THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 3
“Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.” Psalm 3:7)
People turn to the Psalms for comfort and inspiration.
But this is not a verse people normally turn to, I think.
Did God’s Spirit inspire these words — they seem so harsh, so NOT like Jesus.
For context, David is being chased by violent thugs working for his rebellious son.
They were attacking those loyal to David – striking their jaws, smashing their teeth!
Here we have the honest prayer of the victim seeking justice from God.
‘May they know the horror of what they are doing, so they will stop’.
If people really knew how their actions hurt others, if they experienced it themselves…
Do we realize how serious sin is, how much pain and sorrow it causes?
I believe God sends Jesus to show us – through the cross – how horrible our sin is.
In a sense, through Jesus God has His jaw struck, His teeth smashed.
Jesus – a totally innocent man – voluntarily receives the violence of sin, to break its hold.
Jesus the Lord does “arise”, not through violence but through grace and goodness.
The Lord does deliver us, not through violence but through mercy.
He does this for the victims, and the victimizers, to set us all free!
With David, we look to the Lord to “arise” and “deliver us!”
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I pray for victims in the world today. Open the eyes of their victimizers, and show us the way to END the cycle of violence. Arise Lord!!!