Psalms 41:6
6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
There is one phrase in our verse that stood out to me this morning, "He telleth it." That is the marker of a man who can do tremendous damage to relationships of all sorts, "A whisperer separated chief friends." [Pro 16:28] He also lacks love, "He that covers a transgression seeketh love, but he that repeateth a matter seperateth very friends." [Pro 17:9]. "He telleth it" is also a marker of a fool, "He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool" [Pro 10:18] & " A fool uttereth all his mind" [Pro 29:11]. The Bible has nothing good to say about those whose tongue is unbridled, but our psalm goes beyond the tongue to reveal the deeper issues of the heart of a man whose tongue "Telleth it all"
This man is not the man who said a little too much, but someone who dug out information to defame that man. It seems he has visited the man he plans to slander, "If he comes to see me, he speaketh vanity." He was thought to be a close friend, "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me," but in the end, his true intention was known. He always has pleasant things to say about you so long as you are around, but he has come to spy out your life and to see what fodder there is for his burning tongue to devour once he has left. As a man would gather wood for a fire, or perhaps a better illustration would be as a craftsman gathers wood for some project, this man, with his eyes and ears gathers pieces of a conversation here and there, something he observes and begins to saw up the truth, and piece together a part of a conversation with this observation to craft a lie that suits his fancy. The best of liars are craftsmen, and while they were puffing you up with sweet words, they were gathering information for their craft.
"His heart gathers inquiry to itself," there is no hesitation in the heart of the tell-it-all man. His heart gathers more and more unto itself, with every deceitful word, with every crafted story his heart does not grow more and more convicted but more and more swollen. Truly it is a heart issue, "He that covers a transgression seeketh love, but he that repeateth a matter seperateth very friends." It is impossible to love someone and expose all their weaknesses and secrets. Love observes the facts and is sure they are facts, then if words must be spoken they are spoken to the person, but not the tell-it-all man, "when he goeth abroad, he telleth it all." His words are not for loving rebuke but for hateful defamation. He goes to his next victim's house and while he slanders his neighbor's house he just left he is picking up supplies for his next slander at your house.
While we should be very cautious in the company of such people we should not be fearful. David was being defamed by his friend but he wasn't the first and he certainly wouldn't be the last. Many of God's people have endured the folly of such tell-it-all men, but in every case, God has vindicated the righteous. "10 But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. 11 By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. 12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever." [Psalm 41:10-12]. David was in the company of Christ himself when in such a trial. It would be hard to read this Pslam without thinking of Judas, he walked with Christ for 3 years, and all the time he was gathering information to the end that when it suited him he could lift his heel against the righteous son of God. Jesus went to the cross by the words of this loveless tell-it-all man, but Judas went to hell. We may suffer many pains by the mouth of such men but our Lord will see that righteousness prevails and the truth will be known. As Christ was raised up from the Dead, so was our psalmist raised up from the snare set for him by his vicious friend, "O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up." As Christ rose victorious over death hell and the grave so was our Psalmist victorious over the attacks of slanderers," By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me." As Christ sets now at the right hand of God, ever in the presence of God the Father, so is our psalmist raised above the cares of this life and lives his life in the sight of God, "And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever."
Then lastly, perhaps the most important lesson we can take from this psalm is at the end of all this David does not curse his curser, but he blesses his Lord, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen." What a God we serve! Even though a sea of slanderers come against us and a thousand lies be crafted to our demise, he will keep us in our integrity! Not once does David slander these people but pours his case before the Lord, and his heart is removed far away from the cares of what others falsely say, to the faithfulness of God. Dear reader, pour out your case to the Lord, not to anyone else and you will be lifted to the same heights as our Psalmist. You aren't the first nor will you be the last to endure such a trial, but int his trial you are in the "Fellowship of his Suffering." Christ knows how you feel, for he was tempted in all points such as we are" and he can "Succour us." We can be the antitype of the tell-it-all man, we also can tell it all, not abroad, but above.
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