Lies hurt
When I was little, I heard this rhyme- “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words do me no harm!”
It was something that the girls at my school would say to each other when quarrels erupted. But it didn’t take me long to learn that this is not at all true. Words can hurt, sometimes doing permanent damage, if the victim does not have available means of support, whether that derives from the person’s psychological make up or from available social resources.
Yes, words can hurt. As I read the psalmist’s complaint, I recall many incidents when hurtful words would have been better left unspoken.
1Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint.
Preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers,
3who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
The unkind words drove the writer to see protection- “preserve my life,” because the source of these unkind utterances was “the dread enemy.” They were indicative of “the secret plots of the wicked” and “schemes of evil doers.” Yes, words do speak the evil that liars tell, and when told, do unimaginable harm. The tongues of liars, he writes, are just like swords that pierce, like arrows that hurt.
Furthermore, when spoken in secret, these words wind their way into unsuspecting minds or find their way into the thought processes of the gullible ones, r those who are simply looking for reasons and manufactured evidence to fuel their jealousy and hate.
4shooting from ambush at the blameless.
they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5They hold fast to their evil purpose.
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, ‘Who can see us?
Indeed, those who plot, often using words only, wrong words, harmful words, hurtful words- bad words- Hey! Bad words are not only cuss words. Some people who’d never utter a cuss word say the nastiest things and break many good people. Even while they pose as paragons of virtue, some engage in the “ambush” that the psalmist writes about. They plot with evil intent and secretly seek to destroy persons who they cannot trouble in other ways, persons who are wise enough to avoid their open confrontations, or who, by their exemplary style, reduce their lies to obviously meaningless sayings
And so, the psalmist askes:
6Who can search out our crimes?
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.’
For the human heart and mind are deep.
Who can search out our crimes? God only. Well, the devil can and does, but only does so to oppress us further, if we’ll allow it so we keep on telling lies and more lies to cover lies.”
But if we recognise that, as Psalm 64 indicates, God knows truth from lie and will knock their lies with powerful arrows, we shall accept God’s help to turn us away from living falsehood to a truthful life.
7But God will shoot his arrow at them.
they will be wounded suddenly.
8Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin.
all who see them will shake with horror.
9Then everyone will fear.
they will tell what God has brought about,
and ponder what he has done.
What’s the takeaway here? It’s in the text.
10Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart glory.