September 15 Sermon: Sing Praise to the Lord Most High

Consider these questions as you listen to this week’s message from Psalm 7:

1. Have you ever experienced a situation where you were falsely accused of something? How did you initially react, and did your emotions and thoughts evolve as the situation unfolded?

2. In Psalm 7, David calls on God to judge between him and his accuser. How does David's confidence in his innocence impact his plea for God's judgment? What does this reveal about David's trust in God's righteousness?

3. The Psalm emphasizes the concept of repentance and God's judgment. How does this relate to our understanding of grace and mercy, particularly in the context of the gospel? How does the knowledge of God's justice and mercy influence your own repentance and relationship with Him?

Transcript:

On our short expedition through the first eight Psalms we have come into contact with a range of human emotions. We see joy and anger, devotion and betrayal, and we have seen more lament than you probably expected. We land in Psalm 7 today and we see something else most of us have experienced. David is being falsely accused of something. I think we have probably all been there at some point in our lives. In a matter of moments you experience thoughts and feelings in a flash. Perhaps anger is the first thing to course through you. Then that pesky brain of yours kicks in and you start to doubt yourself. Did I do this thing they are accusing me of? You certainly don’t remember doing anything like that.....do you? Maybe the next thing to happen is a sinking feeling in your gut and your brain responds with new thoughts. What if people believe this? What will people think of me? What will happen to me? I’ve only touched on a small portion of what could have gone through your mind and these thoughts and emotions I’ve described probably happen for you in less than 2 seconds. To be falsely accused of something is a terrible feeling, I think we could agree on that. But as awful as that feeling is there is a feeling on the other end of the spectrum of this experience that is far better. The feeling of a clear conscience. After all the frustration, anxiety, confusion, and anger dies away and you know you are clear from this accusation there is a sense of peace that can be overwhelming.‌

Here in Psalm 7 we see that David is accused and how he has not only confidence in the fact that he has not done what he is accused of but he has confidence in his God.‌

As we begin looking at this Psalm we need to do something important instead of just jumping to verse 1.‌

We need to take a look at the information given to us about this Psalm. We read that it is a Shiggaion written by David. We saw a word similar to that a while back when we were in Habakkuk. It is a word we are not 100% sure of the meaning on but the idea behind it is that this is a poem that is written under a great deal of mental emotion. In other words, this is being written because David is crying out to God from within the depths of his pain regarding this situation. And as far as the situation goes we are not exactly sure what David is being accused. The passage doesn’t say. But, we do get an idea of what is going on in this situation from this description of the Psalm.‌

We don’t know who Cush was but we get a clue of what this whole episode is about based upon which one of the tribes of Israel he was a part of. Cush is a Benjamite. The speculation we can make from this isn’t that David being from the tribe of Judah and Cush being a Benjamite didn’t like each because of something that happened between the two tribes in the past. This isn’t the Hatfields and the McCoys. There is a significant person in David’s life that is a Benjamite. King Saul. We know from the book of Samuel that king Saul surrounded himself with his fellow Benjamites. We also read in Samuel that even though David was respectful and did nothing against Saul there were those who had influence over Saul who incited Saul against David with slandering tongues. So, even though we don’t know exactly what is happening here we have a very educated idea of what is happening in Psalm 7. It is likely that this Cush is saying things about David to incite Saul. David was anointed king by the prophet Samuel at a relatively young age before Saul has died or had the throne taken from him. Yet, David did not try to take his rightful place but instead was patient and waited for God’s timing. We see this throughout the book of Samuel. Even when David is pursued by Saul and David has the opportunity to kill the king, David takes the high road that most of us would probably not take.‌

This is an important consideration for us because we can see that even though David was accused of wrong doing, he was actually blameless. The false accusations against him were unfounded.‌

And as we jump from the description of the Psalm to verse one we once again see something about David and how he rests on God.‌​

Psalm 7:1–2

 ESV

O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.‌

In the midst of the turmoil he is in he has a place that he goes. He takes refuge in God. He knows that the situation that he is in is ugly. He knows that it is causing people to come after him and so he needs God to protect him.‌

