We're in familiar territory with this psalm, aren't we?
It's another lament from David concerning yet another season of distress,
which seems to now be common in David's life as we work through these psalms.
Every psalm seems to be another moment of suffering, another moment of trial.
And if we aren't careful, that will cause us to be just a bit jaded, won't it?
And we bring all of these psalms together and we see over and over suffering, affliction, distress,
and it'll cause us to start to get a little pessimistic about the life that God has given us.
And surely this is representative of what life is like, isn't it?
David gives us a fair picture that there are peaks that we get to enjoy
and there are many valleys that we have to suffer through in this life.
And so once again, we find David in a particular distress.
And the nature of that distress is actually, it's quite easy to discern here,
even if we don't have all the details.
Simply an individual named Cush spoke against David in such a way
that his enemies multiplied and his life was in grave danger.
It's fairly simple, at least from that perspective.
Unfortunately, Cush's identity has been lost to time,
but it is his heritage as a Benjaminite that helps us to understand the background of David's lament here.
You'll remember that King Saul, who tried multiple times to murder David,
was from the tribe of Benjamin,
and the tribe had set itself often,
if you read back through those historical narratives of 1 and 2 Samuel,
you'll see that the tribe of Benjamin often set itself against David
as a really quite foolish act of loyalty,
not to God,
but a loyalty to Saul.
Let me just walk you through a few passages here.
They're on the screen.
You don't have to turn.
We see in 1 Samuel 22 and verse 7,
Saul calls for Benjamin's allegiance against David.
Here's what he says.
And Saul said to his servants who stood about him,
Hear now, people of Benjamin,
will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards?
Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
In other words, what he's saying is,
is I will be better to you than David will be.
Therefore, do not conspire against me.
Conspire against him.
Saul calls for the allegiance of his own tribe
to support him in his fight against David.
That's really where it begins.
And then it continues.
2 Samuel 3 and verse 1.
After Saul dies,
Benjamin leads an opposing army in civil war.
Did you realize that after Saul's death,
it still took eight years for David to assume the throne in Israel?
The reason is because of this civil war.
And the opposing army against David was led,
spearheaded by none other than the tribe of Benjamin.
And we read about it in 2 Samuel 3.
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David.
But God was good, wasn't he?
David grew stronger and stronger while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
And then it continues again.
2 Samuel 16 verses 7 and 8.
When Absalom ran David out of Jerusalem,
Shimei, another Benjaminite,
curses David.
And the basis of his curse is he was claiming divine vengeance for Saul.
Now there happened to be there a worthless man who's,
or excuse me,
and Shimei said as he cursed,
Get out, get out, you men of blood, you worthless man.
The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul,
in whose place you have reigned.
And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son, Absalom.
2 Samuel chapter 20.
After Absalom's revolt,
another Benjaminite named Sheba
led another revolt against David.
Here's the verse.
Now there happened to be there a worthless man
whose name was Sheba,
the son of Bichri,
a Benjaminite.
And he blew the trumpet and said,
We have no portion in David.
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
Every man to his tent.
So Israel.
So all the men of Israel withdrew from David
and followed Sheba,
the son of Bichri.
But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly
from Jordan to Jerusalem.
So we see the pattern here, don't we?
It's not so much that we need to know who Cush is.
That doesn't really matter.
This situation that David's in,
it could have fallen in a number of different scenarios in his life.
But the pattern that we see is that there was this ongoing feud
between the tribe of Benjamin,
those who would have identified themselves with King Saul.
If we step back and we look at the big picture of the Bible,
we're looking at people who would identify as the seed of the serpent
that are fighting constantly against the seed of the woman
represented in David,
which ultimately points us to the person of Christ.
So the hostility of Benjamin toward David is well established,
though we cannot be sure of the exact issue at hand here.
But one feature of this hostility over and over and over with Benjamin
repeatedly comes to the surface.
And it is this.
False accusations that lead to threats against David's life.
That goes all the way back to Saul.
In fact, there's a passage in 1 Samuel as Saul is trying to kill David,
and David meets up with his best friend, Jonathan,
who happens to be Saul's son.
