Thursday, November 23, 2017

Be a man of prayer

Psalm 109
In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded(追捕) to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.
But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.
With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one to save his life from those who condemn him.
Hebrew title, 'by David'. People the psalmist has loved and treated will have returned evil for good. They have no excuse for the attack which has reduced him to a shadow.
In verses 6-19 his bitterness finds expression in a terrible curse, excused in the psalmist's mind as fitting punishment: 'he loved to curse - may he be cursed! He hated to give blessing - may no one bless him'. It is tit-for-tat(針鋒相對), ' an eye for an eye', as the law allowed.
See 'Self-justification(自我辯解), curing and vengeance in Psalms'. For those who follow the way of Jesus, the longing for revenge must give way to love, even for enemies.
Why?
The cursing from the psalmist, expressing his mind and hate the evil. Like God hates the evil things.
God cares the needy and the brokenhearted one, when enemies hounded them to death, so psalmist cursed his enemies.
Under the Old testament it is allow to 'tit-for-tat' and 'an eye for and eye'. But follow the way of Jesus, the longing for revenge must give way to love, to love out enemies.
Psalmist is a man of prayer. We may express our mind before the Lord, but do the right things before men.
How?
Be a man of prayer no matter what I got!




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