Tag: Song

Psalm 7 – The Song of the Slandered Saint

1.0 The Statement

The Theme of Psalm 7 is “When the Innocent Saint’s Integrity is questioned, his only defence is God.” Psalm 7 was written during the time when David was fleeing from King Saul, who made 15 attempts on David’s Life (1Samuel chapters 7 to 27).

Cush was a Benjamite who was of the same Tribe as King Saul and presumably have access to King Saul in the Royal Palace. He (Cush) spoke words against David that King Saul in his jealousy easily accepted without verification. Saul played on the sympathy of his Leaders and bribed them into serving him to spy on David (1Samuel 22:6ff; 1Samuel 23:21; 1Samuel 24:8ff; 1Samuel 26:18-19).

To earn the King Saul’s approval and rewards, they even lied about David, and King Saul believes them. We do not know what lies Cush told King Saul. However, instead of becoming bitter and absorbed with what his (David’s) Enemies were slandering about him, David looks to God for Deliverance and Vindication.

Psalms 7 has been called “The Song of the Slandered Saint.”  Paradoxically, Saints (Believers) can sing in circumstances such as those envisaged in Psalm 7.

  • It is a “Shiggaion” of David, which he sang unto God, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite.
  • The word “Shiggaion” means “To roar, to cry out, e.g., in trouble or danger or pain” or “a Passionate Praise with strong emotion,” but it is apparently in the usual sense of that word.
  • “Shiggaion” is mentioned twice in the Bible and occurs elsewhere only in Habakkuk 3:1, spelled “shigionoth” and in the plural form.

Psalm 7 has been interpreted as “a Wandering Ode (Rhyme).” There is a certain variable, Movement in the Poetry, alternating between Comfort and Joy, between Sorrow and Solace, between Trial and Trust, as changing as are the life experiences of the Saints (Believers) themselves.

We have no historical record of anyone by the Name of Cush and, therefore, we cannot identify him accurately. At least three suggestions have been made:

  • Cush was a fellow tribesman of King Saul, and may have been a Courier of the King, previously unmentioned in Scripture. He was among King Saul’s fawning Flatterers. He was one of a group of evil men from King Saul’s Tribe who reported what they heard about David during those years when King Saul was out to capture and destroy David.
  • The word “Cush” may have been a pseudonym of King Saul himself. Again, though unlikely, it may be a veiled reference to Shimei who later cursed David.
  • The word “Cush” means “black” or “sun-burnt,” and in Jeremiah 13:3 and Amos 9:7 it is translated “Ethiopian.”

Whoever Cush was, this Person was a black-hearted Individual who slandered David to King Saul. But in spite of the slander David still Praise the LORD. The Theme of Psalm 7 is God’s Vindication of His Servant, David, and God’s Judgement on his (David’s) Enemies (Psalm 7:6, 8, 11). Psalm 7 describes:

  1. The Psalmist’s urgency of need, and appeal for Safety (Psalm 7:1-2).
  2. False Accusations are indignantly denied (Psalm 7:3-5).
  3. The Intervention of the LORD as Judge is asked for (Psalm 7:6-8).
  4. Hope of, and Confidence in, the Overthrow of Evil and the Triumph of the Righteous (Psalm 7:9-10).
  5. The Warrior-Judge is lying in wait for the Wicked (Psalm 7:11-13).
  6. But Wickedness Works its own Punishment (Psalm 7:14-16).
  7. The Closing Doxology (Psalm 7:17).

1.1 Call for Deliverance

Psalm 7:1“O LORD my God, in You do I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me.” Psalm 7 addresses the issue of injustice. Using a mixture of images from the Court of Law and the Battlefield, David responds to the unjust attack of his Enemies by inviting God’s Intervention and Resolution.

Above our lives in this world, stands the Eternal God. He is the Righteous Judge. When we bring our case to Him, He answers. The key to deliverance and victory when we are being slandered is to put our trust in God for Vindication. We should turn to God and believe in Faith that He will deliver us:

1. Relationship – “O LORD my God” (Psalm 7:1a), begins with the declare and the call which both reveals the character of God and David’s relationship (“my”) with Him. The possessive pronoun “my” reveals that Jehovah (Yahweh) is Personal to David. David begins with “Jehovah Elohim” (LORD God – Psalm 7:1a) and ends with “Jehovah Elyon” (LORD Most High – Psalm 7:17b), revealing the Greatness of our God, who is David’s Security and Refuge. It is used twenty-three times in the Book of Psalms. The title “LORD Most High” is used by Melchizedek in Genesis 14:19-20, when blessing Abram.

