“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!” Psalm 120:1-4
God answered David’s prayer by rescuing him from liars and deceivers. [1]Some liars pretend to be friends. They promise free gifts and reliability to gain trust. Some of the most dangerous enemies are those who hide their hatred behind a mask of friendship. [2]
Some liars make false accusations. They blame an innocent person for the mistakes or crimes of others. One of God’s Ten Commandments condemns bearing false witness against others. It is the ninth commandment. It is recorded in Exodus 20:16.
Lies damage reputations. Lies instigate hatred against individuals and groups of people. Then, what happens? Innocent people get hurt and killed!
The deeds of deceivers distressed David. He turned to God for help. He prayed, “Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips.” In “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil.” In John 8:44, Jesus said of the devil, “There is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Is getting caught in a lie funny? In a popular rerun show on TV the main character is a liar and deceiver. Her husband and neighbors continue to love her despite the fact that she has broken their trust so many times. Lying is no laughing matter. It is of the devil. There’s a spirit behind it, and it is not the Holy Spirit.
Lying for laughs is foolishness. In the book of wisdom, Proverbs, God is against lying. In Proverbs 6:16-17, the Lord hates a lying tongue. Proverbs 19:5: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.” Proverbs 19:9: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish.” Proverbs 20:6: “Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.”
In Colossians 3:9, the Lord says, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds.” In Ephesians 4:25, the Lord says, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”
“What will be given to you?” What does the righteous Judge do with liars? In Revelation 21:8, He says, “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” Talk about being pierced by a sharp arrow or burnt by a hot coal! How devastating it would be to hear God say the words of Matthew 25:41 to you, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
God’s arrows strike quickly and unexpectedly. They reach sinners before they realize what has happened. This same warning appears in Psalms 64:7, “God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly, they shall be wounded.” [3]
Unlike thorns that flare up quickly and burn out, juniper coals burn with intense heat for a long time, even after they appear to have gone out. [4]
“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.” Psalm 120:5-7
What does a person gain by living among malicious and deceitful people? Nothing but the pain caused by their lies and hurtful words, described as sharp arrows and burning coals. [5]
David compared the people around him to the rude and hostile inhabitants of Meshech and Kedar. It is similar to saying today, “I live among people who act like pagans.” David longed to be worshippers of the one and only true God. [6]
In 2 Peter 2:1-6, Peter reminds us that God does condemn sin. “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness.” God “did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.” God turned Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, “condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.”
Why was Lot reluctant to leave Sodom after the Lord warned him to flee from there? 2 Peter 2:7-8, Peter states that righteous Lot “was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.” “His righteous soul was tormented from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deed.”
In 2 Corinthians 6:15, Paul wrote, “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” In 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, he added, “Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
The people around David not only hated him, but they also hated peace itself. They chose conflict instead of reconciliation. Rather than seeking peace, they cherished conflict. [7]
Though David was a warrior, he wanted peace. He desired to live peacefully with everyone. In the original language, he simply said, “I peace.” Peace was his nature and his goal. He loved peace, prayed for peace, and worked for peace. He was willing to sacrifice, submit, and give up personal rights whenever it was reasonable in order to preserve peace. [8]
In James 3:17, the Lord says that “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
David’s enemies looked for reasons to fight even with someone who wanted peace. David spoke respectfully and kindly. He offered reasonable solutions and words of love, but they refused to listen. They were determined to do evil. [9]
The enemies of Christ acted the same way. In return for His love, they became His enemies. In John 8:59, “They took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” [10]
If we face people like this, we should not think it is unusual. Neither should we stop loving peace simply because our efforts seem unsuccessful. In Romans 12:18, the Lord says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” In Romans 12:21, the Lord says, “Do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” [11]
In Matthew 10:12-14, Jesus coached His evangelists with the following advice, “When you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.”
Isn’t it good to know that though we, like Jesus, long to see all people saved, He has advised us not to enter the homes of hostile people. One of my son-in-law’s reminds me from time to time, saying, “Look for good soil. Sow on good soil.”
While in college, I learned of the Battle for Verdun. It happened in 1916. It was the longest battle of the First World War. The Germans did not initially plan to win the French city of Verdun. Their goal was to turn it into a meat grinder. French pride would keep defending it while German cannons kept killing them. However, as the battle dragged on, the original concept of a purely mathematical slaughter morphed into a desperate, prestige-driven fight to capture the ground, sucking the German army into the same high-casualty trap they set for the French. [12]
“Dear Lord Jesus, You who taught fishermen how to be fishers of men, please lead us, Your people, to the best place to cast our Gospel nets so that the greatest number of souls are saved with the least amount of avoidable losses. I pray this in Your Name, Jesus, Amen.”
[1-11] Material sometimes quoted, but most often developed, edited, amended from Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[12] Google sources
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