You'll remember the exchange here.
What is it that David says?
He says, what have I done to your father?
What sin have I committed?
What have I done?
I have done nothing but serve him, but he seeks my life.
And the implication there, or the inference there,
is that what Saul was doing was conjuring up in his own mind
false accusations about David.
He felt threatened by David,
and therefore he spread the false accusations,
and he tried to murder him.
And that's exactly what we see the tribe of Benjamin doing
again and again and again.
They're raising false accusations against David
in order that they may threaten his life
and take the throne for themselves.
And Psalm 7 is fundamentally a prayer for vindication,
that God would expose the truth in relation to Cush's lies,
and that by doing that, he would save the righteous,
in this case, David,
and bring justice against the wicked,
in this case, Cush the Benjaminite.
Okay?
So that's the background here, right?
That's what's happening, and that will help us.
Now, before we walk through the song itself,
we need to recognize that there is a key verse here.
The key verse is verse 11a.
Set your eyes on it.
Verse 11, here's what David says.
God is a righteous judge.
All of the content of this prayer
flows from David's faith in this one statement,
which means that if we're going to grasp
the foundational understanding of this psalm,
if we're going to apply this psalm the right way,
then we need to understand these two foundational affirmations
that David is making.
Affirmation number one is that God is the ultimate judge.
David is the sufferer.
He has authority that is limited.
He does have authority,
but even he recognizes ultimately God is the judge.
Affirmation number two,
God is righteous in all his judgments.
Okay, so follow me here.
That's all in just that one statement.
God is a righteous judge.
God is the ultimate judge.
All of us will ultimately stand before him,
and when God issues his judgment,
it is always right.
He always does what's right.
That's what Abraham says, right?
And Abraham, when he's having that conversation
with God related to Sodom,
what is it that he says to God?
He said,
shall not the judge of all the earth do that which is right?
He says,
we know you're the righteous judge,
that all of your judgments are good and right.
Paul says it again in 1 Timothy,
when he talks about his crown of life,
that the Lord,
the righteous judge,
will give to him on that day.
He even recognizes there is coming a day,
a final judgment.
God will rule over all of us,
and all of his judgments will be right.
Now, everything David prays in Psalm 7
flows from his faith in this statement.
Without this statement,
none of the rest of the psalm makes any sense.
It all flows from this.
And these affirmations,
they're repeated throughout the scriptures,
and they are universally held
by true believers.
fundamental to the Christian faith
is the fact that God,
through Christ,
will judge the world.
And his judgment
will be perfectly just.
Why?
Because he himself
is truly righteous.
righteous.
And as we will see in David's song,
God's righteous judgment,
while it is certain,
happens according to his timeline,
not ours.
In some cases,
some injustices are judged now,
while others are addressed
in the final judgment.
But in both cases,
these two affirmations
drive David's prayer for vindication.
And they must also be the things
that drive our prayers
for vindication as well.
So, when facing circumstances
such as David's,
affirming these truths
will lead us to four actions
modeled by David in Psalm 7.
Okay?
We're looking at four actions
modeled by David
for us to follow
in similar circumstances.
Action number one.
Put your ultimate hope
in God.
Put your ultimate hope
in God.
Look again at verses one and two.
Oh, 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.
This is now the third time
that the notion
of taking refuge in God
has been stated
in these opening psalms.
In Psalm 2 and verse 12
we're told,
blessed are all
who take refuge
in God's King,
God's anointed Son.
Psalm 5 verse 11,
let all who take refuge in you
rejoice,
let them ever sing for joy
and spread your protection
over them
that those who love your name
may exult in you.
refuge.
What is a refuge?
Refuge is simple.
It's a shelter
amidst a storm.
If you ever go golfing
with Terry over at Cowan's Ford
and a storm comes up,
there are various shelters
on the course
where you might hunker down
and take refuge
until the storm passes through.
Every once in a while,
we will have the threat
of a tornado in our area,
which kind of blows my mind
a little bit.
If you're like me,
you grew up watching Twister.
So I thought tornadoes
only happened in Oklahoma,
but apparently
they happen here too.
