Contend With Them, Lord

A Psalm of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me. 2 Take hold of buckler and shield And rise up for my help. 3 Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." 4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me. 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on. 6 Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them. 7 For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. 8 Let destruction come upon him unawares, And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. 9 And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; It shall exult in His salvation. 10 All my bones will say, "LORD, who is like You, Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him, And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?" 11 Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul. 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. 14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother. 15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The smiters whom I did not know gathered together against me, They slandered me without ceasing. 16 Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth. 17 Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions. Psalm 35:1-17 (NASB)

When someone comes up to contend with us or attack us or lay a trap for us or do any sort of harm to us, our first human reaction is to buck up and get ready for the fight. One of my friends once said to someone who was arguing with him, “You better be careful what you say! I'll thump you and ask forgiveness later.” That's not how David reacted. His reaction was prayer. People were contending with him. They were chasing him down in order to kill him. When they saw that they couldn't catch David, they spread rumors about him. Some of these who David is talking about are friends. When they were sick, David put on sackcloth and ashes. He fasted and prayed for them. How did they repay him? They laughed when he stumbled. Did David lash out against them? No, he prayed to the God of his salvation. He prayed for his adversaries to fall into their own traps. He prayed for God to contend with those who contended with him. He prayed for God to cause them to fall into their own traps. He prayed for God to fight his battle.

David lived in a time where forgiveness wasn't the rule of the day. It was more an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Further, I don't think David was afraid of much of anything. After all, he killed the lion with his bare hands, a bear with his bare hands and he killed a giant that all Israel was afraid of with a sling shot, cutting off Goliath's head with Goliath's own sword. He chose to trust God.

We are called to something much deeper. We are called to endure those who persecute us, to forgive those who wrong us, to love those who hate us. Actually, though, we are called to do what
David did here. Put it in God's hands, period, and trust Him. In both David's time and ours, one thing comes to mind, though. Vengeance is Mine, Saith the Lord. Consider Romans 12::18-21, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 20 "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. “ Hmm, Let's see what Hid Love will do...

Saturday, November 21, 2020