2.  Trust – Psalm 7:1b “In You do I put my Trust.” Literally means “In You I took Refuge.” A Picture of David fleeing for Security to the Fortress or the Cave, David flees to the LORD.  In his (David’s) trial, he recognises God’s Majesty and Power, the God he trusted. The affirmations of trust in God occur throughout the Psalm (Psalm 7:1, 8, 9, 10, 11).

3.  Deliverance – Because God is trustworthy, David can cry out “Save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me” (Psalm 7:1c). The word “Save” means “To give width and breadth, to give space.” God is called into battle here to give David breathing room, to establish his (David’s) space against those who persecute him or, literally, “pursue him.”  The parallel phrase, calling upon God to “deliver” him, employs a verb that can be used for taking prey out of the mouth of an animal (referred to Psalm 7:2 as “a lion”). David uses this verb, “deliver,” when he recalls that as a Shepherd he rescued a lamb from the lion’s mouth: “I….delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it” (1Samuel 17:35).   

4.  Application – King Saul’s Judgement on David was false, and David trusted the LORD to Protect and Vindicate him. When today, People falsely accuse us and create problems for us, we should follow David’s example and find Refuge in the LORD. But let us be sure that we are suffering wrongfully and not because of our own foolishness or disobedience (Matthew 5:11-12; 1Peter 3:13-17).

1.2 The Hunted Man

Psalm 7:2 (KJV) “Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” The Accusation moves from the plural in Psalm 7:1 (“All those”) to the singular (“he”) in Psalm 7:2, from King Saul’s men to King Saul himself.

  • Psalm 7:2 employs this same image of deliverance as in Psalm 7:1c (“deliver”).  David is as the Person being hunted and he will, as it was, shelter himself in God, safe in that Refuge while his Enemies crouches outside like a lion in wait to devour him. His help for deliverance is in God.
  • There is none other who will be able to deliver him. David depends on Jehovah (The LORD) to Protect him from his Oppressors (King Saul and his men). David may well be thinking of those defenceless lambs which he had shepherded in the fields of Bethlehem. He has, for these lambs, slain a lion, and a bear (1Samuel17:34-36).
  • Jehovah (The LORD) his God now delivers him from his Enemies that wait to rend him. Notice the blending of fear and faith, of trust and triumph, in keeping with that meaning of “Shiggaion” that we have seen in the Title.
  • David’s call for Deliverance is based upon God’s Faithfulness, Love, and Power to Deliver (Psalm 7:1c, 2b). David relies upon God’s Character of Faithfulness to face his Enemies.
  • Psalm 7:1-2 are the Essence of the Psalm 7. The remaining Part of Psalm 7 is elaboration on the two themes presented here: (1) “The LORD is my God” and (2) “The LORD Saves me from my Enemies.” – Psalm 7:1-2“O LORD my God, in You do I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.”

1.  David Takes Responsibility – Psalm 7:3-5 “O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in my hands, if I have rewarded evil unto him who was at peace with me (yea, I have delivered him who without cause is mine enemy). Let the enemy persecute my souls, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust, Selah.” – David, the Person of Integrity, takes responsibility for his actions (the three “if”). Psalm 7:3-5 is a pledge, structured in a familiar formula: “If I have done this, then let this happen to me.” The word “if,” which occurs three times, invites God to examine him (David).  David uses the same Personal Address as in the Opening, Psalm 7:1a “O LORD my God,” is ready to stand open before the LORD who searches all things. The Content of the False Accusation against David is now revealed:

  • “If there is iniquity in (his, David’s) hands” (Psalm 7:3b), that is, if he (David) has “repaid evil to his friends who was at Peace with him?” (Psalm 7:4a). The Purpose of this declaration is that he (David) can be trusted. Can he (David) be trusted in time of difficulty – “When the chips are down will he turn his back on us?” The answer is Yes!
  • If he (David), has without cause, “plundered” (robbed, delivered) his Enemies? (Psalm 7:4b), then, he (David) should be held accountable. That is the thrust of Psalm 7:4b.

