Daily Devotion With Pastor Dan Nickerson – November 11, 2020
Take a moment if you can and read (Psalm 57:4-6) (1 Samuel 16:4-13) (1 Samuel 18:1-16). It must have been very difficult for David who had been anointed the King of Israel by God, to find himself hated and on the run for his very life. David and his men were in the recesses of a cave in En-Gedi and could have taken the life of Saul. David could have taken it upon himself to put an end to all his problems. Instead, David chose to not touch the life of Saul (God’s anointed), but to wait on God for His deliverance.
God’s word tells us in this Psalm how David felt as he was in hiding from Saul (57:4). We see the same feeling in David in (Psalm 64). He must have felt miserable, even sick to be the recipient of the verbal abuse of his countrymen when all he was doing was living his life for God.
David’s enemies are set on fire (who breathe forth fire), they are fierce and bent on David’s destruction. Saul and his army had one mission, to capture and defeat David, and their bitterness was so great they would stop at nothing. But what had David done to deserve this hate? Nothing! Yet their evil tongues were one of their tools used against the future king.
Quite often the terrors of enemies are started with inciting words. Think about it, it was inciting words that turned the crowd against Jesus to crucify Him. It was inciting words that caused Paul who was preaching peace to be driven out of cities. What lies had been said about David by Saul and perpetrated by his armies?
Certainly, the tongue can be used in vicious ways to attack another (James 3:1-12), we know that by our own life experiences. But David was the future King anointed by God, these people knew this, yet they talked with evil intent and tone in their heart. When you talk about God’s anointed, in this case those who God has put in authority over you, pastors, church elders, parents, teachers, employers – government leaders, what tone do you take? Is your speech one of complaining, backbiting, divicive, ungratefulness, harm, and discontent? Or is it one of thankfulness, gratitude, love, kindness, appreciation, etc.?
What does God’s word tell us about slander? Read: (Proverbs 11:9) (Proverbs 10:18) (Proverbs 16:27-28). What should our tongue be used for? Read: (Psalm 35:28) (Psalm 37:30) (Psalm 119:172).
The truth is, so many people use their tongues to tear down someone else in order to exalt themselves to a higher place, or to make themselves feel better about themselves. But when David was in great distress he did not tear down someone else’s character so that he could feel better. When David was in great distress he did return evil for evil. When David was in great distress he did not pray that the Lord would exalt him. Instead, what do we see David saying, “Lord exalt Thyself.”
It is that God may be honored, that the name of God may be glorified, that God may be regarded as Supreme over all things, and that God may be exalted in every way. Even with us, God being exalted should be of more concern to us than any particular interests of our own , and we should think about this before we use our tongue in a way that dishonors God.