100 Days with David 2025 Day 81: The Lord will make the enemy trip over their own threats.

“Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭64:1, 7-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I know a man who very nearly had a nervous breakdown because of his tyrannical boss. You see, the way this boss operated was to constantly be issuing vague threats. These threats were not vague in the sense of whether or not something “bad” was going to happen. Rather, they were vague in terms of timing, extent, and severity. One of this tyrannical boss’s favorite threats was to say, “Somethings going to happen today.”

Needless to say, the work environment under this bully was like constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, constantly wondering, “What is he going to do to me? Just how bad will it be?”

In sports they call it “trash talk” when the opponent is bragging about how they’re going to mercilessly beat their opponent. But we know that threats go beyond boastful banter between sport’s opponents. Yes, bullies gain and maintain control through various threatenings.

When thinking of threats, I remember the story of King Hezekiah of Judah when he received a very threatening letter from the king of Assyria. In this letter, the king of Assyria assured Hezekiah that nothing—not even the Lord—would keep him from taking Jerusalem. But, Hezekiah didn’t take it lying down; he took the threats straight to the Lord:

“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Hezekiah also issued this word of encouragement to the people:

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

‭‭II Chronicles‬ ‭32:7-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Enemies employ threats to intimidate people so that they cower, offering no resistance. Indeed, one of the masters of using threats to intimidate, is the enemy of our souls: the devil. He will throw all kinds of threats at you to see what will “stick.”

Cautionary note: In throwing various threats at you, Satan is seeking to find your vulnerability, the breach in your dependence on, and trust in the Lord. And be warned: Once you start paying attention to his threats, he’s got you where he wants you.

In today’s portion from David’s psalms, we see David expounding on the threats of his enemies. But, he did what Hezekiah did: He took it to the Lord. He then says with great confidence that the Lord will cause the enemy to trip over their own tongues; that is, their own threats will be their undoing!

Yes, David knew about facing threats. As not much more than a lad, he faced the threats of Goliath:

“So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!””

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭17:43-44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Now, we know how that battle ended: Goliath lost the battle and his head to his own sword, now welded by a tiny (by comparison) foe, invoking the Name of the Lord.

Believe me, as long as you listen to the threats of the enemy, allowing the threats to intimidate you, causing you to fall short of what God has promised, the threats will continue! Take the enemy’s threats to the Lord and trust Him to deal with them. Watch as the Lord turns those threats back on their sender!

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

The Lord will make the enemy trip over their own threats.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!