Psalmody - a Journey through the Book of Psalms
Psalmody - a Journey through the Book of Psalms
Psalm chapter 7
“Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies”
Foundation: There’s a difference between knowing about God as a character in a book and knowing Him as the One God who meets us in our dark hours. None of us wants to go through situations like David did, but learning who God is in his life gives us confidence in Him when our hard times come.
In Psalm 7, David introduces us to God, the Divine Warrior and Judge.
Reading: David starts this Psalm with a desperate cry for help. He fears his enemy, feels guilt for his wrongdoings, and yearns for deliverance. While we don’t know the details that prompted this prayer we can certainly relate to his emotions.
He calls on the Divine Warrior to arise in anger against the enemy and to save and rescue him. Vs 1,2,6 David knows this characteristic of God personally. They have been through many battles together.
David has also had previous experiences with God as the Divine Judge. This time, he begs God to judge, not only his enemies but to judge him, as well.
While he feels the enemy unjustly accuses him, David admits that he may, unknowingly, have caused this situation. He repents, saying, “If I have done injustice…”, then submits to God for the possible consequences of his iniquity. vs 3-5
As the only truly just judge, God weighs both our outward actions and our inner hearts and minds. He knows our motivation and will vindicate or discipline us according to our righteousness and integrity. (vs 8-11)
When David describes the consequences for an evil person, it sounds like “What goes around, comes around.”
He writes, “He will fall in the hole he dug for me.” “His harm will return on his own head.” And “his violence will descend on his own head.” Vs 15-17
Completing his prayer, David’s confidence is in the God he knows. He thanks the Lord according to God’s righteousness. (vs 17)
Points to ponder: When we read Bible events, invariably, we want to know “Why did this situation happen?”. The clue words, “SO THAT” answers that question. Here are some Biblical examples:
“The Lord said to Moses, “I will harden Pharoah’s heart, I will multiply signs and wonders. I will lay my hand on Egypt. I will bring out Israel.” In this situation, we might think God did those things SO THAT Pharoh would free the Israelites. But the Bible says the real reason was “SO THAT the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”
“The Lord told Moses, “Tell your sons and grandson SO THAT you and they will know that I am the Lord”.
When the Lord rescued the Israelites from Egypt, Jethro said, “This happened SO THAT I would know that the Lord is greater than all other gods.”
“The Lord said to Moses, “Construct a sanctuary for Me SO THAT I may dwell among them.”
“The disciples asked Jesus, “Why was this boy born blind?” Jesus said, “SO THAT God’s power could be shown.”
God desires an intimate relationship with us. For that to happen, we need to really know Him. Not like a bride and groom know each other, but like a husband and wife who have been married for 50 years and have been through thick and thin, know each other.
We don’t experience situations in our lives SO THAT God will give us an easy and happy existence. We experience those events SO THAT we can know Him more completely. ie: When we make mistakes, He is our teacher. When we grieve, He is our comforter. When we are lost, He is our guide. When we are in trouble, He is our protector. When we are in need, He provides. When we are anxious, He is our peace.
When a hard time comes, instead of trying to get out of it yourself, focus on getting to know the Lord in the situation.