Hole Diggers

I grew up a fan of Looney Tunes cartoons. Bugs, Daffy, Yosemite Sam, you know the characters. Reading through Psalms 6-10 this morning, Psalm 7:15 reminded me of someone: Wile E. Coyote. You know - the “super genius”?


The verse says “He (man) has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made.”

This section of verses (12 – 16) discusses unrepentant man conceiving trouble, which never turns out well for man. Wile E. had a knack for devising elaborate contraptions to carry out his mischief, only to find them backfire in amazing pyrotechnical or catastrophic ways.

I in no way mean to take this psalm lightly. There is actually an introductory “verse”, which labels this psalm as a Shiggaion (the descriptive word is 'dithyrambic'). This was a psalm sung or spoken with amazing passion and near-ecstatic behavior for emphasis. A song of this type or style would have been used competitively between opposing tribes of dancers. So while it is easy to sit back, relax, and read about man conceiving trouble and getting caught in his own traps, try reading this psalm out loud, excitable, with great passion, and then heed the warning of following God’s ways and living the repentant life for Him.

How often do we fall into the holes we have dug, the pits we have devised? How often do we suffer from the results of our sinful ways, designed only to please and satisfy ourselves. For the sincere believer, the desire to change his ways should indeed be an impassioned way of life.

Wile E. Coyote closes an unsuccessful attempt at some scheme by saying “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Mud.” To which Bugs replies, “And remember, ‘mud’ spelled backwards is ‘dum’.” OK, so while slightly humorous, it’s not quite the theological treatise of a cartoon. Agreed. He got what was coming to him, that’s the point I make.

I read in Psalm 7 a lesson to be learned from trying to do things our way and for the wrong reasons.


SIDE NOTE: I am a big fan of the NASB, for a few different reasons, and one of the biggest is its attention to its use of proper pronouns when referring to God. This section of Psalm 7 is a good example. This can be a confusing passage to follow when all the “He” words are in lower case. Capital “H” is used at the beginning of sentences, following the English rules, yet “He” in verse 13 is not the same “He” in verse 15. In short, the “He” words in verses 12 – 13 refer to God, and those in verses 14-16 refer to man, if that helps with understanding this passage.

Personally, I think it most proper to use a capital “H” when referring to He, Him, or His, when speaking of God. I realize this is an English device, yet it gives proper honor and respect where due. Just my opinion. And in fairness, the New King James also makes this distinction.