A Look at Psalm 119:85
Staying out of the pitfalls
Psalm 119:85 “The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law.”
David is complaining about how the proud recite unholy fables to him, which are not according to God’s law. They want David to receive their system of idolatry, and the tales concerning their gods. In the midst of our suffering, we can often become subject to many of “Job’s comforters.” They offer their advice, but that advice is often contrary to the Word of God. If we follow their advice, it becomes a pitfall, or trap. There is a great danger in putting yourself into the hands of this world and discovering what kind of hope we have then.
When Job was going through his troubles, one of his comforters, Bildad, tried to help him through the philosophy of positive confession. Earlier Job had responded to the “comfort” of Eliphaz by saying, “I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit” Job 7:11. Bildad then says to him, “How long will you say such things?” Job 8:2. In other words, “Don’t be so truthful. How do you expect God to do anything positive while you confess negativism?”
Job’s response to this was, “If I say I will forget my complaint (become positive), I will change my expression and smile,’ I would still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent. …you would plunge me into a slime pit” Job 9:27-31. Job was trying to make them see that if we believe God only responds to positive confessions, we will go into a pit of deception.
Job knew God responds to those who are poor in spirit, those who simply ask. The poor in spirit are beggars who are willing to confess their great need. They understand that asking is the rule of the Kingdom. However, asking is completely contrary to those who are proud in spirit. It’s the arrogant who develop pitfalls. They depend upon their deceptive philosophies which keep them entrapped in their own pride, self-sufficiency, and reasoning.
As you meditate on this verse, I challenge you to do something dangerous: Ask God to show you the philosophies in you that may be contrary to His law. “Search me, O God.”
Continued
