Do you remember the saying when you were a kid, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”? I think many of us said this when we were younger or heard someone say it.
I also think that many of us grew up thinking that it was a true statement, I know I did. Is this a true statement? It depends on what you look to for truth, if you look at God’s word as the truth then this is far from the truth and David knew it.
Psalm 57:3-4 He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.
This Psalm is written by David when he was fleeing from Saul. You would think that David would be talking to God about the real swords and spears that Saul was trying to kill him with, but he was talking to God about the words that were coming at him. David knows that his God will take care of him, that is noticeably clear in all the Psalms he wrote. In this verse we can see that David is referencing his soul was struggling with all the fire, spears, arrows, and swords coming from the mouth of his enemies.
We can read in James 3:5 “and the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity”. We are to watch our tongue because it will speak life or death, but we also need to watch what we are listening to.
David states that he knows God will “send forth His truth”. What David is saying here is that he knows that God’s word will extinguish the fire and be his shield against the spears, arrows, and swords coming at him.
We are subjected to these weapons in our own lives every day. If we live in this world, we will hear words that will try to attack our souls. Just know that God’s word will be your shield for anything that may come your way today. His word will be your defense when you hear anything that does not line up with the truth.
Meditation: Think about how confident David was that God would send His lovingkindness and truth to him. What areas of your life do you need to focus more on God’s word?
RelianceOnGrace
