Don’t drag me away with the wicked— with those who do evil— those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts. Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness. Pay them back for all their evil deeds! Give them a taste of what they have done to others. They care nothing for what the Lord has done or for what his hands have made. So he will tear them down like old buildings, and they will never be rebuilt!” (Psalm 28:3-5 NLT).
Recently we showed the Film Flywheel at our church. If you haven’t seen this film, it’s worth seeing. One of the funniest scenes turns out to also be a critical turning point in the plot. Used car dealer, Jay Austin, sales the pastor of his church a used car at an inflated price, all the time telling the reverend that “he’s giving him a great deal.”
Accepting the “deal,” the pastor then asks Jay if he can pray for him. “Certainly,” is the reply. But as the pastor prays, he concludes with these words, “Lord, I pray that you will treat Jay the same way he’s treated me today.” Jay’s eyes pop open, and his uncomfortableness is clearly evident. Flywheel is a powerful movie.
David’s prayer in the middle portion of Psalm 28 reminded me of that pastor’s prayer. Even in the church it is not uncommon to find “those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.” David handles the situation in the only way it can be handled. He doesn’t try to determine their motives, he simply gives them over to God: “Give them a taste of what they have done to others.”
Jesus reminded us, “For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.” (Matthew 7:2 NLT). Despite what some mistakenly believe, Jesus never told us not to judge others. What He taught us was to judge with a right and righteous judgment. That is what we see David doing in this Psalm. He knows He’s been wronged, but instead of getting even, He turns them over to God.
The philosophy “I don’t get mad, I get even,” has caused more heartache and pain in this fallen world than perhaps any other philosophy. Here’s what I know: in this life there will be those who hurt you, those who lie about you, and those who deceive you. Responding to such people would be a full time job. Let it go. Give it over to God. He can handle it better than you anyway.
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