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).