Psalm 7 - Prayer For Justice Series

Call on the LORD x Lord

1-2 | LORD my God, I Seek refuge in you; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me or they will tear me apart like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.

• Cush is unknown but most likely came from Absolom’s rebellion or one of Saul’s men.

• David had fled and thus had no support system other than God. He further believed without intervention, he would face death.

• With God with you, you have everything you need.

• David sees the need for God to rescue him because of the slander/accusations that have been brought against him.

Examine Your Life

3 – 5 | Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice on my hands, if I have done harm to one at peace with me or have plundered my adversary without cause; may an enemy pursue me and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust.

• David was being accused of injustice (one at peace with me refers to a friend; plundered my adversary without cause means he was abusing his authority as king)

• David was confident in his righteousness and trusted God with the outcome.

Ask God to Act

6 – 8 | Rise up, Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries; awake for me, you have ordained a judgement. Let the assembly of peoples gather around you; take your seat on high over it. The Lord judges the peoples; vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity.

• In your anger = God has emotions.

• David believed God’s anger was for him, not against him.

• God’s passions / emotions are not always for you though and there is a danger in thinking and believing so.

• This is why we need to be on God’s side and not so concerned with him being on our side.

• A [G]od who never disagrees with you is a [g]od made in your image.

• If God never gets angry, can he be just (can he implement justice)?

• David appealed to the justice of God (He is a just God)

• Biblical justice means to do the right, maintain the right thing and ensure equality among humanity.

• Justice is done when honorable relations are maintained between husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees, government and citizens, and human beings and God. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

• This is what protected David – that he invited the judgement and correction of God.

• God’s judgement is a good thing (we tend of think negatively about it because we associate his judgement with hell but his judgemetn is also towards believers).

• According to my righteousness … in other words, to the extent that I am righteous in this manner, in this situation, bless me.

Know God is Just and Good

9 – 16 | Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The one who examines the thoughts and emotions is a righteous God. My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge and a God who shows his wrath every day. If anyone does not repent, he will sharpen his sword; he has strung his bow and made it ready. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he tips his arrows with fire. See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit. He dug a pit and hollowed it out but fell into the hole he had made. His trouble comes back on his own head; his own violence comes down on top of his head.

• God delays his judgement on sinners as an act of mercy.

• If there is a God, strike me down...not being struck down is actually more evidence of his existence than against it.

• However, his delay is not indicative that he does not care about justice.

• God allows sin to do its thing. (Romans 1)

Praise The Lord

17 | I will thank the Lord for his righteousness; I will sing about the name of the LORD Most High.

• This is David’s ultimate response – to thank God and sing about him.

• Believers have this confidence because we are declared righteous because of Jesus.