Psalm 54:1–3 (ESV) —
1 O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah
NOTE: David was
hiding from Saul in the wilderness. This was a time of active pursuit by Saul.
Others had sought to turn him in. Now, strangers in the land, the Ziphites,
also attempt to turn David over to Saul. The Ziphites did not know him. But
they probably had heard what was done to others who did not obey the King. And
technically I suppose, they were obliged to obey the king. Except in this case,
the King was attempting to kill an innocent man, and so his order would have
been an illegal order. That puts a burden upon us to not blindly follow our
authorities just because they are an authority placed there by God. Not every
action is moral. We need to seek God in these matters. And that is what the
latter half of verse 3 seems to be saying -- David is arguing that they have
not sought God in the matter but are blindly following the orders of the
authorities. This is not about disagreements. We can disagree with authorities
but we are still obligated to follow their rules and laws. This is when the
rule or law is immoral, such as the taking of innocent life.
PRAYER: Father, this
is a very difficult concept and we need your help and guidance. We cannot
disobey laws because we don't like them or even disagree with them
conceptually. On the other hand, we are obligated to disobey immoral laws and
rules. I pray you would help us to discern the difference.
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