You Are Not the Only One

Psalm Chapter 64 KJV (Unless otherwise stated all scriptures in this devotional are from the King James Version of the Bible-which is public domain!)

A conspiracy to destroy others through slanderous speech is NOT from God.

Context

The psalmist also shows that his dissenters are conspiring against him. This conspiracy is an outcropping of a much widespread attitude of the wicked plotting against the innocent. The psalmist reverses the situation and shows how the plotting enemy’s arrows will always come back to them because God has determined it to be so (verses 1-6). The very words that they use against the righteous will be used to ruin them (verses 7-10). This psalm was written by David. The first part speaks to the wickedness of people and the lengths to which they will go to get their way. They will use their tongues as weapons of destruction. It reminds Christians that they should not participate in the slander of others. Proverbs 1:8– 19 tells us that e should not follow the speech and or behavior of the haughty and or evil persons who live among us. Why? Their end is destruction.

Conspiracy

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.  David knows that fear is a destructive emotion.  Fear of one’s enemies rather than trust in God and a healty fear or awe of God leaves a believer without the power and strength of the Lord.  When we pray we must not pray for our own desires but we must pray according to the will of God. As a child of God our prayers keep us close contact with God. When we pray we pray for His will to be done in a situation. We pray for the benefit of others and not for their destruction.  We pray that His will be done in their lives.

² Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:  Only evil people plot and scheme in secret against others. Only evil people are constantly harping on the destruction of others. That is not an example of God’s agape love towards our enemies. When we privately plot against the enemy of our friends we have become open to the indluence of the devil. We do not fear our enemies, we trust God. They will use their tongues against us. They will even be very convincing and weave a powerful argument against us, but remember that God will control those arrows [words of destruction].  Their words are just like the mosquitoes that permeate the south at the beginning of the fall. They are nasty little bugs that swarm all over the place. They get into your hair, your clothes, and your house if you are not careful. They bore into places that you would never expect them to go. That is what it is like when people plot and scheme against each other. They gnaw away at you skin. They will create wels and itch like crazy. Mosquitoes are like the tip of a sword. They hurt when they bite you. Well. so do the tongues of these insurrectionists. They did it to Christ so they will do it to us (Matt. 26:3) ³ Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: ⁴ That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.  Think carefully before you put your trust in anyone who chooses to slander others on a regular basis. Actually, if anyone uses slander to make themselves look good avoid them at all cost (See Psalm 59:7). They are in effect using slander as a sword.

(See You don’t see mosquitoes until it is too late. They have already zoomed in and, sometimes, have already bitten you. So, are insurrectionists. Their words bite into you and are attempting to devour you.

Their words will hurt.

⁵ They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them? ⁶ They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep. Mosquitoes reproduce in a prolific way. They lurk in the shadowy area of the garden. They are there but you will not see them laying in wait in their little groups, nope, not until you walk into their area and then they gnow on you like a hungry dog. Gossips and tale bearers are lilte mosquitoes. They huddle together and seek to harm others. They are like spiritual stealth bombers.But here is where it becomes great for the child of God. ⁷ But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. Our protector will use His weapons of warfare against them.

God’s counter-attack against their words.

⁸ So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. They uses their words to ravage God’s people, but they were turned back against them.  That is like a drone that has been taken over by the enemy and has been launched against the originator of the drone.

⁹ And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. The enemy will not always get their way against God’s people. Just look at what God proises in Philippians 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;” “And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” When God walks into our circumstances He will silence our enemies. 

¹⁰ The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.  All that is left is for us to praise Him. His deliverance is true, and as sure as the sun rising and setting.

Prayer: Lord guard our lips and our hearts. Keep our tongues under control because we cannot do that ourselves. Remind us that blessings flow into our lives when we use our tongues to bless others and when we function under your agape love instead of a spirit of division and gossip.