Sunday Evening, June 1, 2003
Title: Psalm 7: You Can’t Outrun the Long Arm of the Lord
Text: Psalm 7:1-17
Introduction
1. Kenny Rogers sang a song called, "You can’t outrun the long arm of the law".
In the song, he talked about how Billy, the son of a miner,
got his girlfriend, Mary Ann, pregnant.
But, there was a problem...even more than the sin of fornication...
Because, you see, Mary Ann’s dad was a Judge.
And Mary Ann’s dad was going to cause lots of trouble for Billy.
When the law finally catches up to Billy,
The chorus of the song says,
"You can’t outrun the long arm of the law,
no you can’t outrun the long arm of the law
You can hide out for a while, he says with a smile,
But you can’t outrun the long arm of the law"
But don’t worry, everything turns out okay for Billy, Mary Ann; and the baby.
Read Text: Psalm 7:1-17
2. As we continue our study in the Psalms, we come to Psalms 7.
And after studying this Psalm and meditating upon it this week, I’ve entitled my sermon,
"You Can’t Outrun the Long Arm of the Lord".
And there are some differences between Psalm 7 and the Kenny Rogers song.
Body
1. First of all, man-made justice is an obscure thing.
We’ve all heard stories about how someone convicted of a crime and in prison...
but DNA evidence later shows that the person was innocent.
In fact, just this last week, I read an article in the paper where the
convict had spent 10 years in prison; but was set free based on
DNA evidence.
We’ve even seen former Death Row inmates being freed.
And, in the Kenny Roger’s song, we get the idea that;
even though Billy and Mary Ann did commit sin...
they didn’t break the law...
but that didn’t matter;
because the Judge had the capacity to use law enforcement for
his own selfish reasons.
But, although man-made justice is a hit or miss venture...
The justice of God is always right...
it is always correct...
it is always true...
it is always impartial...
it is always fair.
We learn from Psalm 7 that:
David asks God to, "decree justice." Psalms 7:6 (NIV)
"O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts," Psalms 7:9 (NIV)
"God is a righteous judge" Psalms 7:11 (NIV)
"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness" Psalms 7:17 (NIV)
2. Another way that the Kenny Roger’s song and the Bible are different...
With the song, you can hide out for a while....
And even in real life, there are people who literally get away with murder...
or they escape justice...
never to be held accountable in a court of law for what they have done.
But, in Scripture, we realize that nothing is hidden from God’s eyes.
Matthew 10:26 says,
"There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed,
or hidden that will not be made known"
Hebrews 4:13 says,
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare
before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
There will come a time for all people when we will have to stand before God...
and we will be held accountable for what we have done...
and for what we have NOT done!
3. In the song, Billy & Mary Ann get caught in their sin...
A. That’s one way that the song and this Psalm is similar
Psalm 7 tells us that the person who commits sin:
"digs a hole and scoops it out and falls into the pit he has made.
"The trouble he causes recoils on himself;
his violence comes down on his own head." Psalms 7:15-16 (NIV)
B. And many times, we do reap what we sow.
The sin we commit comes back to haunt us in this life...
C. But, sometimes the punishment seems long in coming...
In fact, many times punishment is completely lacking....
or very light....
We’ve all had our complaints about the punishment doesn’t fit the crime...
And more often than not, our compaint is that the punishment is too light...
A drunk driver takes someone’s life and for punishment...,
they get what we call a slap on the wrist.
But, here in Psalm 7, we see an entirely different picture.
There WILL be punishment....
and I don’t think there will be any complaints about the punishment being too light!
he will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.
Psalms 7:12-13 (NIV)
4. In the song, Billy is legally (if not spiritually) in the right...and ultimately he is freed.
In Psalm 7, David has the attitude that he wants to see justice served...
even if it means that he himself receives just punishment.
He says, "if I have done this...
if there is guilt on my hands--
if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me
or without cause have robbed my foe--
then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.
Psalms 7:3-5 (NIV)
This is so contrary to the attitude of today
Today, people want to avoid responsibility for their actions...
They want to avoid punishment, even if it is deserved.
In fact, many people try to get away with something...
And they will even brag about their ability to get away without being punished.
Even in sports, the attitude is that; as long as you can get away with it...
then everything is fair game.
In Tennis, if the ball was out; but the line judge missed the call...
the player will just let it go.
I remember a tennis match when John McEnroe was playing...
His opponent hit a great shot, the line judge called it out...
But John McEnroe overruled the Judge, and said that it was good.
But that is the exception to the rule.
Most times, people will try to get away with what they can.
Instead, we need to have the attitude of David...
who wants to be fairly judged...
which speaks to David’s integrity.
Throughout his administration, Abraham Lincoln was a president under fire,
especially during the years of the Civil War.
And though he knew he would make errors of office,
he resolved never to compromise his integrity.
So strong was this resolve that he once said,
"I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end,
when I come to lay down the reins of power,
I have lost every other friend on earth,
I shall at least have one friend left,
and that friend shall be down inside of me."
As Christians, we need to be people of integrity...
not only is that God’s plan for us...
but people see how we act...
and the things that we say and the things that we do...
are a reflection; not only of ourselves...
but they are a reflection on Jesus Christ as well.
Conclusion
1. So, in summary,
A. We can have confidence in God’s justice...He will always do what’s right.
B. We can have confidence that God’s justice will always be carried out...no one will escape.
C. We have confidence that punishment will be levied properly.
D. And finally, we need to understand the importance that God places upon us to be people of integrity.
2. You may be able to outrun the long arm of the law for awhile...but more likely than not,
they WILL catch up to you....
But, even if you manage to outrun the law....
No one will outrun the long arm of the Lord!
