Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do not forget the life of Your poor forever. (Psalm 74:19)
It has been said that the dove is the classic example of fidelity. Once a male dove mates with a female, he will never take a different mate. I guess we could say that a dove has eyes for no one other than his chosen mate. Perhaps this notion is why we say that two people who are genuinely in love with one another are lovey-dovey. In that light, it is important to note that Asaph likens Israel to a dove — one who is forever connected in covenantal relationship with the Almighty.
In contrast, the nations who worship and esteem idols and false gods are regarded as beasts — the kind of beasts that hunt down those who are weak and defenseless. Nations like Babylon and Rome tear and devour those they seek to dominate. Apparently, the psalmist felt that Israel, God’s turtledove, had been left exposed to the threats of those who would destroy them, and thus the prayer, “Do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the beast!”
But if that is so, then why were they in such a predicament? The Bible is clear on this matter: God’s people are never in this situation unless they have turned away from God and, in the words of Scripture, begun to do what was right in their own eyes. Or maybe we should put it this way — they ceased to be lovey-dovey with God and started behaving that way with other things they found to be, for a moment anyway, more enticing. It goes without saying that we should only have eyes for Him, and yet if we’re not diligent, we can allow ourselves to be lured away from Him with other things that catch our eye. Thankfully, He has a way of getting our attention — sometimes rather sternly — and bringing us back to the place we need to be.
The point today is to remind us all that there is nothing or no one in this existence that should matter more to us than having an authentic and intimate relationship with our Father in Heaven. We know that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous” (Psalm 34:15). May it be that our eye are always fixed on Him.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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