And I think one of
Julie's deepest fears
is that we will get hit
by a tornado.
And someone told her
at some point along the way
that you know
a tornado is coming
if it sounds like a train,
like a big train
is coming through, right?
And I don't know
how many times
the wind has been howling
during a storm during the night.
And Julie has woken me up,
Jared, is that a train?
Is that a train?
And she'll pull up her app
on her phone
and it'll say
there's a tornado warning
in the area
and Julie is very quick
to gather her brood
and to take us
into the pantry downstairs
in order that we might find refuge
in case the storm
does actually impact our house
and wreck it.
Such is the picture
that David gives us
again and again
in the Psalms
of taking refuge in God.
It is to find shelter
and security in Him
as the storms of your life
roar around you.
In this case,
seeking vindication
when false accusations
have been made about us,
it is only when we have
these two foundational affirmations
in view
that we will truly take refuge
in God as David did.
Isn't that what he does?
He does not appeal
to his own authority here.
He submits his calls
to the Lord.
In you do I take refuge.
Which is significant
for us, isn't it?
Because in situations
like David's,
we are always tempted
to retreat
to our own devices.
we want to defend ourselves,
don't we?
Rightfully so.
Rather than taking refuge
in God,
often,
instead of trusting Him
as the righteous judge,
we seek shelter
in human wisdom.
We'll take matters
into our own hands,
won't we?
It's actually incredible
what this communicates
when we do this kind of thing,
and all of us
are probably guilty
of doing it
at some point along the way
at various trials
in our lives.
What it communicates
is that
what we really believe
in our heart of hearts
is that we will treat
ourselves better
than what God
will treat us
if we submit
to His purposes
in our lives.
Have you ever thought
about that?
When we don't take refuge
in God,
when He is not
the source of our hope
in various situations
of our lives,
what we're saying
is,
God,
I love you,
but I think
I'll take better care
of me now
than what you will
take care of me.
And so we resort
to human devices
all the time,
don't we?
We might consider
in a situation
like David's,
fighting fire
with fire,
sinking into the same sin
as our accusers.
We might insist
on our own innocence
so widely
that what we end up
doing is attracting
suspicion rather
than dispelling it.
And I want to be clear
that to take refuge
in God doesn't mean
that we do nothing.
That's not what it means.
Notice what David does.
David's enemies,
they pursued him
indicating that he
ran away.
He was doing something.
It's not that we do nothing.
It's good and right
to use whatever
righteous means
are available to us
when seeking justice.
And David does
what he needs to do
to escape
but his ultimate hope,
his trust,
was in the Lord.
He submits his calls
to the Lord
when he could run
no further,
when he could do
nothing else.
James Johnston
says this,
I found this so helpful,
if your ultimate hope
is not in God,
anxiety
will churn you up
inside
when you cannot
reverse injustice.
the false accusation
will eat you up
when you cannot
do anything
about it.
So what do we do then?
When we trust that God
is the righteous judge,
I think we'll find it
most natural
to take refuge in him
in seasons of distress.
It doesn't mean
that we never act.
It means that we always
commit our calls
to him.
Like Nehemiah,
as he builds the wall
around Jerusalem,
remember what he did
when he had threats
of enemies
coming against him.
He prays to God
and then what did he do?
He set a guard.
Trusting God
doesn't negate
human action,
but all of our
human action
must be surrendered,
committed to his calls.
Our trust
must not be
in our ability
to fix the problem.
Our trust and hope
must be in God's goodness
as the righteous judge.
Action number two.
Boldly plead
before his throne.
Boldly plead
before his throne.
Look at verses
three through five.
David continues,
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.
Let him trample
my life to the ground
and lay my glory
in the dust.
Selah.
David claims
his innocence here.
Declares it boldly
before God.
And it bears mentioning
that David
isn't claiming
to be innocent
of all sin.
That's not his claim.
We can read
in other Psalms,
particularly Psalm 51,
that David was very aware
of not only
a sinful behavior
but a sinful condition.
This is not a claim
to total innocence.
We understand that.
