Sweet Counsel
We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
Psalm 55:14
That sounds like a neat text. I could make a sermon out of that text, couldn't you?
Here's the Outline
We
Took
Sweet Counsel
Together
And the Result
We Went to the House of God Together.
That sounds like a preachers dream text. That would make a great sermon. Trouble is, you need to read the whole chapter. When you do that, you see this Psalmist is saying that you have betrayed me and we even took counsel together and we went to the House of God together. How could you do that?
The Psalmist is clear in the surrounding verses about how betrayed he felt.
12For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
13But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
14We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
15Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
16As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
A couple of things show up in this text. Our enemies don't hurt us as much as those we consider friends. Actually, that's the only big thing that I really take away from this text itself. But reflecting on this text, makes me want to be more careful when I see a text as I did this one on someone's quote page on the internet and then I think, ah, I'll just quote that one too.
Not taking the time to find out what the text really means is not only embarrassing but misleading. In this case, one only needs to read the context and the meaning is clear. In some cases, it requires a bit more study and understanding of background. Either way, the temptation to pull Bible quotes off the net or from someones quote list might better be left alone.
I mean, why do we want to borrow the quick quote from Shakespeare or Churchill or Lincoln, or the Bible, throw it up on our screen and then leave it for the public to see? What is that all about? I happen to like doing it myself. I'm sure I'll keep doing it. Most of my quotes come from my reading though. I'm not saying that makes me more authentic, but more involved.
And if your quotes and ideas come from something you are more involved with than just reading something on a screen and then tossing them onto your page or blog, than maybe they will have more effect for the reader.
And in my work, handling the Bible as I do, you better be much more concerned about the context of the quote, or the passage. Break that rule and you will enable a certain sort of dishonesty in your preaching and teaching. You'll eventually destroy your effectiveness as a truth teller. Just a little sweet counsel from one who is not your enemy.
Marty , you have some interesting pionts. Valid ones. Coming from a single perspective. You could almost get into a translation debate on a verse like this. KJV vs NIV. There really is no confusion on what v14 is saying in the NIV version. For example.
I think most people do quick quotes on social sites as a simple means of insperation. There is a time for everything. A time for deep study and debate of a verse or chapters true meaning. Also there is a time for light hearted Insperation. Inspire me. True leadership. Thats what the world is seeking.
just a Little inspiration. No fear of a misquote. It really isn't a misquote if the intent was simple insperation. If it inspires a reader to even then look the verse up for themselves then good was done.
Inspire me. Pasters do small quotes all the time. Looking for the greek meaning is good for study but getting old for someone just seeking a loving God.
It is true that freinds and leaders are the ones that can hurt us the most though.
Small quotes can be the same as a blog. Inspiring thought and change for the reader.
Just like you inspired thought for me here.
Thanks. Keep up the good work.
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