Mensa Otabil - Don't Lose Heart (11/01/2025)
Psalm 4, verse 2: How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood? Selah. In verse two of Psalm 4, David is raising questions, and remember that I’ve said that questions help us to discover more about God. It’s in asking questions that we inquire and receive answers, so it’s okay to ask questions. The question he asks is a peculiar one: How long? And I don’t know whether you’ve asked that question before-how long? I’ve waited and waited and waited and waited. How long?
David addresses this question not to God but to the people who were against him. He says, «How long, O you sons of men?» The sons of men there refers to the prominent people of Israel who had abandoned David and sided with his son Absalom, who is in rebellion against David. Some of these people had been enemies of David for a very long time, so he is asking, «How long are you going to do this? Don’t you get tired?» David’s life has been a life of battle, and that’s why he’s asking, «How long?» Many times we go through life and ask, «How long?»
How long have I been through this over and over? I’ve suffered over and over, and even a strong man like David asked that question: How long? Sometimes we all ask, «How long are people going to fight us and try to destroy us? How long?» Then he asks, «How long will you turn my glory to shame?» He’s asking, «How long are you going to be so focused on always looking at something good in my life and trying to destroy it?» Because there are some people like that-anytime they see you happy, they want you to be sad; anytime they see you successful, they want you to fail. And when you think they have changed their mind, then they start all over again.
David is saying, «How long is this going to go on? It’s gone for so long. You’ve hated me for so long.» Then he says, «How long are you going to love worthlessness?» David is describing the people who are against him as those who love worthlessness-people who have no value system. They don’t see good in anything. In the Old King James, they are normally called «sons of Belial.» Sons of Belial means «sons of worthlessness,» people who have nothing and who want to pull everybody down to nothing. These are the people that David says are against him.
If you read the story of David and his encounter with Absalom, when David was leaving Jerusalem, there was a gentleman called Shimei. Shimei is one of those people, the sons of Belial, who threw stones against David and rained all kinds of abusive words on him. But David left him alone and went out of Jerusalem. Eventually, when God gave David victory, this same Shimei came to meet him, prostrated on the floor, begging for his life. You know, there are people like that; they do all the wrong things, then come to beg, and then they do it all over again. These are the people that David asked, «How long are you going to do this?»
But in all of this, he is not against God; he still trusts that God will help him through. So if you’ve ever asked «How long?» Psalm 4:2 is for you. Yes, it’s been long; it’s been tiresome; it’s been wearisome. But God will give you the victory. The people may never change; they may continue harassing you, but God will bring you out. Isn’t it interesting that, in spite of all that was said about David, he still came out victorious because God was with him and the mercy of the Lord was with him?
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, my heart is fixed on You. When I’m attacked on every side, help me not to lose heart. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.