It's a claim
to innocence
regarding the charges
that are brought
against him
in this case.
And the nature
of those charges
is revealed
in verse four.
Look at it again.
David's enemy,
Cush the Benjaminite,
accused him of
repaying a friend
with evil
and plundering
an enemy
without cause.
In other words,
David is being
misrepresented
as a tyrant
who is unjustly
hurting others
in pursuit
of personal advantage.
That's the accusation
on the table
against him.
A common sin,
isn't it?
We see this kind
of thing everywhere.
It's not only common,
it's destructive.
And anyone who is guilty
of it
is certainly worthy
of severe consequences.
Sins like this,
they are expressed
on a spectrum,
aren't they?
On one hand,
we would see
this kind of sin
expressed
in the extreme behavior
of a terrorist
who attacks
an enemy
unprovoked,
repaying an enemy
without cause.
It may also be expressed
in a much subtle way,
the betrayal
of a colleague
that is in line
for a promotion
ahead of you,
cheating on your spouse
with the spouse
of a friend,
repaying a friend
with evil things.
And the guilty
would be worthy
of serious consequences.
So this is no
small accusation.
Whatever it is,
whatever this is
in relation to
in David's life,
whether it's
big,
little,
public,
or private,
this is a serious
accusation.
But notice,
David does not
go into detail
to prove his innocence,
at least not
in the psalm.
What does he do?
He takes his case
before the Lord.
He takes his case
before the one
who sees behind
every mask,
who knows the truth
of all of our hearts.
Why?
Because his declaration
of innocence
flows from his belief
that God actually
truly is
the righteous judge.
On the one hand,
it wouldn't make sense
to fake innocence,
feign innocence
before the omniscient
God.
Who knows the truth?
What would be the
purpose in that?
Even more,
if David were
truly guilty,
we know by the
pattern of his life,
he would not have
cried for justice.
He would have
cried for mercy.
And all of these
things point toward
his true innocence.
But it does
something else for us.
it calls us
to examine ourselves
before we make
our appeal to God,
doesn't it?
We should be careful
to know whether
it is justice
or mercy
for which we
should pray.
But in either case,
David teaches us
that we can come
boldly to God's throne
with our pleas.
because he knows
God to be the
righteous judge,
David trusts that
the Lord will indeed
vindicate him
because he knows
himself to be
innocent.
So he doesn't
waste his time
trying to clear
his name
before his enemies.
He takes his
calls to the one
who can actually
exercise true
authority in the
matter.
He commits his
calls to the Lord.
He declares his
innocence to the one
who knows,
to the one who is
the righteous judge,
who will indeed
vindicate him
in time.
Action number three.
David confidently
anticipates true
justice.
David confidently
anticipates true
justice.
Look at verse six.
Arise, O Lord,
in your anger.
Lift yourself up
against the fury
of my enemies.
Awake for me.
You have appointed
a judgment.
Now I want you to
notice just in
between verses
five and six
is that little
word selah.
We've talked about
it a couple of
times already,
haven't we?
There's only one
in this psalm
and its place
in between verses
five and six
signal that there
is a significant
transition happening
in the psalm.
So David has
opened with
an appeal to God
for his refuge.
He has pleaded
his innocence
and now
there's a shift
happening here.
Now he's addressing
God in a different
way.
He calls on God
to take action
now.
Arise with anger.
Lift himself
against his enemies.
Awake for the
appointed judgment.
In other words,
David is painting
a picture for us.
It is time for the
heavenly court
to begin its session
and the song
now brings us
into that courtroom
of the righteous
judge.
And this will
take us almost
to the very end
of the psalm.
And as David
presents us
with the courtroom
of the righteous
judge,
he has two
judgments in view.
First,
a final judgment.
A final judgment.
Look again
at verse six.
He says,
you have appointed
a judgment.
Let the assembly
of the peoples
be gathered about
you over at
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.
O 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 the heart.
Final judgment.
Here,
the attention,
it shifts away
from David's
present circumstance.
And it focuses
momentarily
on God's judgment
of the nations.
Let me prove
that to you, okay?
