“Blessed be the Lord— day after day he carries us along. He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes! He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us. Lord God knows all death’s ins and outs. What’s more, he made heads roll, split the skulls of the enemy As he marched out of heaven, saying, “I tied up the Dragon in knots, put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea.” You can wade through your enemies’ blood, and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.”
Psalm 68:19 MSG – A verse of the day from the Bible presented in Eugene Peterson’s contemporary version called The Message. Accompanied by a personal reflection below.
So, this is David not holding back in wishing the worst upon his enemies, and the question is: is that alright then for us to do the same? I don’t know, but it certainly establishes our humanity in that we are a composite of all human passions that includes the love of vengeance. There might be a time and a place for entertaining every passion indeed, but it would do us well to focus more on turning over to God (even as David is doing here) what is not possible for us. Better yet, in the knowledge of living in the new covenant of redemption and forgiveness, thanks to the inconceivable sacrifice of Jesus, God incarnate himself, we have an everlasting peace that passes all understanding — even in the most difficult of circumstances. The massacre of those inside the church in South Carolina the other day, and the reaction of their family to the assassin is an excellent example of how this peace of God can allow one to forgive one’s oppressor even in the face of death.
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