Count God's Enemies As Mine
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
9/15/2013 PM
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Text:
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Psalm 139:19-22
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Psalters: |
222, 208, 385, 383 |
- David is speaking of Jehovah's enemies (not his personal enemies).
- They are "wicked" (19a).
- They are blasphemers (20), showing their hatred of God, of Christ, of Scripture, and of God's church.
- They "rise up against" God (21), making themselves to be gods, in control of their own lives.
- They are "bloody" (19b), i.e., killing literally or with hatred: persecuting saints, approving abortion, hating personal enemies.
- What about these wicked?
- First, God will surely slay them. “Surely” means that David is certain divine punishment will come.
- This judgment of God is designed to teach His elect to withdraw themselves from their society.
- "Depart from me" (19) is putting them out of his court (a physical separation), befitting the Old Dispensation's types.
- In the New Dispensation the antithesis is a spiritual separation.
- Further David hates them, i.e., holds them in aversion, and is “grieved” with them (to loathe or detest).
- He hates those who hate good, of which hatred he is not ashamed. "Perfect" is full or complete.
- How do we manifest this hatred?
- Such is our love and esteem for our God’s glory that we pray divine judgment on them for their unrepentant evil.
- David makes it a personal matter when he counts God’s enemies as His.
- All this must be done in and with humility for we have not made ourselves to differ.
- The justification of this hatred.
- David thereby asserts his own devotion to God and to godliness, despising all that is contrary to it.
- Instead of thinking about ourselves we are focused on Him Who is the love of our life and His glory.
- Love for God and godliness is defective if it does not generate abhorrence of sin, starting in ourselves, and in others.
- Let us show our love for God by also counting as our enemies those who are His (let them be one and the same).
- To hate a man for his own sake or for any evil done to us is wrong, but a loyal subject is not a friend of traitor.
- We realize that there is a fundamental difference between them and us - made only by grace.
- Let us appeal to God (21b) that we take no pleasure in those who rebel against Him and refuse to love Him.