LHC Midday Word: PSALM Sixty Four

Thursday 23 December 2021

PSALM Sixty Four

For the director of music.

A psalm of David.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;

protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,

from the plots of evildoers.

They sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.

They shoot from ambush at the innocent;

they shoot suddenly, without fear.

They encourage each other in evil plans,

they talk about hiding their snares;

they say, ‘Who will see it?’

They plot injustice and say,

‘We have devised a perfect plan!’

Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

But God will shoot them with his arrows;

they will suddenly be struck down.

He will turn their own tongues against them

and bring them to ruin;

all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

All people will fear;

they will proclaim the works of God

and ponder what he has done.

The righteous will rejoice in the Lord

and take refuge in him;

all the upright in heart will glory in him!

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 64 : “upright” (v.10)

When David begins “hear … O God … my complaint” (v.1), the impression isn’t good. Is this going to be a tedious moan from a disgruntled individual? Fortunately not.

David wasn’t like that. But godly men, especially leaders, have enemies who pose a “threat” (v.1), who “aim their words like deadly arrows” (v.3) and “plot injustice” (v.6).

The world isn’t all sweetness and light, and neither was any Christian church or organisation ever free of nastiness. David is persuaded that good will triumph, and ends “let the righteous rejoice in the LORD … let all the upright in heart praise him!” Amen???

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READING

Psalm Sixty Four

Read by David Suchet