If you're wondering
how I got to that,
let me show you.
At the end of verse six,
David refers
to an appointed judgment,
a specific judgment
that could be
in just relation
to his circumstance.
I think it probably
has something
more significant
in mind.
And this appointed
judgment,
he goes on to say,
involves all
the peoples.
Peoples
being plural.
These are people,
groups,
nations.
kings.
So that the peoples
in verse seven
and eight,
I believe,
recalls the raging
nations and the plotting
peoples of Psalm 2,
who we read there,
set themselves against God
and his anointed king.
And then he describes
the wicked
in verse nine,
which I believe
refers to those
in Psalm 1
who will not stand
in the judgment,
but will perish
instead.
Now,
David recognizes
that even if he
does not receive
justice now,
I think the picture
he's painting
is that there
is coming a day
when the righteous
judge
will gather
all the wicked,
will carry out
swift
and final
justice
on them.
In other words,
even if Cush
gets away
with the slanderous
lies now,
he will not
get away
with them
forever.
Why?
Because David
knows,
he knows
that God
has appointed
a judgment,
that God
looks at the
peoples
who are raging,
the nations
who are plotting,
and Psalm 2
says he laughs
at them
because they
are all
headed
to an
eventual
judgment
when God
will have
the final
word.
That's the
truth of
the big
picture of
the Bible.
God
creates,
his creation
falls,
and then we
have to ask,
where is all
this going?
And the
Bible gives
us a clear
answer about
that.
All of
creation
is moving
toward a
final
eschatological
judgment
in which
God,
the righteous
judge,
the one
who David
says here,
tests the
hearts and
minds of
us all.
What does
he mean by
that?
He knows
what's true
of every
one of
us.
He knows
what's
true.
No one
will be
able to
stand before
God in
that judgment
and fool
him because
he tests
the minds,
he tests
the hearts,
he sees
what we do
not see,
he understands
what we do
not understand,
he knows
the truth
of every
person.
And all
of creation
is headed
toward this
eschatological
judgment where
God will bring
an end to
evil by
ruling against
sinners.
And the
Bible makes
it clear that
all unrepentant
sinners will be
sentenced by
this righteous
judge to
eternity in
hell.
Revelation
chapter 20
gives us the
clearest picture
of it.
Then I saw
a great
white throne
and him
who was
seated on
it.
From his
presence
earth and
sky fled
away.
No place
was found
for them.
And I
saw the
dead,
great and
small,
in other
words,
young and
old,
standing
before the
throne of
God.
And books
were opened.
Another book
was opened,
which is the
book of life.
And the
dead were
judged by
what was
written in
the books,
according to
what they
had done.
And the
sea gave up
the dead
who were in
it.
Death and
Hades gave
up the
dead who
were in
them.
And they
were judged,
each one of
them,
according to
what they
had done.
Then death
and Hades
were thrown
into the
lake of
fire.
This is the
second death,
the lake
of fire.
And if
anyone's name
was not found
written in the
book of life,
he was thrown
into the
lake of fire.
David
understands.
He may not
have been able
to voice it
in those
words like
John did.
John had a
special vision
to be able
to write
that to
us.
But David
understood all
of this is
heading toward
a judgment.
And even if
I don't get
vindication now,
God will
vindicate me
then because
we will all
stand before
him and
sinners will
be judged.
But we're
reminded here
also that the
righteous will
be saved in
this final
judgment.
Isn't that
what he says
here?
Look again
at verse
8.
Judge me,
O Lord,
according to
my righteousness,
according to
the integrity
that is in
me.
Verse 10,
my shield is
with God,
who saves
the upright
in heart.
So,
the righteous
will be saved
in this final
judgment.
No escape.
But see,
here's the
problem.
the scriptures
repeatedly
affirm that
no one is
truly righteous.
That's a
pretty big
problem for
us,
isn't it?
If everything
in creation
is headed
toward this
final eschatological
judgment,
and the
righteous will
be saved
then,
what do we
do with
passages like
Romans 3
where Paul
strings together
a number of
quotations from
the Psalms and
from the
prophets in
order that he
might affirm
for us that
there is none
righteous,
no not one.
