Consider these questions as you dwell in Psalm 7:

1. How does David express his trust and reliance on God as his refuge in this Psalm, especially in the face of severe threats and accusations against him?

2. What does David mean when he emphasizes that his righteousness in this context pertains to the specific act he is accused of, and how does he ultimately leave the matter in God's hands?

3. How does David use imagery to contrast God's role as a defender of the righteous with the fate of the wicked who scheme against him? How does this portrayal of God's justice provide comfort and assurance to believers, particularly in light of their union with Christ?

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Transcript:

Here in the seventh Psalm we find David proclaiming that he takes refuge in the LORD. We have seen so far that David’s life is anything but ordinary. As the anointed one of God he is pursued by those who would do him harm in order to take his position of authority. As we think about these circumstances that the King of Israel might get himself in it would be easy to find the solution in building up earthly armies and resting on the military strength and strategy that you can come up with. Despite our natural human tendency to find our strength within ourselves we find that David finds his refuge in God. Yahweh is the one who will save him from these assorted difficulties that he encounters. We see this trust that David has in the LORD in verse one when he says O Lord, my God, in you do I take my refuge. His refuge isn’t in bows or swords. His trust is in God. The LORD is the fortress that he will use to remain safe and as it continues we get the idea of how serious the situation is for David. If God does not shelter him from this storm he is experiencing he believes they may tear apart his soul like a lion and he will be torn to pieces. That is pretty violent language and it looks as though this is to let us know the level of charges being brought against him. In verse three we see that if he has done the wrong he is accused of then he deserves to have the enemy overtake him and to be trampled down to the dust.‌

But David knows that he hasn’t done this thing. He trusts that God will be the one who will judge him according to his righteousness. As we read this it is important to understand that David isn’t claiming that he is perfectly righteous. His righteousness and integrity here is toward the specific act that he is being accused of. He hasn’t done this terrible thing and so he prays to God to end the activity of the evil ones and to establish the one who is righteous and ultimately he leaves this all in the hands of God in verse 9 David shows an understanding of who ultimately is going to determine guilt in this matter. God is able to test the minds and hearts of people and so his confidence is in God. In fact, David says that God is his shield and he saves the upright in heart.‌

And there is some powerful imagery as this psalm continues. We see that God is David’s shield but that is not the only piece of armament that God has. If someone not repent God will whet his sword and his bow has already been bent to bring justice to the wicked. To have God as your shield then is a good thing right? He is your defender and he also has his sword and bow at the ready to do justice.‌

But in contrast to the justice that David knows God will bring is the wicked. They conceive evil and so they are pregnant with mischief and they give birth to lies. They make a pit and dig it out and then fall into their own hole. Look at the contrast between the righteous God of David and the wicked who accuse him. They bring problems on themselves. They have a strategy to trap their enemies but they are such bumbling fools that they end up in their own trap.‌

And because David knows God is his defending we see that he will give thanks to the LORD and will sing praises to him. As we think about this passage for us today we are once again reminded of the great truth that Jesus unlocks the Psalms for us. He is our great defender. When the accusations of the evil one come upon us, we know that God is our defender. Because we are in Christ. We know that we are righteous because we don’t rest on our own righteousness but on the perfect righteousness of Christ, given to us as a gift by grace through faith. As we face the trials and adversities of this life, may we remember that our savior is our shield and he will never leave us or forsake us.‌