1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.
3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
and restore him from his bed of illness.
4 I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you."
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
"When will he die and his name perish?"
6 Whenever one comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it abroad.
7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 "A vile disease has beset him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies."
9 Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, have mercy on me;
raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 In my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
***
I remembered a recent movie that I enjoyed: StarDust.
In it, some of the subplots is about these 7 princes who tried to backstab and murder each other in order to claim the rights to the king (their father's) throne.
In the same way in this psalm, King David laments how lonely he feels at the top, with the responsibilities of God's kingdom entrusted to him and having to govern with integrity. All this while having to watch his back, mindful of people spreading rumours, and even not knowing who he can trust.
9 Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.This verse probably is referring to his own son Absalom who uprised against him.
This is probably also a prophecy about Judas who betrayed Jesus.
From my own experience and observations, spiritual leadership is also sometimes like that.
The lives you are trying to build into, the people you lead, sometimes they may misunderstand or mistrust you. People may leave you. Even your leaders may have conflicts with you. Sometimes you may feel like giving up, because it seems that the only person who understand is God, who tasked you to do His will in the first place. You feel lonely at the top.
BUT...
Will you hold on and continue doing God's will?
King David did.
12 In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.He believed in doing what is right and trusted God will uphold him.
That's the mark of a true leader.
Labels: Journey Through Psalms