He goes on to
say,
all have turned
aside,
all have sinned
and fallen
short of the
glory of God.
And the
question then
becomes,
how can David
speak so
confidently about
standing in that
judgment when
we know he was
sinful?
How can he have
this kind of
confidence?
Is this kind
of confidence
foolish?
Can we actually
have it?
Can you and
I be so
confident as
David that
when that
final judgment
comes,
we will stand
rather than
perishing with
the wicked?
And it's here
that we must
remember that
David often
speaks prophetically
in the Psalms,
doesn't he?
He's not only
a king,
he's the
Old Testament
type pointing
us forward
to a greater
David,
the true and
better David.
Jesus Christ.
David often
in the Psalms
he speaks
his own words
that are then
fulfilled,
not in him,
but are fulfilled
in Christ.
The singular
me and my
in verses 8
are not
ultimately about
David,
they're ultimately
about Jesus.
He was truly
sinless,
and as the
sinless son
laid down
his life
in our place
as a substitute
for sinners
who would come
to him in
faith.
And those
who do come
to him in
faith,
we're told
are justified,
that word
justified,
it means
in a legal
sense,
to declare
someone
righteous
even though
they are not
actually
righteous.
And the
Bible tells us
that because
of what Jesus
has done,
all who come
to him in
faith are
declared by
the righteous
judge to
be righteous
even though
they are not
actually
righteous.
That's why
he has this
confidence.
He may not
have been able
to piece all
of that together
the way that
we can looking
back from a
New Testament
perspective,
but the Lord
is speaking
through him
here.
Let me prove
it to you.
2 Corinthians
chapter 5
verse 21.
For our
sake he
made him
to be sin
who knew
no sin.
Why?
So that
in him
we might
become the
righteousness
of God.
A transaction
takes place
at the cross
whereby the
sins of those
who believe
are given
to the one
who never
committed a
sin.
And that
transaction
is completed
when the
righteousness
of the one
who is truly
righteous
is imputed
onto those
of us
who come
to him
in faith.
So that
in that
judgment
as we
stand before
the righteous
judge
who knows
our hearts
who knows
our minds
who has
final authority
he does not
look to us
in righteousness
he looks to
the righteous
one
who has given
us his
righteousness.
That's how
we stand
in that
judgment.
It's said
over and over
again in the
scriptures
Romans chapter
three we
are justified
again declared
righteous by
his grace
as a gift
through the
redemption that
is in Christ
Jesus whom
God put
forward as a
propitiation by
his blood to
be received
by faith.
This was to
show God's
righteousness
so that he
might be
just
and the
justifier
of the
one who
has faith
in Jesus.
Don't let
me lose
you.
Think about
what this
is saying.
God the
righteous
judge
is just
in forgiving
us
not because
he turns a
blind eye
to our
sins
but because
he punishes
his son
in our
place
that he
might rightly
as the
righteous
judge
justify
us
who
come to
him in
faith.
