Don't Feed the Trolls

Psalm 64

They hold fast to their evil purpose;

they talk of laying snares secretly,

thinking, “Who can see them?” —Psalm 64:5

 usernames in order to defame and vilify. Surely you've encountered them on Twitter, Facebook, Anyone who uses the internet to communicate has encountered trolls—nasty, profane, cowards that hide behind anonymous accounts and fakeInstagram, Snapchat and other social media.

Trolls, according to Nordic mythology, were wicked, slow-witted dwarves that hid under bridges, harassing travelers, impeding their progress, and exacting a heavy toll from those that passed by. David, in this psalm, is thinking of something similar—assailants that hide in the shadows, “who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear,” thinking, "who can see (us)." (63:3-6).

But God sees and in time they will be "brought to ruin,” dispatched by their own weapons, “their tongues turned against them” (64:7,8). “What we sow we reap," Paul said with quiet confidence (Galatians 6:5). Evil has within itself the seeds of its own destruction.

So let 'em be. Don't engage with them. To interact with them merely serves their purposes and emboldens them. Ignore them.[1] "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up,” Jesus said. “Let them alone." (Matthew 15:13,14 and Hosea 4:17).

David Roper

2,27.17

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[1] Parents, teachers, coaches, school administrators and others charged with caring for young people, however, should never ignore bullies.