In You I Put My Trust
by Lawrence Kelley
Psalm 7
INTRODUCTION: We tend to think of God's judgment as
a fearsome thing and indeed it is for men outside of Christ. Our typical
image of judgment is that of a criminal trial where God is judge and we
are the accused. However, in this psalm the picture is of a civil trial
where God is judge, but the psalmist is both a defendant and a plaintiff.
The heading of the psalm explains the occasion. David has been falsely
accused by a man named Cush who happened to be a Benjamite. Though we
cannot be certain, it is likely that the psalm was inspired by events
taking place during the time in which David was serving in King Saul's
court. If this is so, then it is likely that Cush was accusing David of
treason - a capitol offense.
OVERVIEW: David appeals to the one judge whose decisions
are perfect (V. 1). He pleads for deliverance from his enemies who are
bent on his utter ruin (V. 2). He is entirely confident of his innocence
and is more than willing to bear the required penalty if the accusations
against him are true (VV. 3-5). Because of his innocence, he pleads with
the just judge to arise and decide in his favor. Such a judgment would
provide an occasion for the people of God to worship Him (VV. 6-8). Once
more David pleads for justice to be done, for wickedness to come to an
end (VV. 9-10). Then, we come to some of the most terrifying verses in
scripture. The Lord's anger toward the wicked is constant and He prepares
implements of destruction to take them out (VV. 11-13). The ways of the
wicked are described next. The wicked has slept with some vile thing and
having conceived trouble gives birth to lies. He is in labor to ensnare
the righteous (V. 14). However, it is all for nought. God rules the world
and one of the ways He does justice upon the wicked is by causing their
traps to be sprung on themselves (VV. 15-16). When God vindicates the
righteous, by destroying the wicked in their own schemes, the godly should
not fail to praise the Lord for His mercy (V. 17).
I TRUST IN YOU. With Saul already suspicious, David has
no human court he can trust to deliver him out of the hand of his ruthless
enemies. In such circumstances he puts His trust in God (V. 1). In this
we see one of the great values of hardship. When all the supports get
kicked out from under us, we are left us with only two alternatives -
utter despair or faith in the God who delights in hopeless cases.
MERCY & JUSTICE. Notice the relationship between
mercy and justice. God threw Pharaoh and his hosts into the Red Sea. Why?
His mercy is forever (Ps. 136:15). He smote great kings. Why? Same reason
(v. 17). He killed Og, the king of Bashan because His mercy is forever
(v. 20). The destruction of the wicked is the salvation of the righteous
in a world where the wicked are determined to persecute the righteous.
TURN OR BURN. In verses eleven through thirteen we behold
the terror of the Lord. Those who persist in their evil doings, who rebuff
God's tender mercies, have a serious problem. All that the sinner does,
God sees. And, while watching, He sharpens His sword, strings His bow
and makes His arrows into fiery shafts. If God is the marksman, and you
are in the cross-hairs, what hope is there for a miss?
Questions For Kids:
Has anyone ever accused you of doing something bad that you know you
did not do? How did it make you feel?
Have you ever accused anyone of doing something you knew they hadn't
done? What should you do if you have done this?
Does God always know the truth about us?
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