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The psalmist David displays an amazing ability to choose to stop spreading the very thing he is experiencing. That’s an awkward sentence. Let me explain.

David states that he has been experiencing scorn and dishonor because of his faithfulness to God. “For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face” (Psalm 69:7). “You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you” (Psalm 69:19).

David acknowledges that his enemies have slung all the shame they possibly can toward him. “for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me” (Psalm 69:9).  Jesus said something very similar, “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me (John 15:20, 21).

And David isn’t ashamed to ask God to remove this scorn he has experienced (Psalm 119:22). In fact, God has indeed promised that it will ultimately be removed. Isaiah 25:8 says, “…he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.”

I’m not experiencing much in the way direct scorn right now but I know you may be…right now.

Here is what amazes me and challenges me.

In the midst of this David has a request of God. That request is to break the chain of this kind of behavior. He doesn’t want to pass along this hurt and pain. He doesn’t want himself to be the source of reproach that he has experienced. “May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel” (Psalm 69:6).

What a heart. “In my pain, Lord, help me not to be a source of pain in others.”

David knows he has a responsibility to lead well.  People are watching. They are following. They see his reactions. They look for a model in him of how to respond to unjust treatment. And, he feels that responsibility deeply. He desperately doesn’t want to cause others to stumble. He doesn’t want others to be given an excuse to fall because he fails. He wants to honor God by pointing people to the Faithful One.

I don’t have many following me in a formal sense right now. I am in transition. As a good friend said, “Howard, maybe God is asking you to fast from leadership right now.” That has wisdom all over it. I can accept that.

Nevertheless, my family are watching. I have an extended family close at hand. And I must assume that more are watching than I know. The result of which is I must have the same desire as David. No matter what I’m experiencing from others, I must NOT bring dishonor to my Savior by my actions.

I know full well that God is the ultimate watcher. “You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you” (Psalm 69:5). I, too, plead that I wouldn’t be the source of someone else getting derailed in their pursuit of God. In fact just the opposite. I pray that I will point people the correct direction, away from me and to the only source of their salvation and security (Psalm 69:29).

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards. But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes. You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
— Psalm 69

Howard Morrison is a partner in Arizona’s Morrison Ranch. He resides with his family in Austin, Texas.