But think about it: our tongues can be razors too!! Really?
Yes!
Psalms 52 talks about it and we will look at that today. To
better understand why David wrote what he did, let's get the background of the
story.
David was running, running, running from King Saul who
wanted to kill him. He had escaped and run to the sanctuary and thought he
could find refuge there, not expecting to find one of the devout servants of
Saul, Doeg there worshipping.
Because David was so scared of being found out from Doeg, he
told several lies to help himself out. This was no excuse because if he had
told the truth, God would have still protected him and kept him safe. But so
often, when troubles come, we think lying is an easier way out and so did
David.
Later on, he left the sanctuary after receiving the sword of
Goliath and some shewbread for his lunch. Soon afterward, Abiathar escaped the
ensuing trouble and came to tell David what had happened and how Doeg had
reported the incident to King Saul. This made the king very angry and commanded
that all the priests should be killed. What a sad command! Since the soldiers
refused to do that gruesome act, Doeg himself did it. The lives of many
innocent priests were sacrificed because of one man's dishonesty....
Sometime after this situation, David wrote Psalms 52.
"Why boastest
thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth
continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working
deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness.
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue."
Doeg sure had a tongue like a razor and as a result, he
caused the death of 85 priests. Can we kill others with our sharp tongues too?
1 John 3:15 says, "Whosoever
hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him."
Oh.... Hating a brother is such an easy thing to do! But by
doing so, we are guilty of murder. No we haven't killed 85 priests like Doeg
did, but how many people have we killed with our razor-like tongues? Think
about it....
Psalms 52 continues from verse 5-7 to tell us the punishment
God will give to those who have these deadly tongues.
"God shall
likewise destroy thee forever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of
thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. The righteous
also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made
not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and
strengthened himself in his wickedness."
Is there anything more final that this? Is there anything
more terrible than this? No!! This is a way of God saying that if we have these
dreadful tongues, we will not have a part in heaven. Why? Because we wouldn't
be happy there! If we are always finding fault with people here on this earth,
if God were to take us to heaven the way we are, we would find fault with
something even up there!!!
No, no!! Before we get to heaven, our tongues must be
changed. But the tongue only speaks what's in the heart. So we cannot change
the tongue if our heart is wicked. Let's pray for God to give us a new heart
and a new spirit (Eze. 36:26).
To Be Like Jesus page
356 says, "When Jesus speaks of the
new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of
heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon
Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives.
What is the sign of a new heart? A changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying
to selfishness and pride."
When the heart is right, the tongue will speak right words
too! Oh how we need the mind of Christ. As Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus."
Then Psalms 52 finishes in a positive note:
"But I am like a
green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and
ever. I will praise thee forever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on
thy name; for it is good before thy saints."
Why does David say he is a green olive tree? What are olive
branches used for? The olive wreath is a symbol of peace. If peace reigns in my
heart from my 100% surrender to the Lord, I won't be speaking sharp words to
others. Why? Because self is dead and self is our biggest enemy of all.
Yes, others may do things that upset or annoy us, but if
self is dead, we don't have to spew out terrible, nasty, stinging words that
hurt and cut and cause others pain. When we have peace in our hearts, these
little things will not be such an issue or trouble to us.
And then we will "praise God forever" as the last
verse says! "If more praising of
God were engaged in now, hope and courage and faith would steadily increase."
Conflict and Courage, chapter
212.
As we focus on praising God and being grateful for all He
has done for us, it will be easier for us to keep those sharp words from
hurting others.
Let's praise God today and not cut others with our tongues!
:)
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