Psalm 7:1-17 NKJV A Meditation of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
2 Lest they tear me like a lion,
Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this:
If there is iniquity in my hands,
4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!
7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
8 The Lord shall judge the peoples;
Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
10 My defense is of God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn back,
He will sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and dug it out,
And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.
17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
David composed this psalm while being persecuted. We do not know who Cush the Benjamite was or how he played into David’s persecution. What we do know is that David’s enemy was ready to tear him like a lion and rend him to pieces. We also know that David turned to the Lord for salvation and deliverance and asked God to judge him according to his righteousness and the integrity of his heart. David is not self-righteous before God. David writes in Psalm 143:2, “Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous.” David is not speaking of his righteousness before God. He is righteous before God only because, like his ancestor Abraham, “he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Gen 15:6). David testifies to his righteousness and integrity in his dealings with his enemy. Being in the right, he asks God to judge justly.
David knows the Lord is merciful to sinners who repent, but if his enemy does not turn back from conceiving trouble and bringing forth lies about David, the Lord has His instrument of death to punish the wicked. The Lord will make sure David’s enemy falls into the very trap and violence he planned for David. While David waits for God’s righteous judgment—either to bring his enemy to repentance or ruin—David contents himself with praising the Lord according to His righteousness. He will not take vengeance into his own hands but leave it to the Lord.
As Christians we strive to live in righteousness and integrity, and “as much as depends on us, live peaceably with all men” (Rom 12:18). But not all men want to live peaceable and godly lives. If someone rises up against us and makes themselves our enemy, we defend ourselves, speaking the truth in love. But we do not repay them with evil (Rom 12:17). When someone makes themselves our enemy for no other reason than instigation of the devil, the world, or their own sinful flesh, we, like David, ask the Lord to judge our cause, bring our enemy to repentance, and wait on Him to bring about a good outcome.
Let us pray: Deliver us from our enemies, O Lord, and grant us faith to patiently await Your righteous judgment. Amen.