To begin, here’s an excerpt from Psalm 18.
As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.
I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.
You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
(Psalm 18:30-50)
The Psalms are a wonderful resource for us in our Christian lives.
They showcase the full range of human emotion.
They provide us with words at times when our emotions are so strong that we’re left speechless.
They enable us to start reaching out to God and praying to Him even when we’re in deepest distress.
We can use them as a springboard for our prayers, allowing them to guide us in the paths of godliness.
But if you’re like me, you might find some of the Psalms disconcerting.
Sometimes, it seems like there’s a disconnect between the way that Jesus taught us to live, as people of peace who love their enemies, and the savagery expressed in the Psalms.
I’m fortunate to have had only a few enemies in my life. For my part, I've worked hard to forgive them. Any enmity is on their side, not on mine. Praying that my enemies would be crushed so they cannot rise [1] seems like a step in the wrong direction.
So what do we do with these sorts of passages?
The answer lies in an unlikely source. At one point, a Pharisee approached Jesus asking what he could do to inherit eternal life.
“What is written in the Law?” [Jesus] replied. “How do you read it?”
[The Pharisee] answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” [2]
Jesus responded by telling the man a story that would turn his world upside down: the story of the good Samaritan. In essence, Jesus said, “Your neighbour is your enemy.”
Like the Pharisee who came to Jesus asking, “Who is my neighbour?” we can approach Jesus and ask Him, “Who is my enemy?”
When I’ve asked this question, Jesus has shown me that I can treat my own fears, temptations, or the abuse I’m healing from as my enemies.
Those things have threatened my ability to thrive and even to continue existing. From a conceptual standpoint, they are indeed my enemies.
Think about how this passage changes when we think of our fears as our enemies.
I pursued my fears and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my fears before me.
You made my fears turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed them all.
This is just a sample. I’d encourage you to re-read the rest of this passage substituting the things (not people) that are enemies to your godliness.
One thing I would caution against:
Please don’t substitute in any physical or mental illnesses. These things can sometimes feel like our enemies, but in my experience, it can be emotionally dangerous to disown our own minds and bodies because we’re unhappy with some sort of disability or limitation. God can use even our disabilities and limitations to help us grow in dimensions we would never have imagined.
Instead, how marvellous it is to read these psalms in the context of fear, abuse, temptation—or any other threat to your godliness. In the reading, these psalms become declarations of victory, expressions of hope for our futures, and steps of faith towards the One who makes all things possible.
NOTES
[1] Psalm 18:38.
[2] Luke 10:26-29, NIV.
