Psalm 70:2-3 May those who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
Is it alright to wish ill toward our enemies? We hear a lot of ill will spewing from politicians these days toward their enemies. (I would say opponents, but the tone is too vitriol to just be opponents.) The previous chief executive has been maligned for over five years, and the language coming from those who opposed him was poisonous. Few people could endure what he did. (And he could spew vitriol right back at them, to all of their shames!)
How are we treated by those who oppose us? How do we react to that opposition? Is our reaction godly?
I want to start by separating feelings and intentions, emotions and our will. Feelings rise and fall like the wind and tidal waters. They are ever changing. That is why we can’t allow our feelings to dictate our actions.
The Psalmist is facing opposition and he feels certain things. He wants them to be brought down in no uncertain terms. He wants them to be shamed. He wants their plans to be frustrated with confusion. He wants them to be disgraced. Are these feelings allowed? Can we bring them into God’s presence like this writer did?
Of course we can bring our emotions to the LORD, even those that are seemingly contrary to His will and character. And that is what the writer did. This song was used in worship by both Jewish communities and early Christian communities. They give voice to a deep sense of justice in the face of mounting injustice. What his opponents were doing was unjust.
So how do we reconcile the words of the Psalmist with the words of Jesus? Jesus said to “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” Don’t these statements by our text’s writer seem to contradict Jesus’ words? They seem to contradict, that is the key.
What are we to do with these feelings that arise? We bring them into the presence of the LORD. We surrender our hearts and lives to Him and His will. We plead for His intervention and rescue. And then by our actions we love them. We get in the presence of the LORD repeatedly until our feelings match our loving actions.
But the one thing we don’t do is stuff our emotions. We don’t deny that they exist. No pretending allowed. The LORD wants us to bring our whole self to Him, even those emotions, thoughts and ponderings that are contrary to His desires and perhaps even our desires. We bring it all to Him.
Then they are in His hands, and He can mold, shape, dissect, excise, cauterize, and bring wholeness. But if we don’t give them to Him, they will fester, grow and multiply, metastasize, and cause death, our death.
In the end, it is proper to bring our own vitriol toward someone into the LORD’s presence. We can call down the forces of Heaven upon our enemies, like the Psalmists do so frequently. But in the end, we must yield to His will, His love, His justice. Our voice in the public square must not be the same as our voice in our prayer closet. Our actions must be loving, whatever our feelings might be.
The Arnold Journey 