2.  David’s Response that if he has done wrong to Other, he is prepared to face the consequences – Psalm 7:5 “Let the Enemy persecute my souls, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust, Selah.” David is confident of God’s fair justice that he (David) can, with impunity (freedom), ask God to judge his case. If he is found guilty of the Accusations being levelled against him, he is prepared to face the fourfold humiliation:

  1. Let the Enemy Persecute him (Psalm 7:5a).
  2. Let the Enemy overtake him (Psalm 7:5b).
  3. Let the Enemy tread down his life upon the Earth (Psalm 7:5c).
  4. Let the Enemy lay his (David’s) Honour in the dust (Psalm 7:5d).

Falsely accused, David takes no revenge, knowing that “evil for good” is human corruption, “good for good” is civil retribution, and “good for evil” is Christian Maturation.  

David is prepared that both his honour and glory (kábód) be brought to dust (Psalm 7:5d). Indeed, not only his honour, but his very life would be forfeited (Psalm 7:5c). If there is iniquity in his hands, he will accept the consequence. But, he maintains, so far from that, he had in the past delivered King Saul, who was his Enemy without cause. Not once, but twice, he had spared the life of King Saul (1Samuel 24:1-22; 1Samuel 26:1-25):

  • 1 Samuel 24 – In that Wilderness of Engedi, David had entered the cave where the King Saul slept, and had cut off a piece of the King’s garment but spared Saul’s life. The remarkable speech David made in 1Samuel 24:11-12 “Know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The LORD judges between me and thee.”
  • 1 Samuel 26 – Again, in the Wilderness of Ziph, David had, for the second time, an opportunity to kill King Saul, but had again spared King Saul’s Life, who was seeking his (David’s) life. David addresses King Saul the second time with these words in 1Samuel 26:18 “Wherefore doth my lord thus pursues after his Servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?”

These were proofs that David heart was not filled with Personal malice, nor a desire for revenge. David, having asserted his innocence and having prayed for deliverance, he is ready for God’s judgement. Opening himself up to God, he now calls upon God to act directly (Psalm 7). The First Section (Psalm 7:1-5) of Psalm 7 ends with the “Selah”– It is time for a Pause, for Reflection, and for Praise too. How important it is that we are open and honest with both our God and Ourselves.

1.3 Judgement and Justice

Psalm 7:6 “Arise, O LORD, in Your Anger; lift Yourself up because of the rage of my Enemies: rise up for me to the judgement You have commanded!” Psalm 7:6 is filled with David’s Appeal that God should act on his behalf: “Arise, lift up, rise up, judgement.” Even as David pleads his own integrity in Psalm 7:5, so, Psalm 7:6, David places his case before God for His (God’s) Justice. Note the number of occurrences in Psalm 7:8-11 of such terms as: “Judge, righteousness, integrity, just, upright:”

  • David Asks the LORD to “Arise in His Anger” (Psalm 7:6a) is to Entreat the LORD to Vindicate his (David’s) Course against those who Opposed him, and to visit his (David’s) Enemies with some Open Manifestation of His (God’s) Displeasure.
  • David Beseeches the LORD to “Lift up Himself” (Psalm 7:6b). This is even a stronger expression than “Arise.” The Call on God to Appear in His Full Power.
  • God’s Judgement – David does not take judgement into his own hands; rather, he turns King Saul and his scheming men over to the LORD. Only God’s Holy Anger could vindicate David. – Psalm 7:6c “Rise up for me to the judgement You have commanded!” After all, only God can judge absolutely, for only God sees the heart, and only God is totally Righteous: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
  • Tribunal – David now asks for the setting up of the Great Tribunal, “Arise O LORD.” It is an ardent cry, a passionate plea for judgement and justice, that the LORD should sit in Divine Arbitration and judge his (David’s) Enemies. Has heaven been silent while David’s Enemies raged? David requests the LORD to come to and sit in His (God’s) Judgement.

It is during those times when God seems inactive that we get impatient and want to see things happen immediately. But God is more longsuffering that we are, and we must wait for Him to work in His time.

