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As with all other Bible topics, the Biblical perspective on narcissism (aka insolent pride) is interwoven throughout the Bible. Therefore, the full picture is obtained through stitching together many pieces from many places in the Bible. Searching this out in blog form has the disadvantage of being worked through in “real time” and therefore pretty raw and disjointed, but it has the big advantage of being able to link back to other blog entries as part of the process of weaving things together and providing better explanations.
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Proverbs can be considered more the wisdom of God (see here), and Psalms more the heart of God (see here). To not interrupt the flow of this Psalm while still providing details that help to further understand narcissism, I have embedded links in key words, and provided notes. So please click on the BOLD words and refer to the notes below for additional discussion on a particular insight related to narcissism.
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Psalm 5
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David cries to God for protection from the wicked (narcissists, note 1 below)……..
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5 Give ear to my words, O Lord,.
Consider my groaning. (Note 2)
2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (Note 3).
David understood clearly that God hates the narcissist and will ultimately judge him
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4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; (Note 4)
You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood*;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit..
David also understood that as part of the process of dealing with the narcissist, he needed to seek God and allow God to lead him in a path of righteousness (doing what was right, even when his narcissist tormentor was doing what was wrong).
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7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
[At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.8 O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me..
David also had a very clear understanding of who these narcissists were and how they operated
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9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue..
And David was confident enough in God’s hatred of the narcissists, to boldly ask Him to judge them. (Note 5)
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10 Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.
11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield. (Note 6).
Notes:
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- Narcissism is the modern colloquial term for what the Bible call “insolent pride” – see here
- Dealing with narcissists makes us groan. Its a constant drain on our very souls.
- David was praying and “watching for” the answer from the Lord because, ultimately, our answer (as in all answers), must come from Him. It might be in the form of additional wisdom, additional grace to endure, or in God actively intervening.
- Typically, there is a key word that tips us off to scriptures about narcissism – “Boastful” is one of those key words in Psalm 5
- David did not judge or exact retribution himself, but asked God to do it (see here)
- God’s favor on us, is a shield against the narcissist. In some cases, it is appropriate to avoid narcissists (see here). But in other cases we cannot avoid them, and need to have a shield against the arrows they shoot at us.
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Please see ‘Putting “Biblical Perspectives On Narcissism” Into Perspective’ for an overview of what this blog is about.