April 17, 2024
Passage Read: Psalm 67-70
Meditation Verses: 69:6-9
Thought
Zeal for the Lord's house has consumed David, and those who speak against the Lord also speak against David. His love and loyalty to the Lord have made him a stranger to his brothers and separated him from his own family. They think him bizarre, insane perhaps. Even his family mocks him. So he fears that others who seek the Lord may be put off by his zeal and the reproach it brings. Perhaps others who desire to know the Lord will see David and how he is treated, and they will think twice about seeking the Lord, for fear they may become as crazy and weird as David, and people will make fun of them too. As zealous as David was for the Lord and His house, Jesus was more so, and this verse prophesied about Him. He was hated by all men because He knew the Lord in truth. We are called to know and love Him, and be hated by the world.
Application
If those who seek the Lord are unwilling to bear reproach from those who do not love the Lord, who may only like the Lord some, or may completely hate the Lord, then there is a problem with those who seek Him. There is a barrier to faith and to salvation. The world will mock you most if you begin to walk in the Lord's ways, because His ways are not ours. They are radically different. We are called to be consumed with zeal for His house, for His kingdom and for His righteousness. We are called to be like Jesus, in true righteousness and holiness, in His zeal for His Father's house. We are called to forget about ourselves in pursuit of His righteousness, we're called to forget about ourselves in pursuit of the lost. But who wants to think less of himself than of the Lord or His priorities and concerns? I cannot fear what people think of me, but must abandon myself in pursuit of the Lord's priorities. I may be mocked, and earnest people may be embarrassed by my choices, but I shouldn't try to be acceptable to even "good" Christians, if it holds me back from being consumed with zeal for God and His kingdom.