April 17, 2023 — Psalm 7

“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. 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. 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. 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!  My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation ev’ry day.” Psalm 7:1-11

“Psalm 7 is also a psalm of prayer. It laments over slanderers who accuse the saints and their teachings as being riotous, opposed to the authorities, and disturbing the peace. In this way Shimei the Benjaminite (2 Samuel 16:5–14) slandered the pious David as if David had stolen King Saul’s kingdom. In the same way, Christ was also accused before Pilate, and even now slanderers defame the Gospel. David fights against this affliction with prayer and cries to God of his innocence. By David’s own example, he shows us that such a prayer was granted, so that we might have comfort.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

The Psalmist writes: “…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.” So often we ask G-d to be hard on another person, someone we think has done us wrong, or someone who has done a friend of ours wrong. Yet we always expect that G-d will give us a “get out of sin card”. We want others to face G-d’s wrath while hoping G-d will be merciful with our judgment. Here, the Psalmist is clearly saying, “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.”

Expecting G-d’s firm judgment for our wrongdoings should keep us on a straighter and narrower path — but as we all know this often is not the case. We all are sinners and fall short of the glory of G-d. But, G-d is also merciful and full of compassion — therefore we don’t get what we deserve, we get the gift of new life in Christ. If we seek to follow G-d in all ways, even when we know this is out of our reach, the Grace of G-d will mean there will be no need for G-d’s just discipline. Then we can live into that Grace by giving it to others — for, “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.”

Prayer: Lord, our God, lover of the truth, help those who, for Your name’s sake, are lied against and slandered innocently. Strengthen, comfort, and uphold those who suffer wrongfully, and break and hinder the craftiness of evil men who would suppress Your truth and destroy Your kingdom. Amen.

Pastor Dave