HATERS GONNA HATE! THAT'S OLD TESTAMENT TRUTH!

April 3, 2017

HATERS GONNA HATE! THAT'S OLD TESTAMENT TRUTH!

Psalm 64

Michael Ziegler

Central Truth

When we encounter haters, we have the opportunity to seek God’s protection (verses 1-2), ask for God’s wisdom (verses 3-6), trust God for victory (verses 7-8), and give glory to God in it all (verses 9-10). When we do respond in faithfulness, we see God work in unexpected, miraculous ways.

Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!
(Psalm 64:10)

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
    preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
    from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
    who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,
    shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
    they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6     They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
    For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.

7 But God shoots his arrow at them;
    they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
    all who see them will wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
    they tell what God has brought about
    and ponder what he has done.

10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

We have all experienced haters. A coworker misrepresenting what was said. A person gossiping or lying about us. A friend who is critical instead of celebrating. This psalm instructs us what to do in the midst of haters.

We meet David in the midst of a hater situation. David had been named the future king of Israel, but was serving in King Saul’s court when he wrote this Psalm. David was loved by the people, but envied and hated by the king and his officers. Lies about David were being passed from person to person, and David knew he wasn’t safe in Saul’s court. Both his life and reputation were being attacked.

How did David respond? Well, he didn’t just shake it off. David responded by seeking God’s protection (verses 1-2), asking for God’s wisdom (verses 3-6), trusting God for victory (verses 7-8), and giving glory to God in it all (verses 9-10).

By depending on the Lord and obeying His directions, we (like David) can be confident that God will defeat our enemies. We do not need to respond with anger or fear. We have a loving Heavenly Father who has promised to protect and provide for us. When people hate, we have the opportunity to trust God and demonstrate His love.

Ultimately, our all-knowing and all-powerful God will restore truth (maybe our reputation) and judge the enemy. When we respond in faithfulness by placing our trust and security in God (as David did), we have the opportunity to see God work in unexpected, miraculous ways. In the end, David was vindicated, his reputation restored, the enemy's sin judged, and Israel reminded of the character and promises of God. David’s response led to many growing in their own faith in God.

So the next time you experience a hater, just go Old Testament on them! You never know how God may work it out in the end.

1. How does whom we fear (man or God) play into these situations? Why does it matter?

2. Are there other situations in the Bible in which God has used similar situations to call people back to Himself?

3. Read Romans 8. How does Paul talk about difficult situations in light of the work of Christ in us?