“Lord, I trust in you alone. Don’t let my enemies defeat me. Rescue me because you are the God who always does what is right. Answer quickly when I cry to you; bend low and hear my whispered plea. Be for me a great Rock of safety from my foes. Yes, you are my Rock and my fortress; honor your name by leading me out of this peril. Pull me from the trap my enemies have set for me. For you alone are strong enough. Into your hand I commit my spirit.” (Psalm 31:1-6 TLB).
David it in trouble. The exact nature of this trouble is unknown. From later verses it appears that it is not primarily physical danger that the Psalmist is facing but social/emotional danger. My guess is that he is the victim of character assassination. Why do I say that? Look for a minute at verses 11-13 then 17-18: "I am scorned by all my enemies and even more by my neighbors and friends. They dread meeting me and look the other way when I go by. I am forgotten like a dead man, like a broken and discarded pot. I heard the lies about me, the slanders of my enemies. Everywhere I looked I was afraid, for they were plotting against my life. . . But let the wicked be shamed by what they trust in; let them lie silently in their graves, their lying lips quieted at last—the lips of these arrogant men who are accusing honest men of evil deeds.” (Emphasis mine.)
Unfortunately, some of you reading this thought have shared David’s experience (I certainly have). Lies are told, rumors spread and friends, neighbors, co-workers see you coming and heads go together. Whispers are exchanged. You might have leprosy for the way they part when you walk by. Close friends become cool and hold you at a distance. Others are not so kind. You know something is wrong, but you can’t figure out what. People avoid you. Like David you begin to feel, “I am forgotten like a dead man, like a broken and discarded pot.”
The hardest part of such plots is no matter what you do, you lose. If you try to explain yourself, there are those who think “thou protest too loudly” and assume that you must have something to hide. If you say nothing, there are those who think, “Ah, he doesn’t respond. The allegations must be true.” The beauty of a lie is all it has to do is plant the seed of doubt. Some won’t even believe what they hear, but the doubt will always be there. They begin to critically scrutinize everything you do or say. They are unconsciously building a case against you. It is amazing how fast houses of lies can be built.
What can be done? Run to Jesus! God and God alone has the power to set things right. When we go to him we find Him to be a rock and a fortress and the only One who can safely lead us out of the peril.
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