Therefore
Romans 5
chapter 1
says therefore
since we
have been
justified
declared
righteous
by faith
we now
have peace
with God
and we
have that
peace
not through
our own
righteousness
we have
that peace
through our
Lord Jesus
Christ
which again
leads us
to Romans
chapter 8
that we read
earlier in the
service
there is
therefore now
no condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ Jesus
Jesus is the
fulfillment of
David's words
here
in the final
judgment
all who
trust in the
righteousness
of Christ
the blessed
man
will be
saved
but there's
another judgment
that David
has in view
here
it's an
immediate
judgment
an immediate
judgment
look with me
at verse 11
God is a
righteous judge
and a God
who fills
indignation
every day
if a man
does not
repent
God will
wet his
sword
he has bent
and readied
his bow
he has
prepared for
him
his deadly
weapons
making his
arrows
fiery shafts
behold the
wicked man
conceives evil
and is pregnant
with mischief
and gives
birth to lies
he makes a
pit
digging it
out
and he
falls into
the hole
that he's
made
his mischief
returns upon
his own
head
and on his
own skull
his violence
descends
David I
think now
turns back
to his
present
circumstance
though he
knows a
final judgment
is coming
he also
recognized
that God
often brings
justice
in the
here and
now
he declares
that
verse 11
God is a
righteous judge
who feels
indignation
every day
that indignation
is not
solely reserved
for the final
judgment
it is indicated
day
by day
in other
words
while the
wicked
await a
final
eschatological
judgment
the Lord
also works
to condemn
and judge
their wickedness
now
and often
the way
God uses
the weapons
described in
verses 12
and 13
as wetting
his sword
bending
his bow
and preparing
his fiery
arrows
often the way
that God
carries those
weapons out
in judgment
is by turning
the wickedness
of the wicked
against them
in verses 15
and 16
you see what
he says there
the wicked
makes a pit
and then he
falls into it
not because
he's a loser
or just
really that
foolish
but because
God turns
his wickedness
against him
verse 16
his mischief
returns upon
his own
head
his own
skull
on his own
skull
is violence
to sins
this is the
fiery arrows
of the Lord
there is a
judgment
and a
condemnation
in the here
and now
God often
does carry
that out
on behalf
of his
people
how and
when
God issues
his judgment
is his
business
but taking
refuge in
him
means
confidently
anticipating
his judgment
both now
and in the
future
he is the
righteous judge
he will
vindicate his
people in one
way or another
and that's a
truth that like
David you can
be certain of
and you can
take comfort
in
he will not
forsake
your calls
he will come
to your aid
he will judge
the wicked
and you can
confidently pray
to him for
that
but there's
an important
qualification
in verse 12
that we
cannot miss
notice that
God's judgment
here is
conditional
he wets
his sword
and readies
his bow
not against
all sinners
but against
the man
who does
not repent
against the
man who
does not
repent
this means
that though
you deserve
his judgment
he's made
a way
for you
to escape
it
though we
all deserve
his judgment
he's made
a way
for all
of us
to escape
Christ
has fulfilled
the law
on our
behalf
and anyone
who repents
of their
sin
and trust
in the
righteousness
of Christ
for salvation
will be
saved
from this
judgment
notice what
David says
if a man
will not
repent
God
will ready
his bow
and wet
his sword
implication
being
that if a
man does
repent
he will
be welcomed
and forgiven
it also
means
that praying
for justice
doesn't preclude
our desire
for people
to be saved
even if it
means that we
have to live
with the
consequences
of their
sin
against us
we should
desire
first
that our
enemies
turn
to Christ
that they
turn from
their sin
and their
wickedness
and that
they trust
in him
that like
us
they will
escape
the judgment
that we
all deserve
to have
received
such amazing
forgiveness
from God
should drive
us to
extend
that same
forgiveness
to those
who do
wrong
against us
so that
while we
pray for
God to
be just
and to
bring justice
we also
pray that
he would
so work
in their
hearts
that they
would turn
from their
sin
and turn
to him
in faith
and then
withhold
that justice
from them
that he
would be
the righteous
judge for
them as he
has been
the righteous
judge
for us
remember
God is
righteous
to condemn
sinners who
will not
repent
and since
Christ has
made a
sufficient
