Pulling Punches!

Hu', joH'a'! toD jIH, wIj joH'a'! vaD SoH ghaj struck Hoch vo' wIj jaghpu' Daq the qevpob Hom. SoH ghaj ghorta' the Ho'Du' vo' the mIgh.

Arise, LORD! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked. Psalm 3:7

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From matters of personal injustice to international - from broken friendships to war, there ARE things that make us cry out "Hu', joH'a'!" "Arise LORD!"

One writer notes that David's confidence is so great that he knew ALL that is needed is FOR God to arise and David would be SAVED. So certain is he that the description of the justice that follows (all in the past tense) is assumed to be complete ALREADY.

David faced terror, as we may in our lives, and found that it did good, just as trouble may in our lives. For it drove him, as it drives us, to ask, to plead, to pray to God for justice.

And what justice?

As alarming as we may find these words they are common to Scriptures. Consider other Psalms: "break their teeth," "show no mercy to the traitors," and more.

It helps to read this verse AS a Klingon. Our modern human reaction to this passage is bound to have some squirm in it - especially when we hear a call to hit our enemies in the face and to smash out their teeth. This may trouble a human - but a call to swift decisive action, to pull no punches - THAT has Klingon written all over it:

" taH angry, je yImev yem." yImev chaw' the pemHov jaH bIng Daq lIj QeHpu',

"Be angry, and don't sin." Don't let the sun go down on your wrath, [Eph 4:26]

says the Bible, and this verse illustrates this attitude. Call evil what it is; don't accept it, be ANGRY with it - and let God deal with it. David plans no revenge - he turns it over to God.

Don't let it be personal, to eat you up inside. "Love the sinner and hate the sin," goes the old saying, and it is a good one. This doesn't come easy for a Klingon, OR a human, but it keeps us from tieing personal judgement, personal prejudice to our response to evil.

This psalm gives vent to anger over sin - but leaves it to God, not mere people to set right - Reflect on what Jesus said

" ghaH 'Iv ghaH Hutlh yem among SoH, chaw' ghaH throw the wa'Dich nagh Daq Daj."

,"He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her." (John 8:7)

From matters of personal injustice to international - from broken friendships to war, there are things that make us cry out "Hu', joH'a'!" "Arise LORD!"

And getting God to rise is ENOUGH.