Psalms 27 (Select verses)
“Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.” (v. 5)
There are people in this life who will love you sincerely, who you can trust to be who they say that they are, who will speak the truth in love to you, and who will not lie to you. And then there are people who will pretend to like you, and who will pretend to be your friend and to be on your side and supporting you, but it isn’t real. It is fake. And this could be a cultural thing, in some cases, or it could be that they are just using you and taking advantage of you to get something from you or to hide something from you.
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (v. 6)
So, the point of this is that it is much better to have a friend who is sincere and is honest with you and who will speak the truth in love to you, because he cares about you, than to be surrounded by superficial friends who may talk about you unkindly behind your back, and who don’t really care about you or what happens to you, in reality. And if this is someone’s spouse, this could be speaking of adultery and hidden sin all the while the spouse is espousing love and devotion for his partner to her face.
On a spiritual level this can be about people who preach feel-good messages that seem sincere, and they act as though they really care about you, but they are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing who are lying to you, and who care about themselves, and not you, which is why they are lying to you and not telling you the truth. For they want you to like them, and they want you to follow and support them so that they can continue to feed you with lies which may feel good, but which will cause you harm in the end.
“Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.” (v. 8)
Now, going back to the subject of the unfaithful spouse, the normal MO (modus operandi) for this kind of situation is that one spouse is sinning against the other with “another lover” of some kind. And this does not have to be a physical sexual union of the two lovers, either, though it could be, or it could include that. For those who are addicted to pornography, for example, are not physically involved with the person on the screen, but they are definitely engaged in cheating on their spouses and in sexual sin.
And there are all kinds of other things involved in cheating on one’s spouse, such as lying about it, and hiding it, and even lying in advance to set up a situation with the concealment that something else is actually what is taking place. And this usually involves some kind of self-gratification, and this can include movies, books, stories, fantasies, private conversations, romantic affairs, and all sorts of perversions of a sexual nature, some of which the Bible talks about. And the cheater could feign love for his spouse, too.
“The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (v. 12)
And what I just talked about above has to do with those who see danger but who go after it anyway. They know the difference between right and wrong, and they know the possible consequences of doing what is wrong, and not what is right, but they are hardheaded and stubborn and rebellious and full of self and lust, and so they go after what they know is wrong, and they end up shirking what the right thing is to do. And they don’t always suffer for it immediately, but they will in the end if they continue on a sinful course.
“Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.” (v. 17)
Now, when I think of iron sharpening iron, I think of those who love enough to speak the truth in love to others and who have friends who do the same. And so these friends, although kind and loving to one another, will not fear speaking the truth to one another when necessary in order to help the other person stay on track and to keep them going in the right direction. For life is hard, and sometimes it feeds us lemons, and as human beings we can get discouraged. So we need friends who will speak the truth in love to us.
“As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.” (v. 19)
Now we are on the subject of the human heart. Even though some (or many) people lie and cheat and cover up what they are doing, hoping that no one will know, and that no one will see, the heart of them will reflect who they truly are and what they are all about. For it comes out in their attitudes and words and actions and body language and behavioral patterns, etc. What is stored up in their hearts is revealed by what they do and by what they say, and so it is going to show itself somehow, sometime.
But as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be faithful to our Lord and to our spouses, and we are to walk (in conduct, in practice) in holiness and in righteousness, and in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin. What should be reflected from our hearts is love for our Lord and a desire to follow him in his ways and to do what pleases him. What should be reflected from our hearts is moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, kindness, compassion, and love. For we died to sin, so how can we live in it any longer? (see Romans 6:1-23)
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
Caution: This link may contain ads
No comments:
Post a Comment