When Loyalty Breaks Series

INTRODUCTION — THE WOUND YOU DON’T SEE COMING

There are many kinds of pain in life, but betrayal has a unique flavor.

It is the kind of pain that doesn’t scream — it leaks.

It shows up in subtle ways: your appetite changes, sleep slips away, and you walk through familiar rooms feeling like something is permanently missing. Betrayal is not just something that happens to you. It is something that happens inside you.

We began with that story because betrayal rarely announces itself.

Enemies come with weapons.

But betrayers come with smiles.

An enemy wounds your back.

A betrayer wounds your heart.

And this is why Psalm 109 exists.

It is the prayer of a man who has been spiritually ambushed.

It is the cry of someone who has loved well, served faithfully, acted kindly —

and been repaid with cruelty.

Psalm 109 is the place where God says,

“I see this kind of pain too.”

Let’s enter the Psalm.

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I. “THE WICKED AND DECEITFUL HAVE OPENED THEIR MOUTHS AGAINST ME”

The Pain of Words You Didn’t Deserve

Psalm 109 begins, not with weapons drawn, but with words spoken:

> “For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me;

they speak against me with lying tongues.” (v.2)

This is not physical persecution.

This is character assassination.

David is wounded not by spears or swords,

but by conversations happening in his absence.

Every pastor, every leader, every parent, every believer knows this wound:

the wound of being misrepresented.

There are wounds that draw blood and wounds that draw tears.

And David’s wound is the latter.

Notice the language:

wicked mouths

deceitful mouths

lying tongues

words of hatred

This is verbal warfare — quiet, subtle, disguised as concern, wrapped in spiritual clothing, whispered in small circles.

Psychologists say emotional pain registers in the same region of the brain as physical injury.

God understood that long before MRI machines.

This Psalm tells us that God sees the wounds inflicted by words.

Some people in your congregation carry scars no one can see:

a spouse’s criticism

a parent’s harshness

a coworker’s gossip

a friend’s betrayal

a church member’s whispers

a family member’s judgment

Some wounds heal slowly — not because the person is weak,

but because the betrayal was deep.

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II. “IN RETURN FOR MY FRIENDSHIP THEY ACCUSE ME”

The Most Painful Betrayal Comes from Those You Tried to Love

Few lines in Scripture capture the ache of Psalm 109 like verse 4: > “In return for my friendship they accuse me.”

This is betrayal from within.

It’s not an enemy from outside the walls —

it’s a friend at the table.

David’s love becomes ammunition for someone else’s attack.

Here’s the thing about betrayal:

Betrayal is only possible where trust once lived.

A stranger cannot betray you —

only someone you let close to your heart.

A stranger can disturb your peace —

but a friend can break it.

This Psalm reveals a deeper truth:

**Sometimes the people you pour the most into

are the ones who wound you the most deeply.**

David says:

> “I am a man of prayer.” (v.4)

Meaning:

“I prayed for them.

I blessed them.

I carried them in my heart.

I tried to do good…

and they used it against me.”

Have you ever been hurt by someone you helped?

Someone you defended?

Someone you covered?

Someone you prayed for?

Someone you would have protected with your life?

Psalm 109 belongs to you.

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III. “THEY REPAY EVIL FOR GOOD”

When Your Kindness Becomes Their Excuse

Verse 5 expands the wound:

> “They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.”

There is a special kind of heartbreak reserved for people who try to live kindly.

Soft hearts bleed deeper.

People who love deeply grieve deeply.

People who forgive easily bruise easily.

People who trust freely hurt heavily.

David’s language is not exaggerated.

He is describing emotional violence:

good repaid with evil

love repaid with hatred

kindness met with cruelty

Some listeners in your congregation feel this Psalm in their bones.

This is the child who cared for an aging parent who later turned cruel in dementia.

This is the spouse who poured years into a marriage and was repaid with infidelity.

This is the coworker who trained another employee who then took credit for the work.

This is the missionary betrayed by someone they discipled.

This is the pastor wounded by someone they mentored.

This is the believer who opened their home and had it used against them.

Psalm 109 is written for the people who did nothing wrong —

and still got hurt.

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IV. THE HARDEST TRUTH OF BETRAYAL: “BUT I GIVE MYSELF TO PRAYER”

When You Can’t Control the Attack, You Control the Response

This is the turning point in the Psalm — and in the sermon.