by his own king, a man named Saul.
Both men are military leaders, both are Israelites, and both worship the same God – can’t we just get along?
It always surprises me how quickly Christians can turn on one another. If something doesn’t go our way or if someone says something that offends us, we become angry and vitriolic towards those that Christ has commanded us to love. Though we are sheep of the same fold, we certainly have teeth, and we don’t hesitate to use them to get our point across in a disagreement. Though no longer utilizing “spears and arrows,” we prefer a more subtle approach to our man-eating: emails, Facebook, and Twitter, for example. Verbal violence is never a good solution to a disagreement or quarrel. In the beginning of the chapter David models the perfect response for someone who feels attacked. “I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings…” (Psalm 57:1).
David never returned insult for insult (1 Peter 3:9) but instead petitioned God for healing. Even when he was attacked on every side by his countrymen/enemies, he was able to praise God. May we follow his lead and turn to God whenever we feel attacked.
Pastor Phil Ayres