Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. (Psalm 55:1-3)
In previous psalms, David spoke of the suffering he endured at the hands of men like Saul, Doeg and the Ziphites. These were men motivated by jealousy and the opportunity to endear themselves to other men with power. But tradition teaches that this psalm was written after David was betrayed by someone he considered a brother and friend — David’s counselor, Ahithophel. He had guided David for many years through many difficult circumstances, and seemingly forged a true friendship with the king. Yet this is the man who incited Absalom, David’s son, to mount a coup against his father, another betrayal that was certainly very difficult for David to comprehend. So in his distress, he called out to God, pleading with Him to listen to his complaint and supplication brought on by “the oppression of the wicked.”
One rabbinic commentator makes this observation: “The pinprick inflicted by a friend is far more painful that the sword dealt by an enemy.” We expect to be accused and attacked by our enemies in the world — that is what they do. But it is especially painful to be betrayed and attacked by those we have shared a close bond with in times past. To be abandoned and berated by those we dearly love, and those we thought loved us dearly, is one of the most painful experiences a person can go through in this life because, in many ways, it is like a death in the family.
That being said, as painful as it is, the experience can bring us a bit closer to the realization that there is only One we can trust in every situation. Friends and family will fail us, and at times, we will fail them because we are human and imperfect. All of us are susceptible to failure at any given time depending on life’s circumstances. But the Almighty will never fail us; Messiah will never leave us forsaken and in despair. He hears our petitions and understands our hurts in these situations because, as we know, He understands the pinprick inflicted by a friend. We can trust the One who will never leave us or betray us — the One who sticks closer than a brother.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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