Bitter Betrayal

It’s hard when your friends turn against you, harder still when it’s your family or own flesh and blood.   Studies say that almost everyone will experience this kind of betrayal at some point in their life.  When we read Psalm 3 and the cry of David’s heart, we realize that even King David experienced this kind of bitter betrayal. 

Psalm 3 starts out by stating; “𝑨 𝒑𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑨𝒃𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒎.”  I cannot imagine the pain that was in David’s heart – his own son!  The son that he had loved, cared for, nurtured, and raised turning on him, out to kill him!  Absalom had carefully and with much calculation won over the hearts of Israel.  And so, King David fled, over the brook Kedron with a meagre group of faithful men to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, where he wept. (2 Samuel 15:30)

You can sense the pain welling up in David as you hear the cry of his heart; “𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒆𝒔! 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆! 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆, “𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎.” 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏.”  I love how David just KNEW the LORD would be a shield to him, he would be the one who lifted his head and would answer him.

Do you remember another King weeping in the garden?  Our King Jesus, a far greater King than David, followed that same path King David took.  Betrayed by one of His best friends, one of the 12, He crossed the brook Kedron into the Garden of Gethsemane with a feeble group of followers, where he wept, drops of anguished blood dripping from His forehead.  Israel had rejected Him, the ones He loved turned from Him. 

𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻, a plan for our Savior and a plan for David.  A much greater plan.  David was restored to rule over Israel and Jesus conquered the grave and will rule and reign forevermore!  Interestingly David’s son Absalom was found hanging from a tree, just like Judas, dying the very same death.

Our glorious, gracious Father has a plan for you too.  A much greater plan.  A plan to restore you, to lift your head, to answer your cry.  When the pain of betrayal hits, remember that your King Jesus knows your sorrow, and has felt your pain, He is working behind the scenes, working on your miracle, planning all things for your good!