The imagery David uses here is really powerful. He doesn’t want his pursuers to tear his soul apart like a lion. This imagery makes a lot of sense for us because I think we have all witnessed this. Whether is was Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom or now on something like the National Geographic channel we have seen the power of a lion. I don’t know about you but those scenes are gruesome at times and I don’t really want to watch them but at the same time the power of the predator is something to behold. Predators are quick and crafty and powerful. Maybe you can appreciate this imagery. Maybe there have been times where it feels as though your soul has been torn apart like a lion ripping its prey to pieces. Maybe you have felt like nothing can help you. You feel as though you are left in pieces. The Psalmist knows how you feel and he is crying out to God to save him from this situation. David knows that he needs God to give him a refuge. A place where he is safe from these attacks.‌​

Psalm 7:3–5

 ESV

O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah‌

And David makes this plea because he is confident in his innocence of these accusations against him. If he had done it there is no way that he would be making this statement here in verses 3 through 5. This is a pretty strong statement here. This is an even more solemn statement than when we used to say “Cross my heart and hope to die” on the playground as children. He says that if he has done this thing that he is accused of then let judgment rain down on him. He is saying here “God, if I have actually done this thing then let the just punishment come upon me for what I have done.” He is willing to have his enemy overtake him and trample is life and put him in the dust. He is admitting that he deserves an early grave if he has done this thing.‌

And he knows something about God too. He knows that he is a God of justice and so he appeals to him.‌​

Psalm 7:6–8

 ESV

Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high. The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.‌

He knows that God judges injustice. He knows that God is angry at sin and rebellion and because he knows that this accusation is untrue he ask for God to show that justice to his enemies. He wants God to awake and do this thing. He is using hyperbole he to describe what he desires God to do. David doesn’t think that God is sleeping. He is using imagery for God arising on his behalf. And he asks for this not just because he is upset. He says that God has appointed a judgment. He knows that God will judge and in the Psalms the idea of God’s judgment is usually a saving activity. It is God intervening for those who are innocent and for those who have been oppressed by the wicked.‌

I think that we really struggle with this idea because the word judge for us focuses on the person who is being judged. And that is correct to do but in this psalm here there is someone else in view. The judgment of God in the psalms is also rescuing someone. David is not asking so much for the bad people to be squashed as much as he is calling out to God for a rescue. You can see that here because of what he says. The LORD judges the people but he then asks that he would judge him according to his righteousness and the integrity that is in him.‌

It is important that we remember that David is not claiming to be perfectly righteous or blameless in each and every situation. He is talking about the fact that he has not done the things that he has been accused of by his enemy. And so this is what David is saying so far. Rescue me God but if I’m guilty I’m willing to take the punishment for what I’ve done. Judge between me and my enemy. You are the judge over all people but I want you to judge this situation. I have not done what I have been accused of. So, rescue me please because I have not done this thing against my enemy.‌

And we see that this is the case because he speaks of his integrity and that his conscience is clear.‌​

Psalm 7:9

 ESV

Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!‌

But still he wants God to look into the heart of his enemy and he wants God to deal with the situation and what he wants is pretty bold. He wants the wicked to be snuffed out and he wants to be established. We see here that he is taking the word judge literally right? He wants God to judge between two people. Like I said before we hear the word judge in reference to God and think condemnation. What David here is meaning is that he wants God to weigh the case between him and his enemy and dole out retribution and reward. And so in his righteousness he calls out to a righteous God who is a God of justice.‌​

Psalm 7:10–13

 ESV

My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.‌

And he is David’s shield. He is the one who protects him and keeps him safe but he also knows some truths about God that should stop and make us think. He is righteous and he judges but David also tells us God feels indignation every day. What is that about? David causes us to wrestle with a truth here. We know that God is love and that he is faithful to his covenant people. We get that but David also points out that God has indignation. He is angry because he is holy and their is sin and rebellion in the world every day. And David uses some strong language and imagery here to tell us this. If man does not repent God will whet his sword. He has his bow readied and David knows that God will judge the unrighteous.‌

