Vengeance is Thine

Arise, O Lord, in anger!
Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
(Psalm 7: 6, NLT)

"David wrote this psalm in response to the slanderous accusations of those who claimed he was trying to kill Saul and seize the throne. Instead of taking matters into his own hands and striking back, David cried out to God for justice. The proper response to slander is prayer, not revenge." (footnote, Life Application Bible)

"Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay". I kept hearing those words spoken over and over in my head recently during a situation that I had to endure. I wanted so badly to take matters into my own hands, and pay back evil for evil. But, God said no---He would take care of it. Even though the matter is not totally resolved, I still have to trust that God is in control, and He will bring about justice.

We oftentimes look at our circumstances, and think we know what we need to do to bring injustice to an end. We want to be in control. We don't think God is working quickly enough on our behalf, so we strike out to take care of it ourselves. Just as David did here in this Psalm, we must cry out to God to be our avenger.

The Night Seasons

We all experience night seasons. If we are not careful, night seasons can arise and become a distraction to our relationship with the Lord. Everything can seem to be operating in the manner we feel it should go. The relationship with Christ and daily devotion to Him is great; work is great, family life is great. All of a sudden, we can be hit with rough and tough circumstances. Suddenly, sickness can arise in our life, financial situations arise, or we just become busy. Maybe we just become so casual in our relationship with Christ, we let our guard down. And, before we know it, it seems we are in a night season. We become desperate for Christ, looking for light at the end of the tunnel. And, we wonder how we have fallen into such a mess. It is the tough circumstances that build our character in Christ.

David had the answer for the night season---Psalms 16:7-8, “I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart instructs me in the night season. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved!” We should always bless the Lord, because He will give us counsel. He speaks to our hearts and gives us direction in the way we should go. We’ve got to trust Him. And no matter what the situation, small decisions or big decisions, seek the Lord's direction! If you ever want to know how dependent you are upon the direction of the Lord, ask yourself, how often do I seek the Lord for the small decisions in life as opposed to the big decisions that must be made? If we are truly after His guidance, we will set the Lord always before us!

The best news about a night season, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved! Listen, you may get knocked down, but you are not knocked out! Proverbs 24:16 declares, “Though a righteous man may fall seven times, He rises again!” If you are in a night season, keep your head up. Trust in the Lord---you will rise again. This tough circumstance is building Christ-like character in your life.

Still the Noise

"So David inquired of the Lord, 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?' The Lord answered him, 'Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.'"

2 Samuel 5:19

I was so intrigued while reading today's excerpts. I have read about David, heard him preached about, but had failed to really understand his relationship with God. Yes, he was a man after God's own heart, but we have used that term so loosely that sometimes we overlook the closeness he had with God.

Multiple times the Bible gives us a peek into the "conversations" David had with God. Can you count on your fingers the times you have spoken with God and gotten an answer? And got that answer immediately? I'm ashamed to say that I am not David! Many of us may actually be able to make that same statement. I feel the reason is because we live in a society with polluted air. The airwaves are jam packed with noise! We have satellites, televisions, cell phones, laptops, airplanes, helicoptors and the list could go a mile long.

Society has turned away from silence, which is a breeding ground for conversation. I know with two kids, it is sometimes difficult for my husband and I to converse. It's only until we still the noise of our children that we can talk. What would happen if Eric and I allowed our children to overtake our times of communication? It wouldn't be much of a marriage, let alone a relationship. My next question, what has happened to our relationship with God? We have not learned how to turn down the noise! God is waiting for us to put our priorities in order. All we have to do is turn down the volume of everything around us.

All in All

"Are you listening, dear people? I'm getting ready to speak;
Israel, I'm about ready to bring you to trial.
This is God, your God,
speaking to you.
I don't find fault with your acts of worship,
the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
or more and more goats from your herds?
Every creature in the forest is mine,
the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I'd tell you?
All creation and its bounty are mine.
Do you think I feast on venison?
or drink draughts of goats' blood?
Spread for me a banquet of praise,
serve High God a feast of kept promises,
And call for help when you're in trouble—
I'll help you, and you'll honor me."
Psalms 50:7-15

When are we going to stop trying to honor God with our offerings of burnt sacrifices? We don't literally burn a sacrifice today, but we do constantly try to push things in front of God to earn His blessings. "All creation and its bounty are His". One version says, "I own the cattle on a thousand hills." What can we give God that He doesn't already have an abundance of? As the verse says, there isn't anything wrong with the offerings. It isn't bad to give something to the Lord in order to please Him. It becomes negative when we try to replace praise and adoration with offerings because we don't want to take the time to do so. If we try to hold His attention with the things we place in front of Him, such as an hour of time served or an extra check in the offering plate, we won't be able to fool God. Sometimes we forget that God knows our true hearts.

Both of those acts are good and wonderful things that God can and will use for His glory, but more than that, He desires to be close to us. He desires for us to show Him praise, to talk to Him, to ask him about our problems. He wants to be a part of our everyday lives just as much as our spouse or our children are. He wants to be the first person we talk to in the mornings and the last person we talk to in the evenings. He wants our thoughts and our actions to point to Him. He wants these things more than He wants a sacrifice from time to time. Give God your all and He will become your "All in All".

Become Better Instead of Bitter

Psalm 51 (written by David after Nathan speaks with him)

10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.

David and Bathsheba. Many of you will know this story. David is on his rooftop one day, and notices this beautiful woman taking a bath. He sends for her to come to the palace. They lie together, and she becomes pregnant. However, she is married, and David comes up with a plot to cover up his actions. He sends for her husband, Uriah, who is out fighting in battle, to come home in order to lay with Bathsheba. Therefore, the conceived child would be considered Uriah's. But, the plan didn't work. Uriah refused to lay with his wife while the other soldiers are out fighting a war, and could not go home to their wives. So, then David comes up with another plan. He will send Uriah out to the front lines of battle, in hopes that he would be killed. This way, Uriah would not have to find out about David's adultery, and then David can take Bathsheba to be his wife. And, that is what happens.

But, David, not so quick. You haven't gotten away with it. The Lord speaks to Nathan, the prophet, to go to David and reveal his actions to him. And, because of what David had done, Nathan tells him that another man will take his other wives and go to bed with them in public view. "You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of Israel".

But, that is not all that Nathan tells David. After David has confessed that he had sinned against the Lord, Nathan says, "Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord by doing this, your child will die". And, so it was. The child died as was foretold. Later, David would have more children---one of them being Solomon, one of the wisest and wealthiest men who had ever lived. David confessed; God blessed again in His own time.

We can commit sinful deeds and actions, and ask God for forgiveness, and God is faithful to forgive. However, God doesn't say that consequences will not follow our poor choices. We will reap what we sow. It doesn't mean that God doesn't love us, but how would we become disciplined if we don't feel some punishment for the bad things we have done. When you discipline your child, you should do it because you love them, and you don't want the same behavior to continue. God loves us and wants our behavior to change. Instead of becoming bitter when you experience the consequences, become "better" in Christ!