Psalms 7: Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies 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              Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3              O LORD my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands,

4              If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

5              Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

6              Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!

7              So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

8              The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me.

9              Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

10           My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.

11           God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.

12           If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready.

13           He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

14           Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

15           He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

16           His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

17           I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

 

The catalyst behind Psalm 7 are the slanderous words of Cush. The introduction of Psalm 7 says, "concerning the words of Cush." These words of Cush were causing problems for David. Who is Cush and what are these words, we do not know. Some people have speculated that Cush, the Benjaminite is actually King Saul, the Son of Kish, the Benjaminite, and David changes his name so that that he does not disrespect God's first King of Israel. King Saul hated David. His hatred towards David was out of jealousy and had no legitimate basis.  "It appears probable that Cush the Benjaminite had accused David to Saul of treasonable conspiracy against his royal authority. This the king would be ready enough to credit, both from his jealousy of David, and from the relation which most probably existed between himself, the son of Kish, and this Cush, or Kish, the Benjaminite. . . .  This may be called the SONG OF THE SLANDERED SAINT." (Spurgeon)

If you read 1 Samuel you will get a taste of Saul's hatred of David and his zeal to kill him, and it is definitely in the realm of possibility that David was lamenting the slanderous words of Saul when writing this Psalm. However, it appears that slanderous and venomous words against David were not limited to just Saul. It appears that David was constantly under a verbal attack by his enemies, and it appears that these words effected David greatly for he writes about them often.

Psalm 31:13 - "For I hear the whispering [slander] of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life."

Psalm 35:21 - "They open wide their mouths against me; they say, "Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!"

Psalm 41:5 - "My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die, and his name perish?"

Psalm 64:2-4 - "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear."

Psalm 140:3 - "They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps."

As I said, it appears these words had an effect on David, they did not just roll off his back. It was something he seemed to struggle with. In fact, he struggled with these venomous words enough that they became motivators to these prayers in the Psalms. To be honest, I appreciate this weakness of David, for I also struggle with the same thing. I like to think of myself as strong, but the reality is that some of the bitter words that have hit my ears have been like arrows to my soul.

Quite a while ago, a person I know well was a victim of slander. Serious accusations were raised against him. These accusations were so serious that they tainted his name. The protestations of innocence only made them look like they were unwilling to take responsibility. The accusations were investigated and found to be untrue, but not before they did tremendous damage.  He committed suicide. That is the nature of slander. It's deadly, and it's very difficult to know how to respond when it happens.

However, to be fair, these slanderous words of Cush did in fact produce tangible trouble for David. The words of Cush caused real tension in David's life. It wasn't just words. Things became more difficult for David. For it appears that people appear to be believing the lies that are being spread about David and it is causing persecution. Presumably people were going from being passive to being pursuers against David due to the words of Cush. And when you think about it, this makes sense, for this is the purpose of slanderous, hurtful words, to cause people to take a position against the accused. Perhaps a good way to think about what David was experiencing was Cush inciting a mob against him. Whipping people into a frenzy causing them to grab their pitchforks and burning torches with a desire to put an end to David.

The slander against David paled in comparison to the slander against Christ. For David was a sinner, but Christ was the Spotless Lamb of God. He did not deserve one word spoken against Him. Having said that Isaiah 53:7 says this of Jesus:

Isaiah 53:7 - "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth."

These words against Christ took on various forms, but here are some examples:

Mark 3:22 - "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "by the prince of demons he casts out the demons."

Matthew 26:65-68 - "Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death." Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

Mark 15:29-32 - "And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,  save yourself, and come down from the cross!" So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him." 

How can we bear the cutting slanderous words of others without getting bent out of shape?

What can you do when you endure a slanderous attack? At work, in order to get ahead, someone spends their time cutting at you accusing you falsely to the boss.

As a Christian, you are accused of being a hypocrite for no particular reason.

Only the grace of God can give us the inward strength to let go of revenge and bitterness.

Romans 12:17 says, "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all." Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." We must remember to allow these things to happen to us without retaliation because it is in the hands of God and He will give His wrath against the evildoers. We must trust God to give the appropriate measure of judgment.

2 Timothy "Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."  That's a pretty clear statement. "All" and "shall." No ifs, ands, and buts about it.

The new whipping boy in the world today is the Bible-believing Christian. He may be the most hated, persecuted person on earth. Bible Christians today endure everything from the limitations of their freedoms and civil rights to scorn and ridicule in the media. Many may go through prison, and many may go through death for the Lord's sake.

In Psalm 7 David provides a few steps to handling the problem of slanderous accusations.

Trust God  O LORD my God, in You I put my trust

Invoking the name of the Lord in any circumstance is a fearful thing.

Taking the name of the Lord our God in vain!

Ecclesiastes 5:1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. 2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool's voice is known by his many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed ---5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

I sometimes hear Christians take the name of the Lord in vain. I wonder sometimes if they believe in the same God I believe in. There is the God of the Bible who is awesome in power and holiness. There is also the god of therapeutic deism.. a god who whether he exists or not is distant and uninvolved. And the Bible gives us wisdom for helping us with our troubles. It does give us wisdom for handling our troubles, but in the context of living in a world created by God in His power and might, and governed and ruled by God who is Sovereign, holy just wise omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

Today if you would handle the problem of slander, you should now David's God, Moses' God, Abraham's God, the triune God of Isaiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of God.  