  • God’s Anger – “Because of the rage of mine enemies” (Psalm 7:6c). David calls God to meet with His (God’s) Own Anger against the Anger of David’s Enemies. God’s Wrath is His moral response to the Rage of his (David’s) Enemies.
  • God’s Arousal – “And awake for me” (Psalm 7:6d), indicating a Call for God to rouse Himself to Action. All the verbs in Psalm 7:6 are thus a strong Plea for God to move on his (David’s) behalf: “Arise….lift up Yourself….awake”
  • The Object – “The judgement that Thou hast commanded” (Psalm 7:6d). It is God who is Just and God, therefore, who is the Judge of all things and who commands judgement.  

1.4 The Assembly

Psalm 7:7-8 “So shall the Congregation of the Peoples shall surround You; for their sakes, therefore, return on high. The LORD shall judge the people; judge me O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.”

1.  The Congregation – Before the Assembled People who would encompass the Throne in such a Tribunal – Psalm 7:7a “So shall the Congregation of the Peoples shall surround You; for their sakes.”

  • David is willing that his case be heard and judged by the LORD. He (David) knows his innocence and He have the confident that the LORD will judge righteously.
  • David knows that such righteous judgement will vindicate him and establish his innocent and integrity before his Enemies.
  • David is mingling desires of his own Personal Judgement with thoughts of the Judgement of his Enemies – “The LORD shall judge the people; judge me O LORD” (Psalm 7:8a).

2.  God’s Judgement – God’s Universal Judgement is not fearful to David. He has already asserted his innocence and called down judgement upon himself if he is guilty (Psalm 7:5). David’s Confidence is shown with: “According to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me” (Psalm 7:8b).

3.  God’s Vindication – We marvel that David can present himself before God so freely, invoke God’s judgement, and is so certain of his innocence. In observing this, however, we must remember the Context. David is not pleading that he has led a totally righteous sinless life, but his blameless life. He (David) is calling upon God’s Judgement against the lies and slandering by his (David’s) Enemies. David seeks Vindication in the Judgement of the Righteous God: 

  • David needs not Fear God’s Judgement, for David’s defence is of God – Psalm 7:10 “My defence is of God, who saves (delivers) the upright (righteous) in heart.”
  • God’s Righteous Judgement makes everything right – Psalm 7:11 “God is a Just Judge, and God is Angry with the Wicked every day.”
  • The Divine Law of Retribution is seen here – Psalm 7:15 “He made a pit and dug it out and has fallen into the ditch which he made.”  

When we do not retaliate for slanderous remarks made against us and instead “…give place unto (God’s) Wrath…” (Romans 12:19). God makes sure that when Someone digs a ditch for us to fall into, that false Accuser is the Person who will fall into the ditch which he made (Psalm 7:15). Haman in the Book of Esther is the striking example of this Principle (Esther 7:7-10).

4. Initial Judgement – “The LORD shall judge the People” (Psalm 7:8a), reminds us of this truth. All of God’s Judgements in this life are Restorative before the People appear before God in the Final Judgement of:

  • Bema {Judgement Seat of Christ} for the Believers (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10).
  • Great White Throne for the Unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15).  

All will finally stand before God. He (God) will try the Secrets of our Hearts and Reward or Punish us according to our Deeds. But the Good News now is that Christ “became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness” (1Corinthians 1:30). Our Judge has become our Lord and Saviour, and we stand in Him (In-Christ). 

1.5 Judgement or Vindication

Psalm 7:9-10 “Oh, let the Wickedness of the Wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and the minds. My defence is of God, who saves the upright in heart.”

1.  Judgement – Having invited God’s Judgement (Psalm 7:8), David now looks for Resolution. He invokes the LORD to deal with both the Wicked and the Righteous. God does not only pronounce His Judgement – He (God) Executes His Judgement as well. When David Prays: Psalm 7:9a “Oh, let the Wickedness of the Wicked come to an end.” He (David) knows it is God, not himself, who will terminate the lies and Slanders. David cannot commit his case to the LORD and then execute his own judgement. Just so, we too, having put our lives in the LORD ‘s Hand, must wait upon Him.

2. Vindication – Psalm 7:9b “But establish the Just.” David expects God to vindicate him {“establish the Just”}. The word “Just” (saddiq, “the Righteous”). David has God’s Righteousness (2Corinthians 5:21), because God is Righteous and, therefore, he (David) is confident before the Righteous God: Psalm 7:9c “For the Righteous God tests the hearts and minds.” Literally, the “hearts and kidneys,” considered by the Hebrews to be the organs of thinking and feeling and thus the whole Person. David’s Prayer is fully answered in Christ. When David Prays “But establish the Just.” (Psalm 7:9b), before the God who is Just.

