12/17/2008
Psalms 28:3 - 5 (HCSB)
3 Do
not drag me away with the wicked,
with the evildoers,
who speak in friendly ways with their neighbors,
while malice is in their hearts.
4 Repay them
according to what they have done—
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.
5 Because they do
not consider
what the LORD has done
or the work of His hands,
He will tear them down and not rebuild them.
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When I was in my late teens, still living at home, a young man came to our front door while I was doing some chore in the back-yard. My dad answered the door and the young man asked if I could come out. My dad did not recognize the young man who was cordial but my dad sensed something wasn’t right, so, rather than calling me to the door, my dad just told the boy I was unavailable.
I remember my dad coming into the back yard and peering over our 6-food wood fence across the street. I had no idea what was going on. But later my dad told me about the incident and described the young man. He also told me that when the boy left, he was met by 2 or 3 other boys crouching behind another fence and their intent was clearly not as friendly as the boy had been at the door.
I had a few problems in school and didn’t get along with everyone so well. But that isn’t the point. The point is about those who pretend one thing but their intent is another.
In these verses, David is pleading for God’s justice upon those who are, as we would say, “two-faced.” You know them, the people who can be sugar-sweet to your face, but in the next moment slander you behind your back. It seems as if they have no conscience or guilt about their behavior. They could betray you as easily as breathe.
It’s easy to look around at “those” people and implore God to judge them, but before we do, let’s consider our own lives. Have you ever pretended to be friendly to someone that you really didn’t like? Have you found yourself gossiping or maligning them in different company?
Although it is important for us to be friendly to everyone, God, in fact, calls us to love our enemies. Huh? Those people you would just rather not be around, God has commanded you to love.
So what, then, does that mean? First of all, our conduct around that person needs to reflect all the love, respect, and dignity that we would afford our most loved friend. Second, we must maintain that love, respect, and dignity about that person in their absence. This is an issue of authenticity. Your behavior to someone’s face should be as authentic as your behavior about them in their absence. Would you malign your loved ones behind their backs? Then neither should you malign your enemies.
God is the judge, and until He decides to act, our role is simple: Love your enemies.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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