Romans 2:1-3:8
1 Samuel 10:17-11:15
Psalm 56
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Thoughts and Commentary on Today's Reading:
Psalm 56 is about enemies and dealing with them. Have you ever had an enemy? Most of us have at least had one. The enemies described in Psalm 56 are the worst kind. We know this because the Psalmist lists a number of things his enemies are doing against him:1) they are fighting against him daily (Ps 56:1)
2) they are oppressing him (Ps 56:1)
3) they are trying to make him afraid (Ps 56:3)
4) they twist his words to try to trap him (Ps 56:5)
5) they always think the worst of him (Ps. 56:5)
6) they continually try to destroy him (Ps. 56:5)
7) they plot and lay ambushes for him (Ps. 56:6)
Clearly, these are serious and hateful enemies! So how should such a menace be dealt with? Lightning bolts anyone? In verse nine, we read that when David cried to God for help with his enemies and God made them "turn back"!
Psalm 56:9 "When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me."Like Jonah, sitting out on the hillside outside of Ninevah waiting for the lightning bolts to strike the town, our human side rises up with elation that Almighty God got them good! But the Psalmist isn't just saying that Yahweh forced the enemies to flee. There is another side to the meaning of the words "turn back". One meaning of the original Hebrew word translated as "turn" is actually convert!
Did you know that if you endure persecution, trusting God, and never losing your faithfulness Him, God can actually use you to convert your enemies. As Jonah saw in the Ninevah story, this is always God's first choice.
Consider the amazing story of how an old, black preacher defeated the KKK. Truly God did "turn back" the enemies of this wonderful, Christian man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqV-egZOS1E
