Devotional Short Note to Psalm 64: David
was a leader of Israel and the work of a leader is not moonlight and roses all
the way. Many leaders choose to deliberate their fears within their own hands
and own reach so influence-wedging and political relationship-carving is the
name of the game. But, one can do what one likes, the very people who put a
person up, work equally hard later to pull the person down. David is no
exception. His problem is the “terror of the enemy” (64:2b); the council of
evildoers (64:3a); the quake of the workers of iniquity (64:3b); they cut with
their tongues and words like swords and arrows (64:4); they focus on the blameless
(64:5); they encourage each other in evil matters (64:6a); they undertake to
lay secretly traps (64:6b); they are confident that no-one would find out
(64:6c); they search out iniquities (64:7a); their search committee as
accomplished a diligent investigation what goes on in the emotions and thinking
of people (64:7b) [this is noteworthy, since they are going beyond their limits
of observation and are in the zone of guessing, it seems. The reason is that
evidence is empirical and not guessing otherwise description of evidence
becomes mere speculation and ends in malicious and unjust gossip]. What these evil wheeling-and-dealing
ones do not realize is that in the Eschaton “God will [future form of the verb]
shoot them an arrow” (literal translation of 64:8a). God does not use military
hardware to accomplish His tasks, He just speaks a Word and it happens just
like they speak similar to arrows supra to damage. “They [evil ones] shall make
stumbling upon themselves their tongues” (64:9a). It is almost a case that when
the fool opens his/her mouth, he/she is identified. “All that will see in them
will scorn” (64:9b). This verse is connected to the final end of the wicked and
there are verses in the Bible that connect that moment with the clapping of
hands by the righteous in heaven of course. Clapping hands in the Bible is
almost always connected to the last eschatological battle with the evil and was
in the Ancient Near East a signal of scorn and disgrace not a signal of
congratulations. Hiss is the same signal.
The Righteous shall all fear and declare
the work of God and they shall understand His doing (64:10a-b). The Righteous
shall be glad in the Lord at the Second Coming and they shall take refuge in
Him “and all the upright in heart shall glory” (64:11a-b).