THE ULTIMATE SORTER-OUT!
Opening Prayer
Lord, Your people put their full trust in You.
Read PSALM 7
A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1 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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
See verse 15 and compare it with Proverbs 26:27. Under inspiration, two writers who lived at different times are saying basically the same thing: God repays in kind.
Think Further
I find this psalm really encouraging. It was apparently written in a specific situation when David was faced with a particular difficulty, but the content is quite general. We can’t be sure what the situation was, though various suggestions concerning Benjamites or Cushites have been made.
The focus of the psalm moves between the various circumstances that David has experienced or might encounter, his understanding of who God is, and the interaction between these two things. David might be an innocent victim of opposition, injustice or violence—or he might actually be guilty of mistreating others in some way. Whatever the circumstance, in each case David’s God can sort it out. He can sort out David’s enemies and if necessary, he can sort out David! The reason that David thinks that God is such a good sorter-outer is that he has experienced God’s deliverance, God’s justice, God’s righteousness, and God’s consistency. As far as David is concerned, God can be trusted to understand the situation, whatever it is, and to deal with it in a way that ultimately benefits his people. He takes it for granted that God will be present with him no matter what is happening and will act in wrath or mercy, depending on the individual situation.
David’s ability to praise God in all situations echoes that of Paul, who declares his own contentment and the need for the Thessalonians to give thanks “in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). In both cases the reason for the thanks is not that God will take a particular action, but that he is who he is and can be trusted, whatever we might think about the particular circumstances we are facing.
Apply
Reflect on this final greeting: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thess. 3:16).
Closing prayer
Lord, Your people look to You to bring about deliverance from every trap that our enemies set for us.
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