Tag: shelter

I was working on a Sunday school lesson I would teach out of Psalm 5 when the news came in about the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Psalm 5 is a psalm of King David as he laments the persecution and mistreatment he was enduring. It is a psalm about leaning on God, trusting his judgment, and finding shelter in his loving presence.

As the news unfolded about the shooting and the subsequent death of Charlie Kirk, I began to realize I was studying Psalm 5 for more than a Sunday school lesson to teach.

1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” Psalm 5 talks about what God hates. I gave that some lengthy thought and realized that the God who is love is also capable of hating. Those thoughts gave clarity to some of what I was feeling. 

God hated last Wednesday’s events and the events we remembered the next day, 9/11/01. God hates evil, and we can and should hate evil as well. David’s psalm describes the evil God hates and reminds the reader that we have a safe shelter in our loving God. 

Charlie Kirk sat under the shelter of an awning when he was fatally shot. As Christians everywhere lament his loss, we wonder why God didn’t shelter his child that day and protect him from an evil assassin. King David had similar questions about his life. I hope his psalm will help all of us today.

How did David pray when he was being persecuted?

Psalm 5 begins, “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5:1–3).

David knew God’s heart and knew God would listen to his. He knew to seek God for his greatest needs because only God was sufficient for those needs. David knew God as his King, but he also knew him personally. The phrase “my God” is much the same as the phrase Jesus used when he called the Creator God his “Abba.” David knew to meet God in the morning and then watch for God throughout the day.

So many on the news said they were praying for Charlie Kirk’s mission to continue and prayed especially for his young family, who will continue without him. This is another time of heartbreak for our country. We all need to turn to God with the same faith as King David. We trust God’s divine holiness, but we also need to trust him as our Abba, who loves us.

What does God hate?

King David understood that the love of God requires him to hate all that is evil, all that can harm his children. David wrote, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man” (Psalm 5:4–6).

God hated the evil that controlled that young man who took the life of Charlie Kirk, his child. The Lord hated the slander and deceitful words that were batted about after the shooting. The Lord hates the vitriol on both sides of the political scene. One day, God will eternally judge and destroy those who are evildoers, liars, and bloodthirsty people. God cannot find any favor with the wicked because no evil can dwell with him in heaven. And God’s greatest desire is that people can one day dwell with him in heaven.

Heaven won’t contain everyone who lived life on earth. It will only include the faithful people, those who have been cleansed of their sins by the blood of his Son. Only those who have been purified can “dwell” in God’s holy Presence.

How will the righteous enter heaven on that day?

In contrast to the “evildoers,” David spoke of his ability to enter “the house” of God. He wrote, “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me (Psalm 5:7–8).

David understood that God has abundant love for his children, and they will enter his presence in reverent awe of him as their Father. David prayed for the Lord to lead him to be righteous “because of” his enemies. We find a wonderful lesson in those words. It’s very possible that the most difficult times of our lives will produce our greatest rewards in heaven. David prayed that the acts of his enemies would cause him to be more righteous. We can all pray that prayer as well.

Justice is promised

I’ve known some victims of terrible crimes, and it almost seems like there is no complete, satisfying justice for their pain. If they have lost a loved one to an act of violence or senseless cruelty, there is nothing that truly provides justice because there is nothing that can bring back the person they loved. Often, the evildoer is never caused to speak or confess their wrongful acts and simply takes a plea deal that allows the truth to remain unspoken.

David said, “For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you (Psalm 5:9-10).

David understood the frustration of evil prospering. He also understood that his God was always just and that the evildoers in the world would “bear their guilt” when they stood in his presence.

God’s protection is guaranteed

David closed his psalm saying, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:11–12).

Even as I type those words, they have a hollow ring. Charlie Kirk sat under an awning to protect himself from the sun’s rays, but that awning didn’t protect him from a bullet. He was killed with one well-aimed shot that left widespread destruction in the lives of many. If God allowed the evil to prosper, then we know he has a plan to redeem the evil for his great glory. 

Charlie Kirk took refuge in God that day and he will “ever sing for joy.” God swept him to heaven because he has promised to bless the righteous. He has covered his child with favor “as with a shield.” We cannot know the many ways God will both judge and redeem the evil of last Wednesday. We can know that his word promises us that he will.

God hated what happened to his beloved child last week, and he hated what happened to so many innocent people on 9/11. His eternal redemption and justice don’t seem to feel like enough justice today. That’s okay; we love and follow a perfect God, incapable of error. We can trust God’s perfection because we know his character. Most importantly, God knows us. 

Let’s hate what God hates, but let’s be even more focused on all God loves. Justice is ahead, in God’s perfect timing. God’s plan for redemption will be seen in the days ahead, and we simply need to watch and wait for it.

Let’s pray like King David when he said, “I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Charlie Kirk died too soon. His witness, however, is stronger than ever before. How will you help carry the torch that’s been left behind?