Psalm 17:1-15 NKJV A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
3 You have tested my heart;
You have visited me in the night;
You have tried me and have found nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men,
By the word of Your lips,
I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
5 Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.
6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have closed up their fat hearts;
With their mouths they speak proudly.
11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
14 With Your hand from men, O Lord,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
God’s Word of truth gets maligned at every turn by the devil, the world and our sinful flesh. It is commonly bent to accommodate selfish desires, but it is mainly bent in order to lead souls to hell. Gosh, who could possibly be behind such deception? It doesn’t really matter which way God’s Word is falsely bent, for not proclaiming God’s Word in its truth and purity is profaning God’s name.
Luther writes in his Summary of the Psalms “This Psalm is a prayer against false teachers, and those very delicate saints, that is, hypocrites, who by their human doctrines, call men off from the word of God, and hate and persecute the truly godly teachers. These are the characters whom Paul also calls “enemies of the cross of Christ:” for they are not willing to suffer anything for God’s sake, but shun the cross; make a pretext of the name and worship of God, and under all the artifices of their hypocrisy, seek nothing else than earthly advantages, honors, wealth, the favor of men, and the pleasures and gratifications of the world. Hence David calls them, in the last verse but one, “men of this world, and men of this life,” Of this kind also are all those animals of the belly in monasteries, those cumberers of the earth, the monks, and the lazy priests.” (Summary of the Psalms, pg. 63)
Jesus had to clearly deal with the false teachers of God’s Word during His earthly ministry. Standing for the truth of God’s Word brings all kinds of reactions — nay sayers, eye-rollers, accusations that you are the one causing divisions, and in the case of Jesus, it brought about His death. In His Passion, Jesus was put to trial, and Psalm 17 expresses His supplications to the Father. Himself being sinless, God’s Son still became one of us in our fallen humanity, knowing fear and dread, but likewise trusting in God as a man. He assumed all that we are, in order that we, through Him, may be partakers of who He is!
Let us pray: Thank you, Lord, for faithful pastors to deliver Your Word and Sacraments and keep us in the true faith. Amen.