Psalm 35:13

Psalm 35:13

Who to trust?     

Sackcloth was a very coarse fabric made from goat’s hair, tough and durable it was ideal for making sacks and rough garments. I suspect it was irritating to wear but it also sent a message, it told people that you were not in a good place, that you had lost someone dear and you were mourning their passing. It was not uncommon for those who were in this sad state to fast as a further sign that they were going through a troubling time and food and drink were of little importance. This is very different to British culture where, too often, we try to be normal and carry on regardless. It is deemed selfish and weak to show off your pain to the world – stiff upper lip and all that! 

It is becoming apparent here in the Psalm that David’s woes were not general, his foes were particular, the enemies were people who he had held in great affection, men who had been close to him. So much so that when they suffered illness he had put on the sackcloth and fasted and humbled himself before the Lord to plead for their restoration. How heart breaking is this, that men and women he had loved and cared deeply for, now treated him so despicably! Such are the politics of power and fame; you rarely know who you can trust or what motivates others, even those who you think are friends. I have to say that I rarely believe what politicians and so-called men and women of power say nowadays. There’s always an agenda, always the need to promote themselves whilst throwing arrows at their opponents. The Bible says that in the last days and during the tribulation, the whole world will come under a great delusion. We see that happening in the media today. It is already the time to not take anything we hear at face value. Have you ever thought that the only people on earth who have access to the whole truth, maybe to any truth, are you and I? God is truth, the Bible is truth, there is no other absolute truth. 

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