March 21, 2017
BETRAYAL BETWEEN BESTIES
Psalm 55
Andrew Smith
Central Truth
The pain of betrayal stings and must be dealt with by turning to God and offering forgiveness. David models turning to God in the pain. Jesus models the right response with others, demonstrating forgiveness, which is the best path to reconciliation.
Key Verse | Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
(Psalm 55:22)
Psalm 55
Cast Your Burden on the LORD
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil 1 55:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of David.
1
Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2
Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3
because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7
yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8
I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest.”
9
Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10
Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11
ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.
12
For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
then I could hide from him.
13
But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
14
We used to take sweet counsel together;
within God's house we walked in the throng.
15
Let death steal over them;
let them go down to Sheol alive;
for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16
But I call to God,
and the LORD will save me.
17
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18
He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19
God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.
20
My companion
2
55:20
Hebrew He
stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
21
His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.
22
Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23
But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 55
David is heartbroken over the betrayal of an unnamed friend. Verses 13-14 and 20-21 describe how close their relationship was and how the pain burned from the deception. They loved and counseled each other as we do in our community groups. But then David’s friend deceived everyone and broke promises, becoming an enemy. David calls for judgment and comfort from God as this ex-friend tried to kill him.
I’ve never been pursued by one seeking my death as David was, but the Bible has many stories about betrayal. David has been on both sides of betrayal. Saul sought to end David’s life (1 Samuel 18-20). David has also been the traitor himself. When David commits adultery with Bathsheba, his sin snowballs into killing her husband Uriah in order to clear himself (2 Samuel 11). Psalm 55 is ironic, if you read it again and imagine that it is Uriah's thoughts while David is betraying him.
David’s feelings demonstrate some of the real emotion of betrayal, but he is not the best model to follow. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, yet He willingly laid down His life to die for us. Jesus paid for our sin and rose to life that we could receive forgiveness and live in relationship eternally with Him.
Personally, I grew up in a loving Christ-centered home, but I chose to betray my parents and live the party scene until God lovingly woke me up to see the selfish path I was running along. Now eight years later, God is still waking and teaching me morning after morning (Isaiah 50:4).
Likewise, we have all sinned and fallen short, but praise Jesus that He empathizes with our weaknesses and knows our temptations; but He overcame them (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus shows how to respond to betrayal. “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23) David calls us to cast our burden on God, and Jesus goes further by calling us to love those who hurt us, forgive them, and ultimately reconcile.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever been betrayed or deceived?
2. If you have a relationship marred by betrayal or mistrust, what step can you take today toward forgiveness or reconciliation?
3. If you grew up in a home marred by divorce, it can feel like betrayal. How has that affected you? Cast these burdens on your Heavenly Father and bring them to light by telling Him and someone else today.
4. In what ways have you betrayed God? Repent and turn to Him, who cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).