2 Samuel 1:23 - Mourning an enemy

Saul and Jonathan—
     in life they were loved and admired,
     and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
     they were stronger than lions.

When Saul and Jonathan died, we can understand David mourning and lamenting about Johnathan, his good friend, but what about Saul? He and Saul had been enemies many times. Maybe this was a sign that David really had forgiven Saul. He did not dwell on the problems of the past between the two of them. He forgave him and honored the good things about Saul. He did not allow this anger to fester in his heart.

Lord, thank you for the life of David and the things we can learn from him. Please help us to put away past arguments and hurts and move forward for your glory. Amen.

Psalm 139:21-22 - Hatred?

Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
     and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
     I count them my enemies.

Really David? (This Psalm was written by David.) Hatred? What happened to Love God, Love People? What happened to being unoffendable and merciful? Most of the time I have some words of truth, but today I just have questions. This may be a old testament vs. new testament issue. After all. in the old testament, God asked his people to kill entire nations. But when Christ came a new law was revealed, putting to death the old law of sin and death. Christ is the one who said."Love your enemies." (Matthew 5:43-48),

God, thank you for sending Christ to offer us salvation and a new law. Please help us to love everyone, even our enemies and those we do not agree with. Amen.

Psalm 94:19 - Anxiety

When anxiety was great within me,
     your consolation brought me joy.

I learned something the other day I need to share to correct some of my earlier blog posts. David did not write all the psalms. Some of the psalms say "Of David," some say others, some don't give an author. So...I just thought I needed to clear that up.

Psalm 94 focuses on the cries of an oppressed people. Today, my life is so easy and I have never lived as an oppressed person, but I can imagine how much comfort the Jews in concentration camps in WWII took from these passages. I have nothing like the anxiety I know they must have felt, but if God can bring consolation to anxiety on that level, then he can surely ease my anxiety and bring me joy.

Lord, thank you for consoling us in our anxiety. Please help us to rely on you with the anxieties in our life. Amen.

Psalm 83:18 - The purpose of overcoming enemies

Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
     that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

In Psalm 83, David is asking God to defeat his enemies, but I like the last verse the best. If all we do is for the glory of God, then even the defeat of our enemies takes on new meaning. It's not about us and what we want, it's about God, bringing him glory and making his name known.

Lord, thank you for coming to us in our times of need. Please help us to do all things to your glory. Amen,

Psalm 38:15 - Waiting

Lord, I wait for you;
     you will answer, Lord my God.

Psalm 38 is a chapter full of woe, pain, sickness, defeat, enemies, and sorrow, Yet in the midst of this trouble, David says he will wait. God loves us and intends good for us, but we will have to go through pain and sorrow. We must wait upon the Lord.

Lord, thank you for bringing us through our troubles. Please help us to wait for you. Amen.

Psalm 35:3 - Reassurance

Brandish spear and javelin[a]
     against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
     “I am your salvation.”

Footnotes: [a]  Or and block the way  (I left in the footnote because I like this phrase better than "and javelin".)

In previous posts I have suggested that the enemies David refers to in the Psalms can also be thought of as sin. Sin is my enemy and pursues me, especially the sins I personally struggle with. I love that David asks God for reassurance in this verse. He wants to hear God say, "I am your salvation." We have this assurance. In Isaiah 45:22 God states, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." And  Jesus states, "I am the way..." in John 14:6.

Lord, thank you for your strength and reassurance. Help us to turn to you when we are facing our enemies. Amen.

Psalm 17:1 - Praying about a "sin enemy"

Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
     listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
     it does not rise from deceitful lips.

This psalm is primarily about defeat of an enemy. In my life I rarely have an actual human enemy which I am facing, but I do have sin enemies. Whatever sin we face over and over again can be faced using the words of the psalms. Verse 13 states "Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked." When we look at these verses from another angle, they resound with purpose and hope. The Lord will hear our plea.

Lord, thank you for hearing us. Please defeat our our sin enemies and protect us. Amen.

Psalm 10:14 - God sees

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
     you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
     you are the helper of the fatherless.

God sees us. He knows when we are in pain, when we are facing difficult issues, when we are a victim. He will defend us, encourage us and listen to our cry (v. 17& 18).

Lord, thank you for being there for us. Please help us to not lose hope, but to turn to you immediately in our time of need. Amen.

Psalm 3:5 - The Lord sustains me

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

The third chapter in the Psalms mostly talks about deliverance from an enemy, but the verse above struck me because I am in a very busy month. When I am working full time (plus) and am busy with other projects, I get tired and grumpy. I know I have to pray my way through each day to keep up my energy and strength. No matter the struggle we are facing, God is always the one to turn to for sustenance.

Lord, thank you for giving us sleep and sustaining us. Please help us to rely on you at all times. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 2:15b - Hostile

They displease God and are hostile to everyone.

This verse is in reference to the Jews who killed Jesus, the prophets and drove out those preaching Christ. If our beliefs are causing us to be hostile to everyone, our beliefs need to be reexamined. Hostile is a strong word. Even enemies are to be forgiven and treated kindly.

Lord, thank you for offering us forgiveness and kindness. Please help us to offer forgiveness and kindness to everyone. Amen.

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Exodus 23:4-5 - The right way to treat an enemy

If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

How are we to treat our enemies? Here God is talking about an enemy within our community, someone with whom we have a personal relationship. It is hard to think about being nice to someone who hates us. They probably won't appreciate it and may even be angry in return, but it is still the right thing to do. Have you ever pointed out that you were given too much change at a store and the clerk was angry with you? Well, most likely they are embarrassed that we pointed out their mistake, but it was still the right thing to do. If we take the extra money or allow the donkey to continue to wander or be trapped, then the sin is ours.

Lord, thank you for loving us even when we are unlovable. Help us to do the right thing, even if it is not appreciated. Amen.

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Joshua 5:13-14a

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."

I like that the commander of the army of the Lord was on neither side. He was on God's side. He was there for God's purposes, not the Israelite's or Jericho's.

Lord, no matter what the issue, I pray that I will always be on your side. Amen.