Read this from the Holy Scriptures this morning and it really struck a chord with me:
(Psalm 35:19-20)
. . .O may those who for no reason are my enemies
not rejoice over me; As for those hating me without cause, let
them not wink the eye. 20 For it is not peace that they speak; But
against the quiet ones of the earth Things of deception they keep
scheming.
(Psalm 35:25-27)
. . .May they not say: “We have swallowed him
up.” 26 Let those be ashamed and abashed all together Who are
joyful at my calamity. Let those be clothed with shame and
humiliation who are assuming great airs against me. 27 Let those
cry out joyfully and rejoice who are delighting in my
righteousness, And let them say constantly: “Let Jehovah be
magnified, who takes delight in the peace of his servant.”
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I guess, in part, it's that David made a distinction as to which type of enemy he is seeking succor from. Which is good, because someone who is just causing trouble to cause trouble, or hating you for no good reason, is not the same as, say, someone who is causing you trouble or hating you because you stole his Uncle's wife.
That was just an example, as I really have no idea if Bathsheba's husband had any nephews, but considering the prolific nature of the Jews of that time, in general, I think it is fairly safe to assume he did.
Also, he is asking for nothing to happen to those enemies, those self made enemies, other than what they are doing to him for no good reason. And he is asking for nothing more to happen to those self made friends than what they are doing to him.
Also, of course, I know the feeling .. having recently, and not for the first time, gone through a very bad episode of people telling lies about me, falsifying information, etc. and for no good reason.
I'm not sure how these persons interconnect, or how they think I do for that matter, but I know when it started: 2003 When I used to go to a chat room for Jehovah's Witnesses and there was a woman there who called herself wturls and such things as wturls101.
She turned out to be the sister (or pretending to be the sister) of a certain Wiccan who used to be, and apparently still is, upset that a man who was a Satan worshipper (seriously) would hold conversation with me and enjoy it. He and I didn't agree on some things, obviously, but we could discuss them and we did actually have beliefs so it wasn't as much of a stretch, in some respects, as One might expect it to be.
He was a good looking man, too. And the little Wiccan That Couldn't really wanted to be with him. But, despite whom he chose to worship, he was also a rather nice man in regards to his dealing with other people and she was a stark raving lunatic whose goal in life was to make as many other people as possible miserable and worship her. So, he was not interested in her, except on the rare occasion she would feign a change of heart.
The point being, out of unnecessary jealousy (as I was not going to get together with a Satan worshipper and he was not going to get together with one of those Jesus lovers, there was no consideration of romantic entanglement or even true friendship between us) and a very long held grudge, her sister and possibly herself got together with several other people and proceeded to call the Kingdom Hall and tell them lies about me - which must have surprised them since I was not and still am not baptised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses; they spread rumors about me in that chatroom, they called my mother to report me for being online (I was something like 32 years old at the time), they posted advertisements, etc. and eventually they went after this guy I met online.
I can't explain here all the reasons they went after him, except that it was considered Wiccan justice since I allegedly stole the man she allegedly loved then she was going to return the favor.
Now, as to how the other people, the ones that are his friends, got involved recently, I cannot say. But it is obviously all connected somehow and it is all based on nothing but lies due to religious prejudice and persecution, to begin with.
Why? Because that woman hated me and assumed I was stealing her man due to my allegedly being a Christian, which I wasn't at the time. And out of all the persons who call themselves Christian, the ones that the Wiccans and the Satan worshippers really considered to be actual Christians, as in living up to their word and the standards of the Bible, were Jehovah's Witnesses which she constantly told me I sounded just like.
It all lay dormant, her undue spite, for years, until she decided to be a part of a heckling of a chatroom she had no business being in and she saw me there.
Lost good friends from that chat room because they believed the lies, in some cases and because they simply quit being online except in dire necessity in some cases; and I lost the trust and respect of the person who meant more to me than anyone else in the world more recently because of their antics.
So, yes, it struck a chord in me, what David was on about.
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| Regarding Enemies and Friends |
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iam7545
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Oct 18 @ 10:21AM
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HH - excellent blog. There is so much to learn from the Psalms. As a not so perfect King David shares his inner self with us in his poetry we can see that certain human conditions are timeless.
It may help you to know that Jews view gossip and slander as the worst of all sins. A great Hasidic Rabbi, The Chofetz Chayyim wrote volumes of books on this topic that became the Laws of Lashon Hora or "evil tongue." What David reflects in these Psalms is the same message.
Thanks for sharing this!
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BaNiNBoston
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Oct 18 @ 10:22AM
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One of my favorite quotes...
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Sun-tzu
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Kandykammy
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Oct 18 @ 1:57PM
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Always keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.
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Journeyhawk
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Oct 18 @ 8:01PM
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As I read your blog, some verses of scripture were coming to me which I wanted to share.
Romans 12: 17 - 21:
(17) Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
(18) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (19) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (20) Therefore,
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
(21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
I am still very much a "work in progress" and 'have a long way to go before I sleep.'
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HopelesslyHopeful
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Oct 18 @ 9:07PM
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Too true JH At first glance, I suppose it might seem that the sentiments as expressed by David and then those that you posted are very different sentiments, indeed; but since David was asking for God to protect him from persons seeking to do him harm, not asking for the right to attack them his ownself, it all sorts out to much the same thing.
That and it was a different time. It was a time of establishing a lesser Kingdom.. whereas, later on, the Higher King is firmly established...
I would be able to think better and share more but there is a headache from a tooth infection and a barking puppy that are influencing me lol
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