3. God Tries the “hearts and reins (minds)” of the Righteous (Psalm 7:9c) – The heart, is the seat of our spirit; and the mind is the seat of our soul (will, emotion, and mind) as the seat of the understanding and the will, the reins of natural impulses and affection. 

4.  David’s Defense – Psalm 7:10 “My defence is of God, who saves the upright in heart.” God is David’s defence (shield), protecting him from his Enemies. David acknowledges that God “Saves the Upright Heart.” As he prayed in Psalm 7:1 “Save me,” David knows that it is God’s Nature to Save the Person whose heart is “Straight” or “Upright.”  God tries the heart and rein of the Individual, his motives, and inward hidden thoughts of that Individual, because God is Omniscience (Psalm 139:1-6), and thus, he (God) assesses and judge with His (God’s) Knowledge.

In such a tribunal David’s defence is of God. Literally, this is, “My shield is with God,” or, “Upon God,” or, “Borne by God.”  The thought is that of the Warrior’s shield being borne by the Armour Bearer, ready at hand for the defence of the Warrior.

David’s shield is God. His (David’s) defence is near at hand as the LORD is Omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-12). Jesus committed Himself to God the Father (1Peter 2:23). God will always be the Saviour of the Upright in heart. Jesus teaches us to Pray: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from Evil One.” (Matthew 6:3).   

5.  Prophetically, Psalm 7 looks on to that Judgment of the Nations/People of which the Lord Jesus Spoke in Matthew 25:31-46. It will be a vast Assembling of the Nations when the Lord will acknowledge the Righteousness of the Righteous and bring an end the Wickedness of the Wicked. David is looking beyond his own Personal Vindication and anticipating the Day when all Evil (Wickedness) will be judged, and Righteousness will be established on the Earth (Revelation chapter 20).

1.6 God’s Character

Psalm 7:11-13 “God is a Just Judge, and God is Angry with the Wicked every day. If he (Wicked) does not turn back, He (God) will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.”

1.  Just Judge – Psalm 7:11a “God is a Just Judge.” – This thought of “God judging the Righteous and the Wicked” (Psalm 7:11), refers to God’s discipline and correction of the Righteous to make their Character straight like His (Hebrews 12:5-13; 2Corinthians 3:18). Whereas God judges the Wicked with severity but restorative and redemptive (Psalm 7:11b-13), while on the face of the Earth; however, in the Final Great White Throne Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15), is finality.

Confidence of Divine Justice is one of the deepest roots of Religion. On this Faith Abraham based his daring but humble intercession for the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23-33). To this justice David, deeply wronged and falsely accused, makes impassionate appeal.

2.   Righteous God – Having asserted his (David’s) own Righteousness, David once again confesses God’s Righteousness (Psalm 7:11a), God’s Righteousness is “Just” (Psalm 7:11a), who is “Angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11b). The word translated here as “angry” is qualified that God punishes the wicked continually “every day.” (Psalm 7:11b). God’s Punishment, while the Wicked-on Earth, is redemptive/restorative. 

3.  Unrepentant – Psalm 7:11b-13 “God is Angry with the Wicked every day. If he (Wicked) does not turn back, He (God) will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.” God’s Judgement is reversible, as indicated by the qualifier: “If he (the Wicked) does not turn back” (Psalm 7:11b). David seals the idea of God’s Judgement with an image of God as an Avenging Warrior (Psalm 7:12-13).  God forgives and forgoes judgement if the Wicked repent. But if the wicked is unrepentant, God prepares for battle in order to execute His sentence. Like a Soldier getting ready for combat, “He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.” Armed with a sharp sword, ready bow, and flaming arrows, God is ready to carry out His judgement. Indeed, it is a fearful thing for unrepentant Wicked Person to fall into the hands of the Living God.

4.   Ordained (KJV) – The word “ordained” (Psalm 7:13b, “Makes,” NKJV) signifies such as burn in Anger against the Wicked; and the word translated “ordained” signifies God has wrought His arrows; He does not shoot them at random, but He works them against the Wicked.

