Post 9 in Lifting up the Soul
Yea, none that wait for thee shall be put to shame:
They shall be put to shame that deal treacherously without cause.”
Psalm 25:2-3
In the last post, we looked at how shame is a tool for both good and for evil. When David writes of those who deal treacherously without cause being “put to shame,” he depicts shame as a weapon against wrongdoing. The word for dealing treacherously is bagad. It means to act covertly or deceptively with the intention of betraying. Consider a person who goes into an agreement who has already decided in his or her heart to turn on the other person. That is the picture of bagad. An example in David’s life of this relationship is found between Saul and David. Saul becomes very envious of David (1 Samuel 18:8-9), and that spirit of envy grows into a mad drive to kill him (1 Samuel 19:9-10). Later, David has to conceal that he is running from the king. He tells Ahimelech the priest that he is on a secret mission for the king (1 Samuel 20:1-2). After all, if the God-appointed king of your country has condemned you to death, you cannot know who is your true friend and who is going to betray you. It was a natural response for the subjects of King Saul to side with power and wish to believe David must deserve death. So, when Saul weaponized shame against David, this forced him to go into hiding. David was hunted as a law breaker when he hadn’t broken any laws. Saul weighed David down with shame in front of his family, his friends, and the entire nation. David had to endure the pain of this undeserved shame.
David shows us clearly in Psalm 25 that God has the power to keep His children from bearing false shame. He asked God, “Let me not be ashamed,” because he knew Who would vindicate him and bring down his adversaries. David was a mighty warrior, yet he did not rely on himself. There’s a meme that states something like, “I want to be the woman that, when I get out of bed, Satan says, ‘She’s up.’” This is the opposite of what David believed about himself. Satan wants us to rely on our own reputation, our own power to make change. David, the hero of his age, the slayer of ten thousands, a legend the people sang about, could have died at Satan’s hand in a heartbeat were it not for God’s protection. David’s bravery came from knowing he was on God’s side. He knew God was His power. David’s pride, David’s strength, and David’s plans were nothing. He depended on God and did what He commanded. David clearly understood how weaponizing shame is a great blow, and he refers to that weapon coming down on those who deserve it, those who feel no loyalty whatsoever while pretending to be trustworthy.
We are daughters of the Most High God. The power of our God protects us, even when we trust in friendships that are false. Evil people who intend to turn on us can only triumph when God’s people stop relying on Him. A Christian may be deceived for a time, but God will lead her and show her the truth. When one maintains her relationship with God, lifting up her soul to Him daily, she grows in His strength. The shame of the world and the betrayal of friends cannot triumph. The worst times of ridicule or reproach for Christians have been crucial times that God has brought glory to His name. His followers, in being brought low by circumstances, have been lifted up to bring others to the truth. John 16:33 is a reminder that evil men will never triumph. Romans 8:37 tells us that no matter what we go through, we are more than conquerors. God will triumph.
That is the bigger picture that David helps us see as he calls on God. David, while he was feeling his most vulnerable, was being his best example. We, in committing to Jehovah, are also teaching someone how to hang on and endure the fiery darts of Satan. Someone is watching every Christian’s story unfold. That Christian may never know the person who hears or sees her story, but she is God’s chosen example of the relationship God offers to all who will lift up their souls to Him.
Treachery Unveiled
One of the most difficult situations to face is when someone you love and trust rejects you because of a lie. This is illustrated so keenly when Jesus’ apostles fled from Him in the garden. The Son of God knew his dear friends would leave Him. Jesus spoke of the prophesy that they would leave.
Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” Matthew 26:31
Peter, later in the passage, promised never to desert Him, but he, too, ran when the Roman army seized Jesus. Satan, the deceiver and true treacherous one, made the world a dark place in those hours of trial and torture. The disciples believed his lie. They thought Jesus was defeated. It is important to note that their behavior was not the bagad treachery; they did not intend from the beginning to turn from Jesus. Their actions were the result of another’s treachery. Later, His disciples owned up to their denial of the Son of God. They repented. They gathered back together to follow Him, and they followed Him to the death. All of them but Judas returned and were forgiven. Judas had that bagad, that secret intent to break his relationship with Jesus. His heart was never fixed on the covenant and friendship Jesus offered him. Upon him came the shame that David writes about in Psalm 25. It was a weapon that overpowered him. As a result, he chose to take his own life.
When shame is weaponized against us wrongly, it causes us to shy away from trusting others. Knowing that people we love might turn on us—whether they are deceived or the ones deceiving—shouldn’t stop us from loving them. Jesus never stopped loving Peter or any that turned from Him that terrible night. He prays in John 17:12 for his disciples, mentioning how He guarded them all, even Judas. He never stops loving us, though we’ve sinned against Him. Instead, He draws us into relationship with Him and gives us a new life, a changed life, so we can be with Him forever. If God is our strength to stand against our adversaries, then God is our strength to love those who have betrayed us. Haven’t we made the mistake of deserting, perhaps even betraying, those we love, too? We can change. Allow others to change for the good, too, and find the strength to love again. God can rebuild all relationships, even the ones that are riddled with past wrongs.
Befriending the Treacherous
Like Judas, there are false friends in this world that we have to let go of. They are intent on their own plans. Even Jesus Himself shows us how He did not stand in Judas’ way. Sometimes Christian women are pressured by the advice of others to believe that forgiving means inviting someone back into your life who is banking on your forgiveness without truly repenting. This is the bagad type of person. We are not expected to enable a liar. We are taught to serve God by doing what’s best for their souls while remaining safely beside God. A Christian woman can wish to be reconciled to someone, wanting the best for them, but be unable to reestablish the relationship. David and Saul were never reconciled because Saul never repented for his actions against David, and, ultimately, against God. When we forgive someone for betrayal, their actions and motivations decide whether we seek to reestablish a relationship with them. And when a person goes against God and refuses to obey Him, it is not our place to reconcile with them or forgive them for what they do against God. A Christian is not asked by God to accept someone back into her life who intends to hurt her or who continues to make godless decisions that affect her soul’s service to God and/or the souls of the people she loves.
Dear devoted sister, God understands what you go through when you are betrayed. Jesus drank of that bitter experience while on this earth. He will never betray you. He will never be deceived into turning away from you. You can be strong in Him when all others fail you. You can be strong in Him, even when those you love might condemn you and shame you. God knows the whole story. He knows every point of view, and He will bring you through the fiery trials. You can love those who have hurt you because your strength and your trust are in God. You can forgive and let those hurts go. You can give yourself fully in your relationships because you’ve already given yourself fully, lifting up your soul, to the One who is always faithful.
Listen to Him as He reminds us that He is our strength and support through it all.
The eyes of Jehovah preserve him that hath knowledge; But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man. Proverbs 22:12
fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:31-32ESV
This is the ninth post in the Lifting Up the Soul study from Psalm 25. Subscribe to WomEnCourage to be notified as this study continues.