Poor David! What must he have been subjected to in order for a prayer like this to come from his heart and lips?
Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;preserve my life from dread of the enemy.2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,from the throng of evildoers,3 who whet their tongues like swords,who aim bitter words like arrows,4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,shooting at him suddenly and without fear.5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;they talk of laying snares secretly,thinking, “Who can see them?”6 They search out injustice,saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep!
7 But God shoots his arrow at them;they are wounded suddenly.8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;all who see them will wag their heads.9 Then all mankind fears;they tell what God has brought aboutand ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORDand take refuge in him!Let all the upright in heart exult!
This is some pretty weighty subject material don't you think? He's totally pegging...ur...uh...dare i say, judging some people here! Not only is he freely and openly expressing (and obviously recording) his assessment of these people, he's also looking forward to the day when these cowardly, loose lipped, bitter, evil, liars who are bent on crushing him are pierced with God's own arrows.
He's looking forward to their ruin! He's waiting for their humiliation and day of disgrace! That doesn't sound very "christian" of him...does it? Shouldn't he rather embrace the common notion that a good Christian wouldn't "judge someone else simply because he sins differently than he does"? Or how about the one that's circulating Facebook recently? "Before you judge me make sure you are perfect"?
Here we have David, a lying, adulterous, selfish murderer...crying out to God for justice! And he's banking on it...even taking comfort and hope in it. He says, "Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!"
Obviously he assumes he's in that camp! But why? Isn't he just as big a sinner as those who are lying in wait for him? Those who seek to destroy him with their lying tongues? Where then do you suppose he gets off "judging" these guys and even waiting for their condemnation?
When David was confronted with his sin he didn't shrink back and deny it. He didn't hide it. He didn't justify it or blame someone else for it. He repented.
How would it have gone for him, do you suppose, if he had blamed Bathsheba for bathing in public on the roof instead of owning his own guilt in his adulterous affair? And after she was found to be with child he called Uriah home, giving him the opportunity to merely be deceived as opposed to being murdered. He could have blamed Uriah for not sleeping with his wife when he had the chance...after all, David wouldn't have had to kill him if he'd have just gone to his wife while he was home.
But even though he committed adultery, tried to cover it up and in the end, killed Uriah, he repented when he was confronted by Nathan. He did not deny it or cover it up. He did not cling to it. He didn't hurl quip phrases at Nathan because he called out his sin and made him face it.
There in lies the difference, if you ask me.
He left his sin behind. He pursued the path of righteousness rather than deception and hatred. He humbled his royal self before God and submitted himself to His chastisement and discipline.
Is that you? Are you being like King David? Have you laid aside your pursuit of sinful lusts, pleasures, justifications and excuses and bowed in humility to God? Have you chosen, without looking back, to follow God's path of righteousness?
OR are you like the wicked? Bitter, angry with someone, plotting harm and destruction or the demise of his reputation? Are planning your next night of debotchery? Are you waiting with anticipation for your next high? Are you still flirting with that married co-worker or friend?
Who are you? And with whom are you REALLY aligned? Do you have a right to judge? Is your right to judge rooted in your repentance and God's righteousness or is it rooted in your own desire for power and control...or worse yet, your desire to get the heat off yourself?
Not one of us has the right within ourselves to judge the person next to us. BUT believers have every right to cling to the righteousness they have in Christ (Just like David). And in His power and Name they have the right AND the responsibility to hold each other accountable to God's standard of holiness so that when we are failing, we can help each other get back in line. Not only that, but they have every right, because of the sacrifice of Christ, to look forward to the day when wicked, unrepentant people are put in their place...and we all know where THAT it. Though we would rather see their repentance (just as I believe God would) if they refuse, we rejoice in The Lord and their just condemnation.
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