They say one of the worst deaths is “death by a thousand cuts”.
I think a lot of us know this “slow death”, not in terms of actual demise, but by being worn down by the elements of this fallen world. Some people experience the pain of an unhealthy relationship that’s slowly sapping their joy; others are lashed to a job or career where they undergo disrespect and abuse just to make ends meet. In so many various ways, we encounter the sort of “frog in boiling water” scenarios that we don’t necessarily leap out of because we’re either used to them, or we can’t see a way out.
Over time, these sets of circumstances really erode a person’s joy and hope. I’ve witnessed this with friends in unhappy unions, dead-end jobs, and family situations they just festered in; I’m guessing you’ve witnessed it as well, at least once or twice…if not been in it yourself. It’s a cry of an aching, weary heart we see reflected even in the very beginning of Psalm 129, where the psalmists renders Israel’s heart cry: “Often have they have treated me with hostility from my youth.”
As I approached my 30th birthday, thinking back on people who mistreated me or acted hostile toward me as a youth became harder and harder. I’d by and large cut those people out of my life; no one wants to drag the dead weight of a childhood nemesis or detractor into their mid-life, right? So, it’s almost impossible to imagine being treated with hostility from one’s youth!
Talk about a wearisome dynamic. A few days of being jeered at and ridiculed can make someone dream of faking their death and disappearing somewhere like Fiji or the arctic: how much more so if you’re enduring this for years?
Yet just one verse later, we see a cry of hope following up this declaration: “yet they have not prevailed against me.”
Wow! What a testament to the endurance of Israel, inspired by hope and—of course!—made possible by GOD! This psalm goes on to show how Yahweh cut the rope of the wicked and redeemed His people after they’d been plowed over (ouch!). He brought deliverance from those who’d treated Israel with hostility from their very youth; they not only endured those circumstances, but with God’s mighty intervention, they triumphed and were set free!
This is such an incredible lesson for us all. Even if we have endured abuse, unfavorable circumstances, hostility, and despair since our very youth, God can still deliver us! He can still redeem our lives and set us free, putting to shame those who abuse us and lifting us out of our despair. Let’s raise a cry to Him for His help and salvation from every pain we suffer—He has the power to redeem us no matter how long we’ve fought this battle!
