Psalm 101:5

Psalm 101:5

What God will not tolerate

In all walks of life there are two kinds of people that we should be very wary of! The slanderous and the arrogant.

Slanderous people are usually quick to insult others, their conversation is malicious and defamatory, they delight in tearing down reputations and undermining authority. They take pleasure in passing on gossip or even making it up, and they don’t care who gets harmed in the process. Such people use slander as a form of power, it gives them the edge and gains them attention. Watch out for them, especially in workplaces and occasionally in churches. Have nothing to do with such folk, do not listen to their lies and their opinions. David was the object of an awful lot of slander in his lifetime, there was always someone plotting against him, especially in his role as king. He could not always stop those who slandered him but, as king, he pledged to silence anyone who spoke evil of their neighbour in his hearing. Literally speaking, he would destroy them!

Haughty eyes and a proud heart are commonplace. In Proverbs 21:4 we read that such attributes are, “The unploughed field of the wicked.”  In Psalm 131:1 David writes, “My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.” Pride in humanity is one of the great sins of our day, for decades we have believed that mankind can dominate creation, invent its own moral world and control its own destiny. Such pride alienates us from God and inevitably leads to chaos and destruction. There are many people who are arrogant and, somehow, they seem to climb the ladder of success with ease and assume roles as leaders and rulers. David does not tolerate such folk, his trust is in the Lord God and a humble and contrite spirit dwells within him. 

Let’s learn from his example. 

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