Faithful Even When Accused

(1) O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:
(2) Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
(3) O LORD my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
(4) If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)
(5) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
(6) Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
(7) So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
(8) The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
(9) Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
(10) My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
(11) God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
(12) If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
(13) He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
(14) Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
(15) He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
(16) His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
(17) I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
--Psalm 7 KJV Bible

 

Psalm 7 is the first of the imprecatory psalms. An imprecation is the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil. The imprecatory psalms contain an invocation of judgment, calamity, or curse against one's enemies who are viewed as enemies of God. The Major Imprecatory Psalms include psalms 69 and 109. Others are psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137, and 139 (some include in this list psalms 5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 56, 83, and 143). It is thought that the purposes of these imprecations are, depending on the psalm, to do one or more of the following: (1) to demonstrate God's just and righteous judgment toward the wicked, (2) to show the authority of God over the wicked, (3) to lead the wicked to seek the Lord, or (4) to cause the righteous to praise God. In the New Testament, Jesus quoted from them in John 15:25 (Psalms 35 and 69), the Apostle John references Psalm 69 in John 2:17, and the Apostle Paul quoted from Psalm 69 in his Letter to the Romans (Romans 11:9-10; Romans 15:3).

 

This lament psalm of David is described as a Shiggaion. The root of this word is the Hebrew "shagah," a verb meaning "to reel about through drink." The plural form of the word, shigionoth, is found in Habakkuk 3:1. Shiggaion denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion. It is a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music.

 

In verses 1 through 2 David confidently asks God for deliverance from his enemy. The description of the psalm says that it concerns "Cush, the Benjamite." There is no other mention of this person in the Bible, but some have suggested that Cush was a servant of King Saul who was sent to kill David. In verse 2 David describes this enemy as vicious, like a lion.

 

In verses 3 through 5 David appeals to God to vindicate him from slander. Apparently, David's enemy was turning others against David with lies about what David had done or had not done.

 

In verses 6 through 10 David asks God to bring judgment on his wicked enemies. David also asks that he be vindicated because of his righteousness--he has not done the things his enemies say he has. In verse 9 David notes that God tries, or tests, the righteous. This is only a guess, but David's statement may suggest that David desires some hearing, either with God or with the people concerned, so that the facts may be revealed and the true guilty parties exposed.

 

In verses 11 through 17 David resolves to praise God for His righteousness. In verses 12 and 13 David describes God's actions against the unrepentant. In verses 14 through 16 David describes how the actions of the wicked will lead to their end. In verse 14 David describes the actions of the wicked and compares their creative process of deception to that of childbirth. Finally, in verse 17, David reaffirms his thanks and praise to the Lord God Most High.

 

O God, help me to be faithful and steadfast in my service even when I am unjustly accused of doing wrong. Help me to rely on You and to trust that in the end, in Your time, all will be revealed.

 

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