Sunday, March 11, 2007
Psalm 139:19-24
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (ESV)
by Leanne Lippincott
These verses highlight a familiar struggle. David bluntly states that he not only hates what these “bloodthirsty men” are doing, he hates the very men themselves. Today, we see injustices in the world, and we hate the people who perpetuate them. But God tells us, over and over, to love our enemies. “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink” (Proverbs 25:12, NIV).
I find it curious that after David tells God his heart, he turns around and asks God to “search me…and know my heart” (v. 23). If God does find anything “offensive,” David wants to be set right.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
