MY DISTRESS! WHOSE FAULT IS IT?
Psalm 70
Today people commonly seek relief from personal distress by placing blame. If we can say with personal confidence that our undesirable experience is someone else’s fault, we feel relieved of responsibility. The number one being that we commonly blame is God. If we can say with confidence and conviction that our undesirable situation is God’s fault, we personally feel relieved of responsibility.
The psalmist’s view was quite different!
His predicament confused him! He wanted God’s help NOW! His disastrous situation was filled with immediate consequences!
His enemies distressed him! Some wanted to kill him promptly in a humiliating, shameful manner. Others found personal joy in observing his turmoil. Whatever his distress, the psalmist wanted his enemies to suffer severely for their insensitivity.
The psalmist’s attitude was totally different toward those who belonged to God. He wanted nothing for them but joy and gladness. He wanted them to have specific reason to declare God’s greatness.
His attitude toward himself was different. He knew he was poor and needy. He knew himself. He knew he needed God’s help immediately. The delay of God’s intervention was not an option.
However God’s identity and God’s timetable for intervention were not the same matter!
The psalmist’s attitude was strikingly different from the attitude of today’s Christian. He made a distinct separation between three types of people: (1) enemies, (2) the righteous, and (3) himself. Enemies opposed God’s values and purposes. The righteous genuinely honored God. Personally he championed God’s objectives, he honored God’s values, but he accurately knew himself.
One thing was clear to him: he needed God’s immediate action!
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