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Psalm
7.3-5 (NIV)
O Lord my God,
if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands - if I have done evil to him
who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe – then let my enemy
pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep
in the dust.
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| When we are . . . experiencing problems, the first thing we should do is examine our own hearts.* |
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In
these verses, David asks to be punished if his enemies’ accusations against him
are true. In his position as ruler of Israel, David had many occasions to
offend others inadvertently, but there were times when he also deliberately
sinned against his subjects. Perhaps David had worked all that out with God –
he had confessed, repented, made restitution, asked for forgiveness, and moved
on. But when you have sinned against someone without realizing it, you can’t make
amends until you have been made aware of your crime.
So
many times we get our feelings hurt or believe we have been mistreated by a
brother or sister when the other person is unaware that he or she has committed
any offense. How can we be reconciled to our brother if he never knows what he
did to offend us? Confront him in love or get over it!
On
the other hand, there is the person who committed such an offense and who, when
it is brought to his attention, says, “Well, I didn’t mean anything by it so he
just needs to get over it.” David, a man after God’s own heart, was willing to
apologize for his unwitting offenses. Why can’t we love others enough to be
sorry for causing them pain . . . even if we didn't mean to?
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| Before I pigeonhole people as mean-spirited, negative, critical individuals, I need to first do a heart check on myself. Am I upset with someone because I think they are blocking what I think is best? Have I done anything to create a situation that has fostered a negative reaction? Am I part of the problem?* |
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