Today in the Word – Read Psalm 35

Bullies target colleagues and classmates in an endless need to prove their own superiority. As long as they get away with it, bullies will not stop the relentless pursuit to break their victim’s spirit. In light of Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek, what godly recourse is available for a victim of targeted, shaming attacks?

At first glance, Psalm 35 might seem to violate New Testament teachings about revenge. Shouldn’t David simply be content to take refuge in God and wait out the storm? But his enemies were persistent. They would attack him from every angle until they succeeded in completely destroying him.

Their attacks had already successfully caused him to second-guess himself. Was he somehow to blame for the way he was being treated? After reexamining the past, he verified he had loved these people wholeheartedly. His openness toward them made their malicious betrayal more devastating and broke his spirit further.

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Today in the Word – Read Acts 3:1-10

Asking for help is difficult. Whether we need driving directions or a financial loan, we have to admit some degree of inadequacy to the person we’re asking.

Imagine the difficulty—even shame—involved in always having to ask for help. The crippled man had been asking for forty years. He had to ask for transport, money, and food to make it through each day. He was not a drain on society by his own choice, but people treated him as inferior. Ignored by some, condescended to by others, day after day he sat in the dust outside the temple while they went to worship God inside. The irony of the location where he sat should catch our attention: the temple was beautiful; his disfigured form was not. He was so close to the community of worship, but he couldn’t enter or participate. He needed the charity of pious people; he often received their condescension instead.

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Read Mark 5:1-20

Some military veterans survive the horrors of war only to come home to find captivity. Some are hounded by memories of atrocities they’ve experienced; others feel adrift without purpose in daily life apart from the battlefield. Veterans say no one understands their struggles except others who have been there.

The demoniac in our passage had been held captive for years, tortured by invisible enemies who had infiltrated his body and his mind. Instead of standing by him, his family and friends identified him with the evil spirits tormenting him.

Even after the man was free from the demons’ control, he was still bound by the stigma of what they had done to him. His community expressed more concern over their economic loss than in the gain of their friend. Rather than thank his Rescuer, they tried to drive Him out.

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Read Matthew 27:38-56; Psalm 22

As the poet John Donne wrote, no man is an island. Like it or not, the way others treat us affects how we feel about ourselves. People who inform our self-perception are usually parents and leaders. Their attention to our needs confirms our value. But what happens when they ignore our cries for help?

We sometimes think that Jesus didn’t experience this human struggle, but His response to the Father’s silence reveals His emotional anguish on the cross. When criticism surrounded Him during His ministry, His Father’s affirmation sustained Him.

But through the long, torturous night of His trial and resulting crucifixion, God the Father seemed silent.

Like His ancestor David, Jesus had entrusted His honor to God, remaining silent before His accusers rather than engaging in a heated self-defense. He clung to His identity as God’s beloved Son, an identity confirmed by His Father (see Matt. 3:17). But as wave after wave of mockery, abuse, and false testimony crashed against Him, Jesus felt weaker and ever more alone.

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Failure has become a taboo word in our society. Teachers tell us to believe in ourselves. Motivational speakers pump us with slogans like “Where there is a will there is a way!” and “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”

The apostle Peter is one of the most memorable characters in Scripture. He was enthusiastic, impetuous, and brave. His determination and strength distinguished him as someone who could be relied on to push through obstacles. These qualities fit the name Jesus had given him—the rock (see Matt. 16:18).

But the rock crumbled when placed under pressure. Peter had been so sure that, of all people, he would be strong enough to stand up for Jesus in any situation. At dinner when Jesus predicted that someone would betray Him, it hadn’t crossed Peter’s mind that it could be him (see John 13:21–24). He had protested against Jesus’ specific prophecy about himself; only hours later, he would fulfill that prophecy by vehemently denying that he knew Jesus. The rock turned out to behave like shifting sand.

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“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” As much as children would like to think this taunt is true, it doesn’t take long to discover just how deep words can wound, especially when they carry a false accusation.

David was being pelted by both stones and words. As he suffered his son’s betrayal and his people’s rejection, another person came to add insult to injury. Shimei, a relative of David’s old nemesis Saul, took advantage of David’s exposed position to retaliate on behalf of his clan. Shimei cursed and hurled rocks, but his most vicious verbal attack landed where David was most vulnerable.

Shimei played on David’s shame, accusing him of wrongdoing and blaming him for the mess he was currently in. It’s all your fault. You deserve this and more—Shimei’s message rang out. He declared that God had rejected David and was punishing him for being a man of blood.

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