This is important to remember for us. I think that we often forget that the call to believe the gospel comes with a charge to repent. We are not just saying “OK, I think God is real and I want him to give me a get out of hell free card”. To believe the gospel means that we agree that we have a sin problem and that all of our sin is rebellion against him and so we turn to him for forgiveness and desire to turn away from our sin and unbelief. We speak passionately about grace and mercy but the purpose of God’s mercy shown to us in Christ leads us to repentance. It is to remind us that when deserved the wrath of God for our sin God poured that punishment out on Jesus for us. That is one of the reasons that are persistent to proclaim the gospel and why Biblically framed worship contains a confession and assurance of pardon. Not only does this remind us of the good news of the gospel but the idea is that we are also called to deeper repentance as we more deeply see our need for God’s grace.‌

This language here calls us to understand how important it is for us understand what has been done for us so and so that we know that God has already whet his sword for our sin but it was turned on the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. As we see this truth may it be a continual call to repentance for us.‌​

Psalm 7:14–16

 ESV

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.‌

We don’t want to be like the wicked. We want our repentance to lead us to a continual growth in holiness instead of turning to wickedness. We don’t want to become like what David describes here because as we read this we know the truth of it. We can conceive evil and be pregnant with mischief and we give birth to lies. We know how this progression can go in our lives. We also know that our sin can be a pit and a hole that we dig that we fall into so easily. This is hard and painful for us but we also know the truth that we read in verse 16. Our mischief returns upon our own heads and on our skulls violence descends. When we fall into sin we end up paying for it and it is our own fault. We should know it will come back on us but we become so focused on our rebellion that we turn from this wise counsel that God gives us through David here. But still we know that there is forgiveness with God because of what has been done for us in Christ.‌​

Psalm 7:17

 ESV

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.‌

What we have read here about God this morning should do something for us. It drives us to give thanks to the LORD for his righteousness and it should cause us to praise the name of the LORD most high. This ends a beautiful Psalm and shows how we are to live our lives. This Psalm begins with the lament of David that he is under attack and is being maligned. It would be so easy for us to take this passage and think that what we should do is pray that God would bring the hammer down on our enemies. And while we see David asking this he is ultimately allowing God to be judge, right? He points out that God is the one who will sort out truth from falsehood and that he will rightly judge. David trusts that God will sort this out.‌

In the same way we are called to trust in God as our refuge. We too can have a clear conscience and have freedom from the just judgment of God. As we trust in the LORD Jesus as our righteousness and our life and salvation we can know that because our sin has been laid on Jesus we have a clear conscience. We know that God’s wrath and judgment will not come down on us and we don’t need to live in fear that he will whet his sword. This doesn’t mean that we run off and do evil and treat people poorly. It means that we desire to live a life of holiness because of the mercy that God has shown to us and continually calls us to repentance and a desire to live a life of holiness.‌

And that is what this Psalm does. While it is ultimately a Psalm of David it is once again a Psalm that points us to another suffering king, the Lord Jesus Christ. David suffered and was found to be innocent and was blessed by God but in so many other things in his life David was not blameless, was he? In this situation, David was innocent but we know in his life that there were many times where the charges and accusations against him were true and he deserved punishment. And so, in the life of David we see that even the greatest king of Israel and the one who wrote so many of the Psalms needed mercy. He needed salvation. This Psalm points us to Jesus because he was falsely accused. It was said that he was a blasphemer. He was accused of sinfulness and yet he was without sin and he did it for us.‌

And so as we read this Psalm and as we pray this Psalm we are grateful that Jesus did this for us because we do not always have a clear conscience. But, when we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus we can know that any accusations against us before God will not stand. In Christ all of our sins have been forgiven and we stand before God righteous and can confidently know that the charges of our sin will not stand.‌

So, as we leave from here today and we reflect on this Psalm may we not focus on the accusations that someone may make against us but instead let us continually turn our gaze towards our savior and his saving work for us. Let us give thanks to him and praise him for he alone is worthy of all of our praise. Amen.