Psalm 57:6

Psalm 57:6

We reap what we sow

We’ve been here before! Wicked and foolish people spreading nets and setting traps and then being caught be their own devious schemes. (See Psalm 7:15 and Psalm 9:15). David admits to being threatened by the attempts to entrap him, and the threats were not just made up of animal pits dug in a forest. The snares were lies and falsehoods, innuendo and gossip. They were attempts to persuade loyal followers to act as double agents and spy out his intentions. The traps came from deals with other leaders and communities and nations, all intended to bring about the downfall of the fugitives and the end of David’s life. He had every reason to be “bowed down in distress.” What should he do? Who could he trust? Where could he go? These attempts to track him down and bring about his demise never succeeded, and his enemies ultimately paid the price – their own downfall! They fell into the pit they had dug for him.

Thinking about it, I have rarely seen plotters and schemers ultimately succeed! Men and women that I have known in the past, who always spoke ill of others and who loved nothing more than to set traps are now lonely and empty individuals. Their power base has gone and they must see out the rest of their miserable lives wondering if it could have been different. I wonder if there is a sense of justice, built into the psyche of us all that means that no one gets away with it, even in this life. I recently watched a documentary featuring the true story of a man who had committed murder 25 years ago and who had always denied that he was the perpetrator. There was little evidence but a lot of suspicion. He is a lonely alcoholic today with no friends, his wife has left him, and he is frightened to go beyond his local area. Did the pit he dug with his denials, ultimately pull him down? Has he created his own prison cell? Surely this Psalm teaches that we reap what we sow!