"The Thicket"

"If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy;)" (Psalms 7:4) Oh, how we can really mess things up, when we become selfish and vain, and in how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ! If you say that you don't know what I am talking about, well, good for you; maybe? However; there is something that takes place in our hearts and in our minds, as we imagine their plots against us; when in reality, they were just going through some trial of their own: there really was nothing going on; but now there is; and nobody, now, knows how to deal with it! It really is a case of 'who hurt who'; and in such a case, there is hardly any forgiveness offered; mostly because, no one knows what to offer forgiveness for: just that they feel wronged, and they expect to receive an apology. I have been an Elder in my church for many years, and I have witnessed this type of division time and time again. Sometimes, I wonder, What is wrong with these people; and why can't they just shake hands, give each other a hug, and press on for the kingdom of God? Vanity!!! That is all that I can place the blame upon; when it comes to reconciliation, our vanity is what gets in the way. Try to undo something that was never really done! It's hard to do! Yet, this is the hardest thing for us to deal with amongst each other; because no one wants to accept the blame for something that is nothing to begin with. And yet; we all know who is really to blame: he who sows discord amongst us!!! David is speaking of something for which he can easily be held responsible in doing; however, if that is what he is speaking about, then he knows that he is guilty. Therefore, I believe there is something else he is trying to say, in as few of words as possible; because, this is a song; a wandering song, which moves from one person of interest onto another, and from one place to focus upon to another. I have no doubt that David is speaking of a friend, as he remembers previous relationships in his life; one in particular comes to mind, and that is Jonathan, the son of Saul. At the time of Jonathan's death, which was at the hands of the Philistines, David was living amongst the Philistines in the land of Gath; where Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath, befriended David and gave him the city of Ziklag for him and all his mighty men to dwell. David continued to dwell within the land of the Philistines for a period of sixteen months, and spent time there invading neighboring cities, yet telling Achish that he had invaded the lands of Israel. The day had come when the armies of Israel were gather to fight against the armies of the Philistines, and David was in their ranks; which caused the lords of the Philistines to ask Achish to have David sent away, because they did not trust he would not fight against them as the battle progressed. As David and his men were headed back to Ziklag, they saw smoke ascending up from that city, only to find that all their wives and children, and all their possessions had been taken away by the Amalekites. So, David pursued the Amalekites, getting everything back; however, in the meantime, Saul and his three sons were killed upon the battlefield, including Jonathan, David's friend! Never, never take your focus off the enemy of our souls!!! We get distracted by selfishness, our own honour, and even letting pride come between us and our brothers and sisters. The enemy will use these things to harden our hearts against one another; and we must know that!!! Yet, we don't accept it as so, time and time again....