Summer Meditations: Reality Check

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!

Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

20 They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,

and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Well…this portion of Psalm 139 almost feels as if it didn’t belong here. To tell you the truth, verses 19-22 make me feel a bit uneasy. I don’t know what to make of them… Where do these thoughts come from? They feel completely unrelated to the topic of the Psalm, which I interpret to be a reminder of how intimately God knows His children, and how, in spite of such multi-dimensional knowledge, He loves us…He thinks we are wonderful! I believe, this Psalm is about how the Lord ministers to each of His children personally, individually and compassionately. The whole Psalm, up until here, reads as a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s infinite pouring of His love on His completely underserving children. Then, all of a sudden, we find ourselves asking God to “slay the wicked!” Hmmmm

I can’t help but thinking that it was, precisely, David’s meditation on the depth of God’s love toward His own, and on His mercy, what led Him to consider the absurdity of the fact that there are some who would speak of God with evil intent…that there could be some who hate Him, and that there are many who are in rebellion against Him…

David’s heart, a heart after God’s own heart, could not fathom that reality. Therefore, He turns to righteous anger. He sees no use for the wicked. They are the enemy and they need to be sent away.

How could they not see the goodness of our loving God? How could they misuse His Name? How could they rebel against the Lord? How could they hate Him?

David has no patience for them. He abhors them and wants them wiped out.

David knows Our God is a Holy God. He knows that His name is Holy. He knows that He deserves all reverence, worship, praised and thanksgiving! Therefore, seeing the actions of the wicked revolts him.

I believe, that verses 19-22 of Psalm 139 give balance to this piece of Scripture, so we don’t forget that God IS Love, but also, that He is just as every bit as Holy as He is Loving. The Word reminds us that the fate of the wicked is separation from the source of life…which means death.

Sigh…

The state of our society scares me to no end. However, I trust God’s plan and His wisdom. Therefore, I no longer see these verses as out of place…now, I see them as a reality check.