If I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe — Psalm 7:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 16, 2022): Psalm 7

"Reilly, Sidney Reilly." It might be one of the most famous salutations in history. Don't quite recognize it? How about "Bond, James Bond." Sidney Reilly (1873-1925) was apparently the real-life spy on which Ian Fleming based his famous fictional character, although admittedly without all the cool gadgets. But the real Sidney Reilly was considerably less honorable than Ian Fleming's "007." Reilly worked for at least four different national governments during his life, and he was willing to sell whatever he discovered to the highest bidder, regardless of who the highest bidder might be.

On behalf of the British Government, Reilly was involved in an attempt to overthrow the Bolshevik government in Moscow by killing Vladimir Lenin. But the Russians finally caught on to Reilly's shenanigans, and the spy was forced to run from the country. In 1925, Reilly was lured back into the Soviet Union, where he was arrested, tortured, and executed for his crimes. But even in his final days of his life, it is rumored that Reilly was recording Russian interrogation techniques, which he planned to sell to the highest bidder.

The life of Sidney Reilly is so much of an enigma that there is very little that we know for certain about him. Even his place of birth is a matter of open debate. Most believe that Reilly was born in Odessa, Russian Empire (today, Odessa is in Ukraine). Still, others maintain that Reilly was born in Ireland, England, or even somewhere else inside the Russian Empire. Most of the details about Sidney Reilly's life are prefaced with "possibly" or "maybe."

No one knows for sure who a spy really is; sometimes, not even the spy. The life of a spy is one that is remembered by some as a hero, but others as a villain. It is a life of deception with at least some within the spy's circle of acquaintances, and often that deception becomes universal.

David is a lot of things, some good and some bad, but Israel's poet King feels that he has at least tried to live an honest life. He tried to deal honestly with his allies as well as with his enemies. As we read this Psalm, maybe we can remind ourselves of the dignity with which he treated King Saul. It is hard to understand exactly how Saul fit into David's life; the former King seemed to act like an enemy of David, and yet David treated him like someone to whom honor and respect were due. But, for the most part, David tried to treat both his friends and his enemies as honestly as possible. Most knew precisely where David stood. He could not be described as a double-crosser, and the King was nothing like Sidney Reilly.

Maybe the one blemish on David's record was the murder of Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was an ally who David double-crossed and had killed, an action that should remind us that there is a little Sidney Reilly in all of us that is ready to emerge if we aren't disciplined in how we live our lives.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 8