Dealing With Your Enemies

Photo by Zane Burko on Unsplash

Every leader will face opposition at different points in their leadership journey. Opposition may come from within or without. It may be justified or not. It might arise from an unpopular leadership decision. It may show up by way of the competition as they seek to defame your character. It may arise from a strong-willed emerging leader who is vying for your title. But make no mistake--opposition is part of leading. I am not talking about the kind of opposition that grows out of your own poor choices or errors—those you likely need to own and seek forgiveness. I am referring to the type of opposition that seems to arise for no apparent reason.

Dealing with opposition can feel like you have gained an actual enemy. It can certainly be stressful. It tends to dominate your emotional and physical energy. It requires an inordinate amount of focus that you would rather be giving to other things. Some repercussions from dealing with an enemy may never be rectified to your desire and satisfaction. Two of my most significant leadership challenges have arisen because I needed to terminate a leader due to performance or character issues. And even though I vetted each situation and termination process as thoroughly as I knew how, the backlash was severe. To this day, I fear I have lost a friend. In both cases, my reputation was besmirched and false stories were freely disseminated. It is tough to know how to respond. Everything within you wants to fight back and defend yourself. But as a Christ follower, is that the best recipe for responding to opposition?

King David in the Bible faced many enemies before and during his reign as king of Israel. A few of these threats were of his own making. One significant threat arose from within his very family. The most notable one was unjustified and kept him on the run for years. When David was supposed to assume the throne, King Saul would not relinquish it. King Saul was so bent on keeping the throne that he sought to put David to death on more than one occasion. Most scholars believe that David stayed on the run for some 10-15 years before he finally assumed his rightful place on the throne of Israel.

Towards the end of his life, David penned Psalm 37 as a piece of wisdom literature. It reads much more like the Book of Proverbs than the Psalms. The heart of the psalm is about dealing with evildoers, wrongdoers, and the wicked. David seems to be recounting his history as he offers sage advice on how we should respond to enemies.  Within this psalm, we find five admonitions based on three foundational truths that lead to a godly response to opposition.

Five Admonitions

"Fret not yourself" (verse 1)

The first admonition means not to be overly hot, not to be furious, or to burn with anger. Merriam-Webster defines fretting as rubbing and chafing against something. It also conveys the notion that fretting can lead to emotional strain and suffering. Endless fretting can ultimately corrode our souls. Enemies have a strong tendency to stir up the ability to fret. We fret because we don't know what they will do next. We likely don't yet know the outcome of the encounter with the enemy. We feel unstable and out of control. So we fret. But Psalm 37 strongly encourages us not to fret--to not chafe or become furious because of their words or actions.

"Trust in the Lord" (verse 3)

To trust, in this context, is to run to God as a refuge and to be confident in Him. In our moment of instability, we are to look to Him as our source of security and stability. By the way, one expression of trust is to honestly pour out our hearts to God. We release our fretting to him. Our orientation must change from the circumstances of our enemies' threats to the One who knows and controls it all. This verse goes on to say, "Do good." Another aspect of trust is counterintuitive. Rather than paying back evil for evil, we are actually to do good. Consider what is the good thing to do in your conflictual setting.

"Commit your way to the Lord" (verse 5)

We commit by rolling our burden onto God. Not only do we choose to cease fretting and pour out our hearts to God, but we also make the decisive choice to roll this oppositional journey on to Him. We entrust our ongoing path and way to him. Leadership doesn't stop when you are opposed. There is still more to do, decisions to be made, and people to lead. So we commit our ongoing leadership journey and daily tasks to God one step at a time.

"Be still before the Lord" (verse 7)

Remaining silent may be the most difficult admonition to follow. Our natural tendency is to self-protect and self-justify when others attack us. And yet the psalm tells us to be silent. Communication is the currency of leadership, and words are powerful, always carrying meaning. So does silence. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is remain silent. The verse goes on to say that we are to wait patiently on God to act on our behalf. False attacks and lies have a way of being invalidated over time. God may use others to come to our defense. Either way, we are encouraged to keep silent in the moment and see what God will do.

"Refrain from anger and forsake wrath" (verse 8)

In this verse, we are told to relax and let loose. Relax from the angry tendencies we will likely feel. Let loose of your desire for wrathful vengeance. These things will only lead to more evil. You may need help here. Lean on a few confidants to act as a sounding board for how to carry these admonitions out in daily practice. There is strength in community.

But what is the grounding for these five admonitions? Psalm 37 provides at least three truths that help anchor us in living out these practices.

Three Foundational Truths

The five admonitions, which are all action steps we take by faith, are grounded in three strong theological and factual realities.

The wicked will fade away

At least eight times within this psalm, we read that the wicked, the enemies that unjustly go after us, will fade away or will be stopped by God himself. Their false narratives will give way to the truth. Their actions are seen for what they truly are. Even in a sinful world, righteousness tends to bear out. So don't allow your enemies to throw you off course or distract you from the good work you have to do.

God is just

There are several indications throughout this psalm that God's justice will prevail. But especially verse 28 makes this clear, "For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints." God is, in this life and certainly in the next, a just God--and unjust enemies will be put down.

God is our stronghold and will exalt us in due time

Throughout the psalm, God tells us that he will act on our behalf, that He upholds the righteous, that he will not allow us to be put to shame, that he establishes our steps and makes us stable, that he will not abandon us, and that ultimately he will exalt us.

These truths undergird and strengthen our ability to live out the wise admonitions in dealing with our enemies. Read Psalm 37 in its totality. Reflect on what is said. Pour out your heart to God. Rest in Him, leader.

P.S. The seminal idea for this article came by way of Bill Elliff, a friend and mentor, who recently posted his thoughts about Psalm 37 on Facebook.

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