Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 109:8-15
Psalms 109:8-15
8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. 10 May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. 11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. 12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. 13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. 15 May their sins always remain before the LORD that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Reading this we certainly do not see the attitude that Jesus said we are to have when he said we are to love our enemies and pray for them. We are told to do good to those that mistreat us and despitefully use us. If this was written by David (and it was inspired whether it was David or not), how does it reflect a man who is said to be a man after God’s own heart?
We need to understand that he was put in a position of authority and leadership by God to rule over the people of God. He was therefore ruling with the authority of God himself. Anything that reflected badly on him or his kingdom was a reflection on God. Any enemy of his was an enemy of God. So from his point of view, he was looking out for the honor of God.
Another difference between then and now is that God’s kingdom on earth was a physical kingdom with his presence in Jerusalem. Today the kingdom of God is his church (also called the body of Christ and the family of God) and God dwells in our hearts, not in an earthly city or even represented by an earthly throne. We are individually the temple of God as well as the church being his temple.
Thirdly, he leaves the vengeance and retribution to God. When David was at his best, he never acted without the authority and approval of God – even against his enemies. Today we are taught to not take our own vengeance but leave room for the wrath of God. We are to treat everyone kindly, even as we would want to be treated. We pray for our enemies and treat them with love.
O God, thank you for loving me when I do not deserve it. I realize my sin caused you to have to send your Son to live on this earth as a man and then to die a cruel death on my behalf. This love demonstrated by you and by him is far beyond what I can truly imagine. Keep this ever in my mind to motivate me to live for you in every way and to truly seek to become more like you every day. Help me today to know what to say and what not to say and the proper time to do each. Please guide our country and upcoming elections. I pray in the name of Jesus.
--Robert
