This is why God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of your tent. He will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will look on with awe and ridicule him: "Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior." (vs. 5-7)
Taking refuge in our destructive behavior. Hmmm. Sounds like addiction, doesn't it? Of course, Doeg and King Saul, about whom this psalm is written, literally destroyed the priests of God. However, one could ask why. Doeg was a warrior. Prided himself in his "badness." No mess he couldn't bloody up with a sledge hammer and a sword. His name was Doeg, for Pete's sake! Saul was another story. With him it was personal. God called him to be the first king of Israel because the people wanted a king. Reticent at first, shy by nature, Saul trusted God for wisdom. It didn't take long, though, before Saul took not only ruling Israel but also offering the priestly sacrifices in his stride. Born of pride and expedience. God put His foot down. Looked for another king. Jesse's family was the focus when Samuel went to anoint a king to replace Saul. Not any of the big handsome older sons of Jesse, but the shepherd kid who brought them lunch. The one who slayed the giant Saul was afraid to approach....and did it with one smooth rock. David was too small even to wear the kings proffered armor. Insult on insult. The child who would be king undaunted by what scared the pants off Saul's entire army. The offense was born. The seed of hate planted deeply within the insecure king of Israel.
So the king let it eat at him. Brought David into his household. Made the kid a fighter. But, oh the folly of that. David took down the enemy in droves. While Saul was only moderately successful. Because of a wager, Saul had to give David his daughter. Then the paranoia set in. The king just knew David was out to get him. So, he set about getting before he could get got! Throwing spears at the young man who played the harp for him. Chasing him out of the courts and into the wilderness. Killing the priests of Nob and an entire community because he had become so insecure about his own destiny and self-worth that he thought David to be just like him. Capable of the murderous motives which ate his soul alive. Saul took refuge in his own thoughts. Retreated to his own opinion of what was actually going on. Finally couldn't even listen to reason. Not only had he ultimately taken over the exercise of offering priestly sacrifices, but also justified murdering the priests of God.
Talk about destructive behavior.
What do we run to when the going gets rough? It matters. Maybe it doesn't look as serious to us as Saul's taking refuge in his power. But to be real, we are the rulers of our own lives to the extent we choose what to do with our disappointment and pain. Whether we upend a bottle of booze or shoot up with heroin, run away from a difficult marriage into adultery or eat ourselves into obesity, over-exercise or over indulge in some other way, if we choose to medicate, we choose destructive behavior that could be our ruin and the ruin of those we love. The thing is, and I know this, for at least a little while we can justify destructive behavior. We have, after all been hurt, rejected, abandoned, overlooked, etc. Enemy territory. Take all that out and play with it and anything imaginable can be justified with enemy logic. "I deserve this." Those words can make anyone capable of any horrible thing. I am convinced the devil's greatest pleasure is taking pain and dragging us with it into more pain. Destructive behavior destroys! Duh.
Run to God. Ironic. But I believe you must be still to run to God. He is the strong tower we run into. Once there, though, we wait. No frantic drinking from the cask of self-medication. No immediate fix from shooting up artificial peace. No human arms telling us they will make it all go away. No. Harboring. Anchoring. Stilling ourselves in Him and waiting as He takes over and wins the battle for us. Not running to fix the unfixable. Only He can do that.
The righteous run into the strong tower and are saved. It will not be wrong for us in that day to look on the foolishness of the one who glories in her/his sin and say: "Here is the one who destroyed herself and others because she loved her offense more than God." It isn't God's heart or ours, however, to let her go on in her destructive behavior. That is why our God, in His great love and mercy, keeps the door open to the tower. Run there! and be saved.
Taking refuge in our destructive behavior. Hmmm. Sounds like addiction, doesn't it? Of course, Doeg and King Saul, about whom this psalm is written, literally destroyed the priests of God. However, one could ask why. Doeg was a warrior. Prided himself in his "badness." No mess he couldn't bloody up with a sledge hammer and a sword. His name was Doeg, for Pete's sake! Saul was another story. With him it was personal. God called him to be the first king of Israel because the people wanted a king. Reticent at first, shy by nature, Saul trusted God for wisdom. It didn't take long, though, before Saul took not only ruling Israel but also offering the priestly sacrifices in his stride. Born of pride and expedience. God put His foot down. Looked for another king. Jesse's family was the focus when Samuel went to anoint a king to replace Saul. Not any of the big handsome older sons of Jesse, but the shepherd kid who brought them lunch. The one who slayed the giant Saul was afraid to approach....and did it with one smooth rock. David was too small even to wear the kings proffered armor. Insult on insult. The child who would be king undaunted by what scared the pants off Saul's entire army. The offense was born. The seed of hate planted deeply within the insecure king of Israel.
So the king let it eat at him. Brought David into his household. Made the kid a fighter. But, oh the folly of that. David took down the enemy in droves. While Saul was only moderately successful. Because of a wager, Saul had to give David his daughter. Then the paranoia set in. The king just knew David was out to get him. So, he set about getting before he could get got! Throwing spears at the young man who played the harp for him. Chasing him out of the courts and into the wilderness. Killing the priests of Nob and an entire community because he had become so insecure about his own destiny and self-worth that he thought David to be just like him. Capable of the murderous motives which ate his soul alive. Saul took refuge in his own thoughts. Retreated to his own opinion of what was actually going on. Finally couldn't even listen to reason. Not only had he ultimately taken over the exercise of offering priestly sacrifices, but also justified murdering the priests of God.
Talk about destructive behavior.
What do we run to when the going gets rough? It matters. Maybe it doesn't look as serious to us as Saul's taking refuge in his power. But to be real, we are the rulers of our own lives to the extent we choose what to do with our disappointment and pain. Whether we upend a bottle of booze or shoot up with heroin, run away from a difficult marriage into adultery or eat ourselves into obesity, over-exercise or over indulge in some other way, if we choose to medicate, we choose destructive behavior that could be our ruin and the ruin of those we love. The thing is, and I know this, for at least a little while we can justify destructive behavior. We have, after all been hurt, rejected, abandoned, overlooked, etc. Enemy territory. Take all that out and play with it and anything imaginable can be justified with enemy logic. "I deserve this." Those words can make anyone capable of any horrible thing. I am convinced the devil's greatest pleasure is taking pain and dragging us with it into more pain. Destructive behavior destroys! Duh.
Run to God. Ironic. But I believe you must be still to run to God. He is the strong tower we run into. Once there, though, we wait. No frantic drinking from the cask of self-medication. No immediate fix from shooting up artificial peace. No human arms telling us they will make it all go away. No. Harboring. Anchoring. Stilling ourselves in Him and waiting as He takes over and wins the battle for us. Not running to fix the unfixable. Only He can do that.
The righteous run into the strong tower and are saved. It will not be wrong for us in that day to look on the foolishness of the one who glories in her/his sin and say: "Here is the one who destroyed herself and others because she loved her offense more than God." It isn't God's heart or ours, however, to let her go on in her destructive behavior. That is why our God, in His great love and mercy, keeps the door open to the tower. Run there! and be saved.
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