Scripture: "Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me." Psalm 44:5-6
Observation: In this Psalm, this statement is not made in advance of a battle or in celebration of a victory. This statement is made in shadows of a defeat. Israel had suffered a mighty blow. Their king led them back to their history and they remembered how things went when God fought for them. In Joshua we are told that when Israel clung to God, one of their men could drive back 1000. When they clung to things of the world, they suffered defeat. This king had obviously learned a lesson.
Application. It was so easy. It felt so good. The words that were spoken to me riled up something inside of me that caused my blood to boil and my ears to feel as if they were burning on the side of my head. It deserved a response and I gave a good one. If throwing "zingers" back at a person were an Olympic event, the string of words I used to comprise the sentences of attack I launched in retaliation to this person would have been a hands down gold medalist. No doubt about it, it was a perfect ten. There was no room for comeback. For the moment, I felt as if I had won. Reality, I only made matters worse. In the heat of the moment, I depended on flesh to fight against the flesh of another person. In the end, I only created a bigger problem.
I do not have a sword. I do not own a bow. Have never had to take to the battlefield. The adversaries I have faced have never showed up with swords drawn and their bows pulled back. I live in a different time and place. Things have definitely changed. The culture into which I was born is different. But there is still a powerful lesson in the verse for me. The adversaries I face; we battle with a different sword. We draw back another kind of bow. Swords of steel have been replaced with tongues of flesh. Bows and arrows of wood have given way to training, education, skills and abilities acquired from experience. The weapons I use and face are different, but the conflict is definitely there. I war with grumbling & gossip. I fight dissention. I stand face to face with past traditions and comforts. Preferences, diverse opinions, fleshly desires, rebellion, anger, hurt, bitterness, fear, and general distrust all rise up to create the battle field on which I spend most of my time.
As I see a battle approaching, it is so hard to hold my tongue and maintain a sober mind. It is so easy to forget the power of the tongue. James has quite a bit to say about the tongue. In James 3:6 I am told "And the tongue is a fire, the very word of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell." Words matter. They have the power to bless or to curse. To build or tear down. They can set on fire the entire course of our life. How many politicians have I watched totally end a campaign by something that slipped out of their mouth?
And the mind is just as bad. As I study and learn, I become more and more dependent upon the knowledge stored in my head. The problem is that my mind is defiled. It is not pure. I can put in the pure wisdom of God and take out the corrupted thoughts of Satan. There is power in the wisdom of God to bring about a greater purpose just as there is power in my own wisdom to help further propagate foolish behavior.
The nation of Israel was instructed to cling to God and warned to avoid depending on the tools of the world around them. So am I warned to cling to God and not depend on my ability to use speech and knowledge to fight. Paul instructs us that we do not battle with flesh and blood, but with powers and principalities. I must stay before God and recognize that it is he who brings victory. I can say some brilliant things that sound amazingly wise. In the end, if I am not clinging to what God is doing; I will suffer defeat. If I walk in sin, I will perish. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul warns us that God will discipline us in order to save us from condemnation.
Prayer: The heat of the moment is hard for me. Actually, the heat of the moment is impossible for me to stand against the temptation to take matters into my own hands. I need for you to work in my heart now, in the stillness of the morning, to help me bridle my tongue and submit to you my mind, knowledge and wisdom. Guide me in my day. Help me engage only in the battles that You desire for me. Allow the sword or my tongue and the bow of my mind to not be the things in which I trust. I have dealt with the outcomes of the path of my life being set on fire by own foolishness and loose words. I desire not to fight flesh with flesh, but to see You overcome the world around me. Forgive me of the sins I have committed with my tongue and my wisdom. I have allowed the behavior of others to draw me into a battle I never should have fought. In the end, it is Your will and wisdom that dictate the result. You are the only source of victory and peace.
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