Psalm 59:3-4a (NIV)
See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, Lord. I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
CORRECTION: Here is a working link for the article mentioned in yesterday’s DOSE about babies/youngsters.
Have you ever experienced something like this? A person or group of people dislikes you for no particular reason. You have done nothing wrong, yet they act as if you have been violating them in some way for years. They want to see you come to some harm, perhaps not physically, but in some way more generally. Perhaps they would like to see your finances collapse…or lose a job…or be publicly humiliated…or lose your rights. David had done nothing wrong when it came to King Saul, yet Saul was determined to see him hunted down and executed; “I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me” (v. 4a).
King Saul had nothing to fear when David first came onto the scene in the Elah Valley where the Israelites encountered Goliath. He was not aware of the fact that young David – the runt of his family’s litter – had been anointed as the next king by the prophet Samuel. David was not imposing physically and brought no reputation with him as a great warrior…a fact that was not lost on Saul, who offered him the use of his armor when this “kid” stepped up to oppose Goliath. After his stunning victory, Saul took David into his charge, seeing that he was indeed a courageous and blessed young man. “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well” (1 Sam. 18:5). All seemed to be going well until the Israelite women came out to the road to meet the king and his incredible young commander singing, ““Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7).
David was blessed and highly favored by God and the people knew it…and so did Saul. His jealousy turned to rage and gave birth to years of hatred and murderous plotting. And while you and I are not famous young warriors representing a jealous commander, the people around us can hate us like Saul hated David for no good reason other than this: We have the hand of God upon us as his adopted children, through the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. The bible states quite clearly, “To the one we are the aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life” (2 Cor. 2:16). To the people outside of Christ, his followers – you and me – are a stench. Even if you don’t carry a bible or wear a Christian t-shirt or slap a Christian fish on the back of your car, you are an Ambassador of Christ and sooner or later, that spiritual reality will manifest itself in the way some people respond to you. “I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me” (v. 4a).
Jesus virtually guaranteed that we would suffer persecution and the bulk of the New Testament outside of the four Gospels follows suit. In fact, if you are not suffering some form of push-back from the culture around you, you need to ask yourself why that might be the case. Perhaps you are not being a faithful Ambassador? Perhaps you are both in the world as well as of the world (Jn. 15 and 17) and so you blend in far too well? Nowhere does Scripture command us to stir up trouble and persecution for trouble’s sake – and some Christians most assuredly do – but rather, it calls us to “act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God: (Mic. 6:8). Additionally, the bible commands us to “seek peace, and pursue it” (Ps. 34 & 1 Pet. 3). And while we try to be a blessing to the people and events around us, the lost will most likely receive that as condemnation rather than “Good News”, for what fellowship does darkness have with light (2 Cor. 6:14)?
Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33). You are never more like God when you love those who hate you. Again, Jesus promises “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). What He is saying is that if we only love those who love us, then we’re not different from the world, but to love those who hate you, that is indeed a godly thing. Jesus Himself said, after they had nailed Him to the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a). We must do the same.
