Deceit is Not the Way

[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David]

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

—Psalm 64 KJV Bible

This is a psalm of David. Apparently, certain enemies of David were saying terrible lies and gathering a group of supporters who believed them. The lies hurt David deeply, either directly or indirectly. In this song, David relates the plot of David’s enemies and their punishment by God.

In verses 1 through 6, David explains the plot of his enemies. In verse 1, David tells God his “prayer,” sometimes translated as “complaint.” Basically, David is telling to God his troubled thoughts. David then builds a case against his ungodly enemies by describing their injustice, cruelty, intrigues and deceitfulness. In verse 3, David condemns the sins of the tongue—or of speech—as he did in Psalm 59. With their speech, David's enemies secretly devise a careful plan to ambush David without cause and without fear of a response by God or others.

In verses 7 through 10, David declares the punishment of his enemies by God. In verse 8, David predicts that God will poetically cause those who sin with the tongue to be tripped up by their own speech. When they do not expect it, God will suddenly turn their own words against them. Their supporters, who believed them, will see them for their lies and will desert them. All will understand that God has done this and will give glory to God. The righteous will praise God and trust in Him rather than the empty words of the wicked.

Father, if I have a problem with someone, help me to work through it in a proper manner. If needed, help me to confront the person directly and in love, rather than spreading lies in order to win the support of others and manipulate them for my purposes. That is not Your desire for me. Help me to be upright in all that I say.

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