PREVIEW: Critics and criticism abound—in every age and in every place. King David has critics; they were the inspiration for many of his psalms. Even Jesus, the most pure and perfect person who ever lived, had critics who accused him of gluttony, drunkenness, a traitor, a blasphemer, you name it. You will have critics, too. Whenever your critic shows up and starts shooting arrows your way, rather than spending too much of your precious energy on them, go to God. He is the only one who truly knows you, and at the end of the day, it is his evaluation that matters. You might say that God is the only Critic who matters, and that Critic is your biggest fan.
A Journey of Worship // Psalm 7:10-11
God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.
No one is exempt from criticism. King David wasn’t. In the case of this chapter, a guy named Cush is identified as one who was standing in judgment over David. We don’t know much about Cush, except that he was from the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of King Saul. So, we can surmise that Cush was harboring resentment that David had replaced Saul as king in the eyes of not only the people but in God’s eyes. His list of grievances would likely have included that David has acted seditiously against the house of Saul and, therefore, against Israel’s government. But even though his accusations were false — David had done none of what Cush was claiming — and even though he didn’t have much influence, he really got under David’s skin. In this case, David was pure.
Now, it is important at this point to remember that even the pure motives of the most perfect person who ever lived, Jesus, were often misunderstood, resulting in malicious criticism:
• They called Jesus a glutton (Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34)
• They called him a drunkard (Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34)
• They criticized his association with sinners. (Matt. 9:11, Mark 2:16, Luke 5:30)
• They called him, worst of all a Samaritan, a racial slur, inferring that he was selling out to the enemy. (John 8:48)
The point is, critics abound, in every age and in every place. Maybe you face a critic, too. It could be that you have one at work, or at church, or perhaps you face one even at home — the one place that ought to be free of destructive criticism. And if you let them, they will sap the strength right out of you. Frankly, their criticism hurts, even when it is way off base or even patently false.
If you have a critic nipping at you right now — and if you don’t, stick around for a while, you’ll have one soon enough — I would recommend you do what David did. He ordered his life by the true and only Critic who mattered, entrusting himself to God’s righteous judgment and sin-covering grace.
Whenever your critic shows up and starts shooting arrows your way, rather than spending too much of your precious energy on them, go to God. He is the only one who truly knows you, and at the end of the day, it is his evaluation that matters. Learn to pray David’s prayer from Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Pray that prayer humbly and honestly before God, listen and respond to his voice, and you will be just fine. By the way, this Critic is your biggest fan!
As the Apostle Paul, wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.”
So, do your best to walk in integrity, and let God be the judge of your life.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.