August 4th, 2025
by Pastor Nicholas
by Pastor Nicholas
The opening verses of Psalm 64 describe David's lament over the herd mentality aimed at him.
“Protect my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks.
2 Hide me from the plots of evil men, from the crowd of evildoers
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords; they aim their arrows, a slanderous charge, 4 in order to shoot down the innocent (noun is singular, as in “me”)…
They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation.
5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed.
They plan how to hide snares, and boast, “Who will see them?
6 They devise unjust schemes; they disguise a well-conceived plot.
(NET, emphasis – mine)
This is a clear case of David Derangement Syndrome. (DDS) He must have thought, "Why are they doing this to me? " David concludes: v6 "Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered." - aka “no one is a mindreader.” (I wish media outlets would get the memo. Driven by people’s insatiable desire to know, they put on endless experts who offer their "why” whenever there is a disturbing situation.)
Instead of endless analysis, David offers the only antidote to DDS: v7 "But God will shoot at them" (“But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” - NIV)
The result is a total turnaround. "All people will see (fear) They will proclaim what God has done, and reflect on his deeds. The godly will rejoice in the Lord and take shelter in him. All the morally upright will boast"
If you have been baffled or stressed out by TDS, stop shooting back. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t change anyone’s mind. This is the only antidote: “God will shoot at them.” Only an arrow from the Almighty can change a group-think narrative, because it is aimed at the inner thoughts of the heart. And “teshuvah” (Hebrew term) is the response.
Of course, God’s arrows not only shoot at evildoers and those who stir up trouble. They are also aimed at the proud, the self-righteous, and those who have “missed the mark”. Nevertheless, there is only one solution to DDS and TDS: “God, get out your arrows and start shooting.”
“Protect my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks.
2 Hide me from the plots of evil men, from the crowd of evildoers
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords; they aim their arrows, a slanderous charge, 4 in order to shoot down the innocent (noun is singular, as in “me”)…
They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation.
5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed.
They plan how to hide snares, and boast, “Who will see them?
6 They devise unjust schemes; they disguise a well-conceived plot.
(NET, emphasis – mine)
This is a clear case of David Derangement Syndrome. (DDS) He must have thought, "Why are they doing this to me? " David concludes: v6 "Man’s inner thoughts cannot be discovered." - aka “no one is a mindreader.” (I wish media outlets would get the memo. Driven by people’s insatiable desire to know, they put on endless experts who offer their "why” whenever there is a disturbing situation.)
Instead of endless analysis, David offers the only antidote to DDS: v7 "But God will shoot at them" (“But God will shoot them down with an arrow, suddenly they will be wounded” - NIV)
The result is a total turnaround. "All people will see (fear) They will proclaim what God has done, and reflect on his deeds. The godly will rejoice in the Lord and take shelter in him. All the morally upright will boast"
If you have been baffled or stressed out by TDS, stop shooting back. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t change anyone’s mind. This is the only antidote: “God will shoot at them.” Only an arrow from the Almighty can change a group-think narrative, because it is aimed at the inner thoughts of the heart. And “teshuvah” (Hebrew term) is the response.
Of course, God’s arrows not only shoot at evildoers and those who stir up trouble. They are also aimed at the proud, the self-righteous, and those who have “missed the mark”. Nevertheless, there is only one solution to DDS and TDS: “God, get out your arrows and start shooting.”
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