February 17th, 2013
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

God of Justice

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

God of grace and glory, I thank You for the Holy Spirit, who enables me to live in confidence and joy.

Read Psalm 7:1-17

[1] A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite. LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, [2] or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. [3] LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands- [4] if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe- [5] then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. [6] Arise, LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. [7] Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. [8] Let the LORD judge the peoples. Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. [9] Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure- you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. [10] My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. [11] God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. [12] If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. [13] He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. [14] Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. [15] Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. [16] The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. [17] I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteousness” (Isa. 5:16).

Think Further

Have you ever experienced driving through an intersection when the light is changing and you suddenly realize a camera has caught you running a red light? When the inevitable letter detailing your punishment arrives, there may be a sense of frustration that that was a very unkind place to put a camera, but there is also a sense of justice. “I should have stopped. It was my fault, I deserved what I got.” But it is a very different matter if, as for the psalmist here, the accusation against you is unjust. We don’t know who “Cush the Benjamite” was or what the precise charge or exact consequences were, but we do know that David was, on this occasion at least, innocent. The psalm starts by expressing his resentment, fear and above all his sense of injustice. “This really is not fair!”

What brings him peace is the recognition that the ultimate arbiter, the one who cares the most about justice, is God himself. Injustice really does make God angry because it is such an affront to his own perfect righteousness. God, “who searches minds and hearts” (9), knows only too well who is innocent and who is guilty. He can be trusted in the end to protect the one and deal with the other. We are not told what happened after this incident. That wasn’t the key issue for David. What mattered was that, once he remembered that the real judge was his all-knowing, caring, righteous Lord, he could relax and give thanks. 

It is interesting to note how often in the psalms the answer to the problems and frustrations of life is found in looking again at the character and actions of God.

Apply

When you read this psalm, did you identify with David or with Cush? If you are facing injustice, bring your prayers to God now.

Closing prayer

In the face of the ambiguities and confusion of life, Lord, I need to trust You more, and trust Your passion for justice.

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