My own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9)
Before moving on to other verses and other issues, there is one other concept embedded within David’s words that is important to address. As we’ve discussed, it is inevitable that believers will be attacked, accused and betrayed simply because we are followers of Messiah. When we made the decision to follow Him, we signed up for persecution and tribulation. It is also true that when we committed to being called His disciple that we agreed to walk a certain way, following in His footsteps — or allow me to say, heel prints. When we are following Him, walking as He walked, living as He lived in regard to obedience, we have the assurance that we will overcome any obstacle the Adversary may place in our path. However, what happens when we decide to walk in our own way?
In the beginning and throughout the Scripture, God made it clear that His people have been empowered to trample upon the head of the serpent, our enemy, with our heel. This is established in Genesis 3 when the prophecy was given in regard to the Seed of the Woman and is reaffirmed by Messiah Himself (Luke 10:19). But it is also established that the Adversary wishes to reverse that truth, meaning that he desires to crush our head with his heel, a fact hinted at with the birth of Esau and Jacob — Jacob had to put his hand on Esau’s heel to prevent that heel from crushing his head. Furthermore, it is revealed that when we don’t walk as we are called, we risk being placed under the heel of our enemy. As it is written, “If the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13).
The point is this: we know that the Adversary wishes to trample us underfoot (under his heel) and looks for every opportunity to do so. As David laments, he most often does this through those who are close to us. And so, it is important that we not give him anything to use against us, and by that I mean, we must continue being the salt lest we are placed under the heel of those who wish to destroy us. It is important not to let our guard down and be seduced by the kiss of Esau and those who have carnal tendencies. Let us continue to walk in the one and only path that leads to life as we follow the Messiah. If we place our heel in the impression left by His heel, we will overcome any and all traps and the trials that come with life.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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