Psalm 16:4 like you've (probably) never heard it before.
Responding to "Pride Month" with a little help from King David.
One day, as we were driving home after parent-pick up, I thoughtlessly said to the kids “You know, June is ‘Pride Month.’ Have you ever heard these words in school?” They responded in unison—blank stares, heads shaking, “no.” So I proceeded with my spiel. I didn’t take any time to pray about the words I would use, or look up the Bible verses I would point them to. It felt like a chore that hung over my head for weeks. Something that I’ve put off for too long because it was mentally draining and emotionally disturbing. I couldn’t muster the energy to even think about how I would approach this conversation with my 3 innocent, impressionable children.
So I just started talking, trying to hit the most crucial points–that we are created in the image of God as men and women, and called to reflect that image to the world with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit; that God’s will and Word gets to dictate our feelings/hearts because we were ransomed by Christ and no longer live for ourselves but for Christ. By the time we got to the house, the talk was over. I checked that nagging, imaginary box in my head…‘Pride Month discussion,” DONE.
It wasn’t until a couple of days had passed that I felt convicted by what I said at the very beginning of that lazy monologue on the way home from school. I sensed the Holy Spirit pointing me back to what I had just taught at a small women’s conference about Psalm 16.
King David wrote Psalm 16 from a place of difficulty. It’s not clear what was going on specifically, but we know he’s going through a time of crisis. So he begins by crying out to God in a settled and secure manner. Further study of the words God and Lord as used here reveals that David is actually referring to him in 3 different ways…Elohim, Yahweh, and Adonai. Then he goes on to express his utter delight in the saints. Great! Makes sense, right? This shows us that deep reflection on God’s transcendent goodness causes one to be grateful for God’s people.
Then he shifts and says: “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” Is it just me, or does this verse seem out of place? Why is David talking about those who were worshiping other gods?
There’s a sharp contrast between the delight he feels towards the saints, and his manifest rejection of other gods and their pagan rituals. He’s essentially saying “You won’t ever hear me acknowledge their gods as gods or give honor and glory to them which is due ONLY to the one true God.” The mere mention of the name of other gods was totally forbidden by the law of Moses as stated in Exodus 23:13, “And make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of your mouth.” David's sentiment aligns with the level of caution and vigilance that was required of the Israelites.
We see this in the New Testament as well. Ephesians 5:3 says, “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” The idea is that the slightest association and mere mention of these things tend to produce dangerous familiarity with them. The more familiar (comfortable or desensitized) you are with these other gods, the paganistic worship of them, and the subsequent fruit they produce in the lives of their adherents, the more it lessens your aversion or sense of alarm and concern towards them that you should have. Sometimes people disregard this notion, labeling it a “slippery slope fallacy.” But there’s wisdom in acknowledging our susceptibility towards temptations and the warning against giving the enemy an opportunity to influence us. (Eph 4:27)
I was wrong to declare to my children that June is “Pride Month.” Because it’s not…June is, more truthfully, more simply, a month of the year that belongs to the Lord.
Am I being over-zealous about this? It might seem like a miniscule, overly-spiritualized view of a totally secular holiday. We can choose to ignore it and say “Pride Month has nothing to do with Christians. It’s a secular holiday that serves the interest of non-believers.” But is that how King David responds to the public worship of other gods? He doesn’t just quietly renounce the religious pagan practices of the people around him, he unreservedly goes beyond that to declare in writing: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” (Ps 16:5) Is King David just being “extra” when he expresses his wholehearted allegiance to a God he knows deeply as Elohim, Yahweh and Adonai? Set against a background of raging debauchery in the name of Baal and Asherah? During a time where the chosen people of God, the Israelites, were perpetually enticed to worship false gods? No. It’s precisely because of the catastrophic consequences of sin that David writes these words. It is precisely because of this profound, intimate knowledge of God that he is able to say, with utmost sincerity and unwavering courage, things that we dare not utter in the public sphere today. Lord, help us.
These verses came alive for me in a way that I didn’t expect–like a spiritual slap in the face. I don’t know about you, but this much is clear to me now: being intentional about living in God’s presence produces the strength and courage to actively resist other gods. The act of truly worshiping God emboldens the believer to actively reject the worship of other gods. Both go hand-in-hand.
So the resolve to reject ungodly, wordly rituals is not because they assault my delicate sensibilities or traditional moral values, but because God’s mercy has taken hold of my soul. Therefore I will not consciously participate in anything that could ever be mistaken as acknowledging false gods. In John Piper’s words, it is a “blood-bought, Spirit-empowered, God-honoring disapproval,” and “distinctly Christian rejection” of gay pride.
Being intentional about living in God’s presence produces the strength and courage to actively resist other gods.
I will not take…their names on my lips. Help me, Lord.
Today, the caution isn’t against drinking the blood of animals that have been sacrificed to the ancient pagan deities of the Old Testament, or participating in sexually perverted worship rites. The gods we have now are not made of bronze or silver. They don’t require the slaughter of animals and burnt offerings. Instead, they exist in our hearts in the form of political figures, powerful ideologies and cultural movements that exalt the god of “self.” So following in King David’s example during the month of June is going to look different.
As much as I would like to list some helpful call-to-action for you here, I think it’s better that you hear from the Holy Spirit on this. If nothing else, you could spend some time wrestling with what it means to be in the world but not of it, at such a time when people are desperate for love and acknowledgement and looking for it in all the wrong, hellish places. My convictions and applications to this teaching/lesson are personal. I don’t want them to distract you from the main point of this article. Which is to draw near to God and hear from him about how you, yourself, can honor and magnify him today and in the coming weeks.
I used to think that people who practiced a homosexual lifestyle were the main problem. Sure, there are some who are hard core trying to advance their agenda under the guise of love and inclusion. But any deep New Testament study will tell you that sin enslaves people; that outside of being alive in Christ, people are spiritually dead. (John 8:34, Gal 5:1, Rom 6:6) What can a spiritually dead person do/understand/hear? Nothing. Will they suddenly come alive when we judge them to their faces? Will their spirits finally awake with louder shouts of condemnation? Only a touch from God himself could ever accomplish such a supernatural thing as causing a spiritually dead and enslaved person to awaken to a new life in Jesus. (Romans 8:1-2) That is a purely Trinitarian job we have no hand in. Our job is to love God with all our being, and to love others unto God. (Matt 22:36-40)
But here’s what we can do: pray. Would you pray for the lost LGBTQIA people? As you stand unwavering in your resolve to honor God alone…would you consider being a light in June by intentionally praying for them? As one of the most famous quotes from CH Spurgeon’s goes: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
Let me know your thoughts about this! Feel free to email or text me. If you know me personally, I’m open to sharing some of the things I’ll be doing this month as a way to reject the god of Pride Month while outwardly continuing to live out my allegiance to the one true God…Elohim, Yahweh and Adonai.
Much love,
M. E. Rice (@biblestudy.auntie)
P.S. There are so many other, more in-depth articles written by theological giants on the interwebs about this topic. This is NOT one of those. I’m an ordinary, local church Bible teacher who felt compelled to share something that might help strengthen the faith of those around me. Because I love the Church and want to see Christians live with hope and courage.