Deliverance From Bad Character(s)

“Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief [is] in their hearts.” (Ps 28:3 AV)

A great verse for the rapture of the church, for sure!  David does not wish to be drawn away with the wicked unto judgment.  This is more than mere escape.  What David is seeking is more than deliverance from an upcoming event.  God will judge Saul for his wickedness and David wishes to be considered separately from the acts of a king in rebellion.  They are related.  David is son-in-law to Saul.  It would be a normal consideration here that David wished not to be considered for divine judgment with his family.  Yet, I think what David seeks is the character resulting in the deliverance rather than mere deliverance.  In other words, if he loves God and lives humbly before God in subjection to His law, then David will not be drawn away with the wicked.  I think what David seeks is godliness that results in not being drawn away and not merely deliverance from being drawn away.

In grade school, there was always a set of boys whose objective was to get into trouble.  If there was a rule, they sought ways to break it.  There was always that set of kids in the neighborhood who did the same.  They threw snowballs as passing cars.  They put pennies on the railroad track.  They shoplifted.  They defaced public property.  These roaming miscreants looked for trouble where there was none.  My parents did a good job keeping us from them.  Instead of prohibiting friendships with these children, they pointed out the undisciplined behavior, the consequences, and the goal of being more mature than our peers.  Instead of making a hard fast rule against getting into trouble, they grew in us a desire to stay out of it.  As a result, when there was trouble brewing, we knew enough to run in the opposite direction.  My generation had a fascination with rumbles.  That was where factions of the same generation would meet in a park and fight until one of them rose victorious.  Word was spread around school.  Friday night, after the highschool football game, two groups would meet somewhere and have it out.  I’ve never been to one.  Never even saw one go down.  Well did my parents warn us, and we heeded that warning.  Even as a spectator, we risked being carried away with the brawlers simply because we were there.  So, we stayed as far away as possible.

This is the desire of David.  He is asking for the character to keep him far away from the wicked so he is not carried away with their behavior and consequences.  He knows if he lives in the word of God, there will be no company with the wicked while they are being wicked.  The reminds me of the beloved Apostle’s use of for the definition of sin.  Drawn away by their own lusts and when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin.  David is expertly setting to words the desire what should be in every heart of every believer.  That is, protection from the desire to keep company with those living in sin so we are not drawn away from the LORD by it.