5.  Abandons – God abandoned King Saul to his own ways (1Samuel 15; 1Samuel 14:37; 1Samuel 28:6) and ultimately both the arrow and the sword caught up with him (1Samuel 31:3-4):

  • Saul wanted to kill David, but his own sword killed him.
  • Pharaoh ordered the male Jewish babies to be drowned in the Nile, and his own Army was drowned in the Red Sea.
  • Haman built a gallows on which to hang Mordecai, and Haman himself was hanged on it (Esther 7).

This is not merely a primitive, Old Testament picture of God. The New Testament also warns of severe judgement to come (2Corinthians 5:10-11). No wonder the Call to Repent is the Loving Call. Without it we have no Hope.

1.7     Unrighteous Condemns

Psalm 7:14-16 “Behold, the Wicked brings forth iniquity (lawlessness); yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out and has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.”

1.         Iniquity – The Wicked is pregnant with “iniquity {deception”} – Psalm 7:14a “Behold, the Wicked brings forth (conceive) iniquity (lawlessness).” The Hebrew word “iniquity” is closely associated with “deception,” “vanity,” and “deceit” in the Old Testament. Terms usually used to describe childbearing appear here to describe the conception and birth-forth of Evil. This “childbearing” language is frequently found in Scripture (Job 15:35; Isaiah 33:11; Isaiah 59:4,13; James 1:13-15). David summons us to look with him to the Wicked and his end:

  • The Wicked Conceives Mischief (Troubles – Psalm 7:14b).
  • The Wicked Brings forth (gives birth) Falsehood (Psalm 7:14c).
  • The Wicked Travails with Iniquity (Deception – Psalm 7:14a).

James 1:15 “Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Thus iniquity “conceives trouble (mischief)” and then bears “falsehood.” Here we see how the lies saying that David is treacherous toward his friends have caused him to express his anguish in this Psalm.

2.         Judgement is certain, the God who executes judgement will allow David’s Enemy to fall by his own scheme: Psalm 7:15“He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.”  The Pit that the Wicked dug for David will, much like an animal trap, instead trap the Wicked Person, and his “violent dealing” (“hate”), coming from false accusation, “shall come down on his own crown.” (Psalm 7:16). So would it be with David’s Slanderers.

  • God executes His judgement now by letting Sin run its course. This is His (God’s) Passive Wrath (Romans 1:18), whereby He (God) gives the Wicked over to his Sin and he (Wicked) is destroyed by it (Psalm 7:16).
  • As Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:7 “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” However difficult it is to see at times, there is a judgement of Peoples and Nations in history.
  • Hitler proclaimed his Thousand-Year Reich, but within a few years, Germany lay in ruins, and he had his own personal holocaust in Berlin as the Russians advanced on the City.
  • Caesar called himself a god, but today his Colosseum stands gutted, and a simple cross planted in the foundations reminds us that “Jesus is Lord.” indeed, the unrighteous will face God’s judgement.

1.8     Call to Worship

Psalm 7:17 “I will praise the LORD according to His Righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.” – David, confident that his Prayer is answered, now concludes Psalm 7 with Praise. God will save him from those who persecute him. He will rise in judgement and test all hearts and minds, destroying the Wicked.

In declaring, “I will Praise the LORD according to His Righteousness,” David affirms the basis on which the Evil is punished and the Righteous is acquitted, justified, and avenged. God is Righteous (Psalm 7:17a); He {God} Restores His Kingdom; He Rules; He is Trustworthy; He Vindicates David, whose Praise now comes from the full heart: “And (I) will sing Praise to the Name of the LORD Most High.” (Psalm 7:17b). Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, “The LORD Most” (Jehovah Elyon) rules in the Kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:25). God is in perfect control of all things and all men; David could safely leave his judgement and his vindication to God. So should each of us learn from the good example of David to leave our case with God. God is Righteous and can be confidently trusted to do what is right:

“Seek not to vindicate thyself, nor plead.
In thine own cause, for thou wilt surely err.
Best leave it to thy God, He failed not:
Let Deity, my soul, thy suit prepares.”

Certain of God’s justice and vindication, David goes out from his Lament with Song (Psalm 7:17). Just so, God is our resolution in distress, and before Him we Sing our Praises to Him – our responses to the God who hears and answers. Praise The LORD!