The Devotional - 1525 - Rising above the lie

The Devotional – 1525 – Rising above the lie

Psalm 120:1-7 – In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you, or what shall be done to you, you false tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree! Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

 

Comments and Challenges – A Song of Ascents

1.      In my distress I cried out to the LORD and He heard me.

2.      Deliver my soul, O LORD from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue

3.      What shall be given to you? Or what shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?

4.      Sharp arrows of the mighty, attached with coals of the Juniper tree.

5.      Woe is me that I sojourn in MESECH and that I dwell in the tents of KEDAR!

6.      My soul has long dwelt with him who hates PEACE.

7.      I am for PEACE: but when I speak, they are for war.

Yes we have departed from Psalm 119. It is like going on a trip and leaving behind an important piece of the luggage. The heart says go back and get it, but the miles between home and where you are, are just too far. With this thought in mind it becomes increasingly aware that if we do not have the WONDERFUL WORD of GOD abiding in our SOUL, we will suffer greatly with the circumstances of life around us. There is however another side to this thought. What if we have tucked the WORD into our SOUL and what if we are aware of the dangers of a lying tongue?

Yet there is still the stress of any moment we face in dealing with people and a great deal of that stress, is knowing that the people we meet may be full of lies. I thought about this and I thought about how this song writer deals with it. I say “song writer” because while we again do not know the writer and in the wee bit of study material available to me the psalm is referred to as a song, a song of ascent. Looking at the word ascent since it is part of the Psalms original writing, the word means to rise like a stairway upward.

This should be very important to us, how many times a day are we faced with the disappointment of a lie, or some comment from another that can be very deceptive and depressing? If you said, “daily” that would be the correct answer. Now consider your response to the liar! Can we respond with a lie and be as they are? Yes we most certainly could and sometime do! Deliverance from this moment is not with the lips of our mouth, but with the lips of our soul, the response of our SOUL as it sings upward to the LORD.

Lies! This psalmist says are like fiery arrows from the “broom tree” a broom on fire is not “one” in number; all of the strains on the broom are burning and not easy to extinguish, even the hidden bits of truth within the tree of lies burns as well because the truth has no place of safety in the blasé of the lying tongue - James 3:1-12. Our attention to lies will bring us DOWN, but our focus on the STATUTES, PROMISES and ORDIANANCES of God LIFT us up. So do like the psalmist… sing a new song; one that makes much joy in your SOUL and brings about the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. 

Do not be anxious; lying lips are “nothing” so in everything with prayer making a humble request of the LORD with thanksgiving and The LORD God (JESUS) will provide you with PEACE and will guard your heart and mind. Philippians 4:6-7. Rejoice in the LORD always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4. And do not forget to sing as some of those we confront are those we long to fellowship with in peace, even though they always seem to be at war with us. A song of rejoicing is a prayerful expression of faith in God – see Colossians 4:2-6.