"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger" - Psalms 8:2
I can understand how praise from the lips of children and infants would be the most sincere praise. I can understand how in light of this sincere praise the foe would be silenced. But what about the avenger. When I read over this lightly I assumed that the avenger was an agent of God. If this is so then why would praise silence the avenger?
The best I have come up with is that because God is just, that sin requires a response. It is God's intent to end sin so that vengance is no longer required and that sincere praise will be a part of ending sin.
Somebody help me with this.
When it comes to Jesus, I am . . .
My Top Recommended Spiritual Growth Books
- Just Walk Across the Room, by Bill Hybels
- Missional Church, by Darrell Guder
- No Perfect People Allowed, by John Burke
- No Wonder They Call Him the Savior, by Max Lucado
- Prayer by Phillip Yancey
- Seeing the Unseen, by Joe Beam
- The Barbarian Way, by Erwin McManus
- The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns
- The Life You've Always Wanted, by John Ortberg
- The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren
1 comment:
I agree that the word "avenger" is a bit confusing. We tend to think of an avenger as someone out for justice. However, a person can be bent on revenge that really has no just cause for it. The same exact Hebrew words are found in 44:16, where they're tranlated "enemy" and "[someone] bent on revenge." They are the psalmist's enemies. Here in Psalm 8, they are God's enemies, whom he silences with the amazing chorus of praise. Not that they aren't still slandering and hating God, but that their baseless accusations are drowned out by the worship of the pure in heart.
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