Godly Reactions
by Richard Griffiths
Who are these ‘arrogant’ people? The Hebrew word for arrogance means what someone I read has called ‘spiritual rebellion’. Arrogant people are those who have turned their hearts and minds against God and against all that He stands for. As a result, they treat believers with contempt. These people ‘mock’ David. They regard his beliefs and values as stupid and ridiculous. They’ve no time for them, and no time for him.
They are treating David ‘unmercifully’. There’s no let up. Given a chance, they’ll try to pick a quarrel about his faith and his lifestyle, or about him as a person.
Every Christian lives in a secular society and, as we go about our daily business, we will bump up against such people. If we let them know that we are believers, or are open about our Christian beliefs and standards, the chances are that we’ll get some sarcastic comment or, at the very least, treated as if we were a bit ‘odd’.
Maybe we don’t often experience things as extreme as in today’s verse, but sometimes we might. And, even if it isn’t this bad, I think we’ve all been hurt by snide comments. These don’t have to be limited to our Christian faith. We all find demeaning, unfair, unkind remarks difficult, so it’s all too easy to respond in kind – to give as good as we get.
David deals with stuff like this by refusing to turn from God’s law. He has decided to ‘walk the walk’.
God’s law – the Torah – is much more than a set of instructions or a manual for life. It’s God’s way of thinking and acting – His way of being. It applies His heart to ours. It’s meant to permeate every part of our being, spirit, soul, and body, where it will shape all our responses. Without that, our Christian walk will be, at best, a bit wobbly.
Every day, something will challenge us. It may not be the unmerciful mockery of ‘arrogant’ people. Little things can just as easily trigger an ungodly reaction. But if our responses flow from what I would call ‘a torah-shaped’ heart, we’ll be protected from ‘giving as good as we get’.
As you read God’s word today, why not give yourself some time to let it soak into your heart where it can begin to shape all your reactions?
Richard Griffiths When Richard retired from full-time Anglican ministry in Chichester in 2009, he and his wife, Sue, moved to Northumberland. He joined the ministry team at Ellel Grange in 2011, where he and Sue regularly ministered at healing retreats. They are now helping on the "Explore" team. They greatly enjoy walking in the beautiful Northumberland countryside and along the coast. Richard loves seeing God bringing people into a strong personal relationship with Him as their Father and the healing that comes with it.
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