Psalm 120:3 –
O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment?
I read this Psalm on so many levels today. The psalmist is crying out to God because his land is being overrun by pagans, doubters and the like. This is much like today around the world. The last two verses remind me of Israel today; they are portrayed as aggressors but are trying to live peacefully. The Jews try to live in peace with the Muslims and Christians within their border. Yet many want the extermination of the entire nation. So as things change they appear to be the same thousands of years later.
This verse caught my eye because of the influences many have in their lives today. Outside of the churches today God is being put down more and more. Schools cannot have the Bible taught but they can have books that call for revolution against our nation today! God is being dismissed as “energy” you can control through thoughts. Science takes the mystery out of many things and attempts to prove there is no God. I have no idea what their “deceptive tongue” was then, but I am sure it was just as convincing.
We walk through this life believing what we want to believe. Trying to prove or disprove the existence of God is so difficult to do yet many just blindly accept it either way. The key is know what you know, notice the coincidences in prayer and life, and don’t be easily swayed. Hence why reading the Bible daily is so important. If not we tend to drift between what our present circle of friends believe, not having the guts to take a stand opposing them. It’s a sad state we are in these days!
As you reach adulthood one thing that blocks everything is your desires to have “fun”. For some reason many believe that cannot be done when the Bible appears to them as a book of restrictions. You can’t get stoned out of your mind or drunk without conviction. At the same time the Bible never says “don’t drink” … and some would argue smoking “weed” is there also. The key is don’t get “wasted” or do it while trying to “perform at your peak”! One can find the “limitations” open up a world of “opportunities” that could never be experienced otherwise.