Text: “Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me.”
Psalm 41:9.
Good morning,
betrayed Christian! Having trusted a
close friend, even a brother or sister in Christ Jesus, and having been
terribly let down by them – the feeling of betrayal lies heavy in your heart
and causes you much profound sorrow and emotional pain. It’s a fact – being betrayed by a trusted
friend is a horrible experience indeed.
Today’s Bible text
from Psalm 41 and verse 9 reflects on one level the betrayal that king David
obviously felt when grossly betrayed by some of his closest friends and
associates.
King Saul's entire kingdom was under Philistine threat when the young David, a mere
shepherd boy, took on the National challenge and slew Goliath of Gath the
Philistine giant of oppression. Was king
Saul forever grateful for David’s brave intervention and the manner in which he
delivered Israel from Philistine threat?
No! Very soon Saul’s jealousy of
David drove him, not only to despise him, but to try of run him through with a
javelin! How deeply must David have rued
such a betrayal, as the armies of king Saul hunted him and compelled him to
live in rough caves of the earth to escape his venom.
Verse 9. “Yea,
mine own familiar friend. ‘The man of my peace’, so runs the
original, with whom I had no differences, with whom I was in league, who had
aforetime ministered to my peace and comfort.
This was Ahithophel to David, and Iscariot with our Lord.
“Judas was an
apostle, admitted to the privacy of the Great Teacher, bearing His secret
thoughts, and, as it were, allowed to read His very heart. 'Et tu Brute?', Said the expiring Caesar. The kiss
of the traitor wounded our Lord’s heart as much as the nail wounded His
hand.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of
David, page 200)
Verse 9. “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I
trusted…hath lifted up his heel against Me.
The betrayals of David, the son of Jessie, were
horrible and sore to bear from the mere mortals associated to David who
undertook to treat him in such a despicable manner.
However, when
Judas Iscariot, the bearer of the purse of the little band of Christ’s
disciples, covenanted to betray Jesus – his gross betrayal was infinitely more
horrible, because he was betraying the very Son of God Himself! How deep the pit of Hell in which now he
languishes as a wage for his infamous treason!
It is a profound
wonder of God’s Sovereign will that Judas Iscariot was foreordained to be
chosen by Christ Jesus as His eventual betrayer. Only the Lord God knows the end from the
beginning in all things.
“I speak not of
you all (the chosen disciples): I know whom I have chosen: but that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘He that eateth bread with Me hath lifted up his
heel against Me.” (John 13:18)
“When Jesus had
thus said, He was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily (truly)
verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me…He (John) then lying on
Jesus’ breast saith unto Him, Lord, who is it?
Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped
it. And when He had dipped the sop, He
gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do
quickly.” (John 13:21-27)
This Scriptural
prophecy of the betrayal of Jesus Christ, from the pen of David, pre-figures by
hundreds of years what God had ordained must take place. When reading our Bibles, we must at all times
realize that the Word we are reading/studying is in fact the inspired
(God-breathed) Word from God unto us; and is written in words easy for us to
understand and believe. What God says in
His Word – God always does!
“But He (Jesus)
said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it.”
(Luke 11:28)
When the
preacher/Bible-teacher is quoting Holy Scripture (KJV), listen to him and take
heed to what he says. If the would-be
preacher/Bible-teacher is merely spewing out his own words, thoughts,
philosophies – pay him no attention! All
that glitters is not always gold – sometimes it is merely YELLOW. Speak and listen to God’s truth!
“And when they
shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards
that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they
speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:19:20)
True prophecy is
prophecy that is contained within the 66 Canonical Books of the King James
Bible. They cannot be added to, nor
taken away from by anyone – and God’s own pronounced Curse is against anyone
daring to do so!
“For I (the risen
Jesus) testify unto every man that heareth the words of prophecy of this book
(Revelation and the 66 Bible Books), if any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any
man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the Holy City, and from the
things that are written in this book.”
(Revelation 22:18-19)
One of the vilest
ways in which you and I, as Christian believers, can ‘betray’ the Son of God
today, is to cease to respect His written Word; cease to have close fellowship
with Him in prayer; fail to tell others of His great Salvation Sacrifice on
Calvary’s Cross. In what manner are you
and I betraying King Jesus Christ today?
Thought: Be faithful unto the end, and Christ shall give you and I a
crown of life!
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