sacrifice
for sin
he is
righteous
to forgive
all who
seek refuge
in him
in either
case
our prayers
are based
on our
belief
that he
is
the
righteous
judge
fourth
action
final
action
worship
the
righteous
Lord
worship
the
righteous
Lord
look at
verse 17
notice how
David closes
this is
he does
this so
often
it's so
good
I will
give to
the
Lord
the
thanks
due
to
his
what's
that
next
word
righteousness
I will
sing
praise
to the
name
of the
Lord
most
high
so
David's
belief
in those
two
affirmations
I gave
you at
the beginning
they lead
him to
take refuge
in the
Lord
they lead
him to
boldly
declare
his
innocence
before
the
Lord
they lead
him to
confidently
anticipate
a coming
judgment
either
here and
now
or
ultimately
in the
future
in the
great
judgment
and in
the end
all of
this
leads
him to
worship
the
Lord
specifically
for
his
righteousness
it gives
us a
pattern
so that
we can
specify
our
praise
to
God
so that
in
similar
situations
even if
they are
not yet
resolved
we might
knowing
that God
is the
righteous
judge
turn our
praise
and praise
him for
his
righteousness
God
I know
you're
the
righteous
judge
I
know
that
you
will
vindicate
your
people
because
of
Christ
and I
praise
you
for
that
righteousness
that's
what
David
does
here
he
determines
to give
God
thanks
do
his
righteousness
and he
directs
his song
to the
most
high
who
rules
over
all
creation
indeed
all
that
God
is
and
does
is
ultimately
for
his
glory
and
when we
have those
two
affirmations
in view
our lives
will pour
forth
praise
to the
righteous
judge
now
let me finish
this way
would you turn
with me to
1st Peter
chapter 2
1st Peter
chapter 2
when I step
back to the
30,000 foot
view again
of what's
happening
in this
song
David
is in a
circumstance
where
an enemy
has brought
false
accusations
against
him
and his
life is
in danger
as a result
he commits
his calls
to the
Lord
and he
must decide
in doing
so
how he
will
react
will he
react
in his
own
devices
or will
he
commit
the
call
solely
to
the
Lord
and
trust
the
Lord
to
deal
with
his
enemies
the way
he
sees
fit
to
deal
with
them
Jesus
gives us
the model
of this
1st Peter
chapter 2
verse 22
Jesus
committed
no sin
neither
was
deceit
found
in his
mouth
though
he
was
accused
of
both
things
when
he
was
reviled
he
did
not
revile
in
return
in
other
words
he
did
not
fight
fire
with
fire
when
he
suffered
he
did
not
threaten
what
did
he
do
he
continued
entrusting
himself
to
him
who
does
what
judges
justly
the
righteous
judge
and
how
did
he
do
that
he
himself
bore
our
sins
in
his
body
on
the
tree
that
we
might
die
to
sin
and
live
to
righteousness
by
his
wounds
you've
been
healed
for
you
were
straying
like
sheep
but
now
returned
to
the
shepherd
and
overseer
of
your
souls
How
does
Jesus
model
this?
He
carries
it
out
to
its
fullest
end
Jesus
was
crucified
the
charges
against
him
were
that
he
was
an
imposter
that
he
was
a
liar
that
he
was
blasphemous
that
he
had
made
himself
to be
something
that
he
wasn't
in
being
God
he
had
made
himself
equal
with
God
that's
why
the
Jews
hated
him
that's
why
they
murdered
him
of
course
all
of
that
was
true
about
him
not
that
he
had
sinned
in
those
ways
but
that
he
actually
is
God
and
he
had
no
to
sin
there
was
no
deceit
in
his
mouth
he
was
not
saying
that
he
was
something
that
he
was
not
he
could
have
poured
out
wrath
on
them
then
he
had
authority
to
do
that
just
as
David
had
a
certain
measure
of
authority
to
carry
out
that
judgment
against
Cush
the
Benjamin
night
to
the
one
who
judges
justly
which
meant
that
it
cost
him
his
life
he
knew
that
his
vindication
would
come
and
it
did
come
it
came
in
his
resurrection
three
days
after
they
murdered
him
for
something
he
did
not
do
God
raised
him
from
the
dead
in
Acts
2
or
yeah
Acts
2
Peter
says
because
death
had
no
claim
on
him
he
was
sinless
his
vindication
is
seen
in
his
resurrection
our
vindication
in
relation
to
whatever
it
may
be
will
also
be
seen
in
our
resurrection
you
may
not
receive
justice
for
the
wrongs
committed
against
you
now
you
will
be
vindicated
on
the
day
that
the
Lord
returns
and
the
dead
Christ
are
raised
and
we
are
transformed
and
we
are
forever
with
the
Lord
indication
will
come
you
don't
have
to
have
it
now
it
would
be
nice
wouldn't
it
you
don't
have
to
have
it
now
your
future
is
certain
it
is
certain
better
!
better
sinner who has ever lived, including our enemies.
And may that be a comfort to us and a help to us in times like David's.