Day 7/31 – Manipulation — II

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Manipulation — II
Day Two Hundred Twelve

Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods. Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding Jacob laid the rods in the runnels before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods, but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there; so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.” Genesis 30:37, 41-42

You would have thought that Jacob learned the stupidity of manipulation by the incident with his brother. But during his years with Laban, because he felt cheated, he manipulated the care of the flocks in such a way that he got the stronger and Laban the weaker. (I have no idea how it worked). The results were predictable. Jacob and Laban parted angry with one another, having been in business together for 20 years. As far as one can tell, they never saw one another again. Leah and Rachael never saw their parents again, nor did the children see their grandparents.

On his return to Canaan, Jacob and Essau again meet. Because of a life of manipulation, Jacob had no confidence that God was with him in his relationship with his brother. Earlier, when Laban was pursuing Jacob, God met Laban in a dream warning him not to harm Jacob. Laban told this to Jacob when they met. Evidently this did little to quiet the heart of Jacob when next he met Essau. When you live in sin, the past experience of God’s deliverance does not help in building confidence during current crises.

Yielding to the temptation to manipulate will cause you great harm. When you find that manipulation works, you tend to do it often. Although it sometimes produces what appears to be a positive response, the result is always negative. Being a manipulator causes you to suspect others. You doubt their sincerity and honesty, thinking that they are trying to do to you what you do to them. Most importantly, manipulation angers God; it is a manifestation of not trusting Him.

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Psalm 54-56 Romans 3 (New King James Version)

Psalm 54-56
Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries
To the Chief Musician. With [a]stringed instruments. A [b]Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
54
Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
2
Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3
For strangers have risen up against me,
And oppressors have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah
4
Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who [c]uphold my life.
5
He will repay my enemies for their evil.
[d]Cut them off in Your [e]truth.
6
I will freely sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7
For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.
Trust in God Concerning the Treachery of Friends
To the Chief Musician. With [f]stringed instruments. A [g]Contemplation of David.
55
Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2
Attend to me, and hear me;
I am[h] restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
3
Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.
4
My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5
Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6
So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7
Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8
I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”
9
Destroy, O Lord, and divide their [i]tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10
Day and night they go around it on its walls;
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
11
Destruction is in its midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
12
For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13
But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
14
We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.
15
Let death seize them;
Let them go down alive into [j]hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
16
As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
17
Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
18
He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For there were many against me.
19
God will hear, and afflict them,
Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.
20
He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has broken his [k]covenant.
21
The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
22
Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be [l]moved.
23
But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.
Prayer for Relief from Tormentors
To the Chief Musician. Set to [m]“The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.
56
Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
2
My enemies would hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3
Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
4
In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?
5
All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6
They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
7
Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
8
You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?
9
When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because God is for me.
10
In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
11
In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12
Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
13
For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?
Footnotes:
• Psalm 54:1 Heb. neginoth
• Psalm 54:1 Heb. Maschil
• Psalm 54:4 sustain my soul
• Psalm 54:5 Destroy them
• Psalm 54:5 Or faithfulness
• Psalm 55:1 Heb. neginoth
• Psalm 55:1 Heb. Maschil
• Psalm 55:2 wander
• Psalm 55:9 speech, their counsel
• Psalm 55:15 Or Sheol
• Psalm 55:20 treaty
• Psalm 55:22 shaken
• Psalm 56:1 Heb. Jonath Elem Rechokim

Romans 3
God’s Judgment Defended
3 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the [a]oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be [b]true but every man a liar. As it is written:
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their [c]condemnation is just.
All Have Sinned
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13
“Their throat is an open [d]tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14
“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17
And the way of peace they have not known.”
18
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become [e]guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all [f]and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [g]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a [h]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is [i]justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
Footnotes:
• Romans 3:2 sayings, Scriptures
• Romans 3:4 Found true
• Romans 3:8 Lit. judgment
• Romans 3:13 grave
• Romans 3:19 accountable
• Romans 3:22 NU omits and on all
• Romans 3:24 without any cost
• Romans 3:25 mercy seat
• Romans 3:28 declared righteous