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was purportedly asked if God was on his side. "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side," said the President, "my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

Trust God's Presence

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

 

 

Trust God's Omniscience

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

3              O LORD my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands,

4              If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

5              Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

He supports himself from this one consideration, that whatever may be the confusion of things in the world, God, notwithstanding, can easily discern between the righteous and the wicked. He, therefore, appeals from the false judgments of men to Him who can never be deceived. It may, however, be asked, How does the Psalmist represent God as judging every day, when we see him delaying punishment frequently for a long time? The sacred writings certainly most justly celebrate his long-suffering; but, although he exercises patience long, and does not immediately execute his judgments, yet, as no time passes, yea, not even a day, in which he does not furnish the clearest evidence that he discerns between the righteous and the wicked, notwithstanding the confusion of things in the world, it is certain that he never ceases to execute the office of a judge. All who will be at the trouble to open their eyes to behold the government of the world, will distinctly see that the patience of God is very different from approbation or connivance. Surely, then, his own people will confidently betake themselves to him every day.

Trust God's Justice

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

6              Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!

7              So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

8              The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me.

9              Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

10           My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.

11           God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.

12           If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready.

13           He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

14           Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

15           He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

16           His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

Trust God's Purpose

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high. 8 The LORD shall judge the peoples;

 

As he acknowledges God to be the judge of the whole world, he concludes a little after from this, that he will maintain his cause and right. And as often as we seem to be forsaken and oppressed, we should recall this truth to our remembrance, that as God is the governor of the world, it is as utterly impossible for him to abdicate his office as to deny himself. From this source there will flow a continual stream of comfort, although a long succession of calamities may press upon us: for from this truth we may assuredly conclude, that he will take care to defend our innocence. It would be contrary to every principle of just reasoning to supposes that he who governs many nations neglects even one man.

Psa 2 butting their heads against God, lighthouse, battleship  admiral analogy.
God is sovereign, be reassured of His just judgment
God is sovereign,  be reassured of God's care for His people
God is sovereign,  be reassure d of His purpose and plans standing

 

I am glad of this interview, and glad to know that I have your sympathy and prayers. We are indeed going through a great trial -- a fiery trial. In the very responsible position in which I happen to be placed, being a humble instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father, as I am, and as we all are, to work out his great purposes, I have desired that all my works and acts may be according to his will, and that it might be so, I have sought his aid -- but if after endeavoring to do my best in the light which he affords me, I find my efforts fail, I must believe that for some purpose unknown to me, He wills it otherwise. If I had had my way, this war would never have been commenced; If I had been allowed my way this war would have been ended before this, but we find it still continues; and we must believe that He permits it for some wise purpose of his own, mysterious and unknown to us; and though with our limited understandings we may not be able to comprehend it, yet we cannot but believe, that he who made the world still governs it.
Abraham Lincoln Reply to Eliza Gurney on October 26, 1862 (CWAL V:478)

Trust God's Grace

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

 

 

Trust God's Faithfulness

O LORD my God, in You I put my trust;

17           I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

 

Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be every where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.
Abraham Lincoln Farewell Address on February 11, 1861 (CWAL IV:190)

How Should We Respond in These Last Days to Slanderous Attacks That Will Worsen?  Learn to… 

Reign in life. The Scripture literally says of the persecuted, "…for theirs is in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). We have a kingdom. We reign with Christ in life. Remember who you are: a child of the king. And because we're children of the kingdom, we should reign in life. 

Rejoice in the Lord.  Psalm 17:17 I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad…" Don't sit in the corner feeling sorry for yourself, "…for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (v.12). Think of the company we resemble, the character we reveal, and the compensation we'll receive. 

Remain True to the Lord. Early in the book of Acts, Peter and John were thrown in jail and beaten for preaching Jesus. When they departed, the people in the council marveled that they were uneducated fishermen, "….and they realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Under persecution they reacted in such a way that the people of the world said, "They are like the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Remember, as Stephen was being stoned to death, who was looking on? Saul—later to become Paul, the mightiest Christian missionary theologian the world has ever known—observed Stephen as he was persecuted to death. Saul was changed. What changed him? The way Stephen died. They could not intimidate Stephen, so they stoned him to death. 

Can you imagine what it would be like to be stoned to death? Now, that's persecution. Stephen, as he was dying, looked toward heaven and said, "Lord Jesus, don't charge this terrible thing to their account. Have mercy upon them." Saul never forgot that. 

Later on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to Saul, saying, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads." What was goading Saul? The testimony of the persecuted Stephen, whom he had seen martyred. 

Release Love. This love is not mere sympathy; it's doing good to them.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father, which is in heaven…. Matthew 5:44 

Be like God and love them. These people are blind. They don't have life. They don't understand. In fact, the Bible says in the last days those that kill us will think they do God a service (John 16:2). Into their blindness, the face of Stephen shined like an angel. He released love when he was persecuted. We need to treat our persecutors as God has treated us.

 Come to grips with it: We are going to be persecuted. Remember, "All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). These are days of golden opportunity to share the Lord Jesus Christ. Prepare your children. First prepare yourself. 

Ask the Lord Jesus, "Because You died for me, help me to live for You, and if necessary to die for You. May I die to this world before I die physically. Teach me, Lord, to be different. Don't let the world intimidate me. Don't let me live by political correct standards.