{"id":3720,"date":"2015-10-25T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2015-10-25T13:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/?p=3720"},"modified":"2024-01-08T07:27:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T13:27:51","slug":"psalm-71-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/?p=3720","title":{"rendered":"Psalm 7:1-17"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Meditation of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;<\/span><\/em>
\nSave me from all those who persecute me;<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd deliver me, <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

2 Lest they tear me like a lion,<\/span><\/em>
\nRending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

3 O Lord my God, if I have done this:<\/span><\/em>
\nIf there is iniquity in my hands, <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,<\/span><\/em>
\nOr have plundered my enemy without cause, <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;<\/span><\/em>
\nYes, let him trample my life to the earth,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd lay my honor in the dust.<\/span><\/em>
\nSelah<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;<\/span><\/em>
\nLift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;<\/span><\/em>
\nRise up for me to the judgment You have commanded! <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;<\/span><\/em>
\nFor their sakes, therefore, return on high. <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

8 The Lord shall judge the peoples;<\/span><\/em>
\nJudge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd according to my integrity within me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,<\/span><\/em>
\nBut establish the just;<\/span><\/em>
\nFor the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

10 My defense is of God,<\/span><\/em>
\nWho saves the upright in heart.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

11 God is a just judge,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd God is angry with the wicked every day. <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

12 If he does not turn back,<\/span><\/em>
\nHe will sharpen His sword;<\/span><\/em>
\nHe bends His bow and makes it ready. <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;<\/span><\/em>
\nHe makes His arrows into fiery shafts.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

14 Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;<\/span><\/em>
\nYes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

15 He made a pit and dug it out,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd has fallen into the ditch which he made. <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

16 His trouble shall return upon his own head,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

This is the first imprecatory psalm.<\/h3>\n

meditation (intro) \u2014 an obscure Hebrew word probably meaning an ecstatic song, although it’s not clear if this is a reference to its ragged, irregular meter, the method in which it is to be sung or the fact that is is a highly emotionally-charged psalm.<\/h3>\n

Cush (intro) \u2014 not mentioned elsewhere \u2014 probably referring to one of Saul’s men sent to kill David (or to Saul himself, a Benjamite). Phrases in the psalm parallel passages in 1 Samuel 24 and 25 when David was cornered by Saul and his men.<\/h3>\n

if (3x in vs.3-4) \u2014 David is willing to be punished if<\/span> he has done wrong.<\/h3>\n

integrity (v.8) \u2014 David does not believe he deserves punishment in this case.<\/h3>\n

It is important to note that David does not expect God to vindicate him completely, but only according to his righteousness and the integrity that is in him (v.8). David also affirms that it is not only \u2014 or even firstly \u2014 men’s actions that God judges, but also their hearts and minds (v.9) \u2014 the thoughts and motives that underlie one’s actions, whether good or bad. This important principle is also affirmed by Solomon, who states with respect to the “selfish man” that “as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). \u2014 Wechsler, page 37<\/span><\/h3>\n

hearts and minds (v.9) = lit. “kidneys” \u2014 man’s entire immaterial being<\/h3>\n

the wicked (v.14) \u2014 here described as a pregnant woman giving birth<\/h3>\n

David affirms the well-attested biblical principle that the mischief of the wicked ultimately returns upon his own head (v.16) \u2014 a principle which is vividly attested in connection with Israel’s enemies, upon whom God not only visits judgment, but often does so with the same affliction wherewith they afflicted Israel (e.g., His diminishing of Egypt’s military might by drowning, just as Pharaoh sought to diminish Israel’s ability to make war by drowning all their male children (Exodus 1:10); Haman executed by hanging in place of Mordecai (Esther 7:10), etc.) \u2014 Wechsler, pages 37-38<\/span><\/h3>\n

Most High (v.17) \u2014 a name for deity \u2014 it first occurs in Genesis 14:18-22<\/span><\/a>, the meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek.<\/h3>\n

David ends his petition by expressing gratitude and praise for whatever God chooses to do, for whatever that will be, it will be what it should, consistent with God’s perfect righteousness. Indeed, God chose not to resolve David’s persecution by Saul for several years more, encompassing that period between the events in this psalm alludes to in 1 Samuel (chapters 24 and 26) and David finally being anointed as “king over Israel” in 2 Samuel 5:3). \u2014 Wechsler, page 38<\/span><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Meditation of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. 1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, 2 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psalms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3720"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8684,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3720\/revisions\/8684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}