Often the Psalmists call God “Protector, Defender, Fortress, High Tower,” their Place of Safety. In other words, God could keep them from harm, from any attacker who may lodge his deadly eye toward them as a child of God.

But in Psalm 7 David sees (via a vibrant faith) God not only as mighty Protector … but active Warrior against the enemies of life! The Lord as (based on Moses’ words much centuries before David) a “Man of War!” See Exodus 15:3 for verification, one example anyway.

Yesterday’s verse, along with today’s, gives us a prime specimen of what I mean. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he (the wicked) turn not, he (God) will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” Psalm 7:11-13

Wow!

No wonder David did not fear!

Or certainly feared less than he would have without the Lord.

Watch verse 13 closely. “He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.”

With the pronouns amplified: “He (the Lord) hath also prepared for him (the wicked) the instruments of death; he (the Lord again) ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.”

Amazing!

Remember, the whole Psalm is written as a bold statement of faith. Exuding confidence that God WILL DELIVER David from a man who hates him and has spoken against him.

Here David pictures God as going about to “ambush” Cush (David’s current enemy, by name). “Hath prepared” is “kun” in Hebrew, “made firm, stable, established.” God has as much as “commanded” instruments of death … for the God haters!

“Instruments” means “tools, armour (10 times in the King James Version), vessels.” And the noun “death” speaks for itself. Literally and spiritually here.

Then God is seen with “arrows” in His Hand! “He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.”

This verb, “ordaineth,” is “paal,” unusual! It actually means “to do, to make, to work.” God might here be “manufacturing” such arrows! (If the wicked can sit around and “invent” further ways to sin … God can gloriously “build” more arrows with which to piece the rebelliously ungodly!)

And the noun “persecutor” is key. “Dalaq,” very rare indeed. (Only 9 times in all the Old Testament!) It means “to burn,” but in this sense, “to hotly pursue” someone! Thus, “to chase.” One time, “to inflame!”

This is Isaiah 54:17 written in advance! “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Amen.

Look at this scenario …

The wicked coming against the ungodly, David, being the inspired author of these words, is at prayer: “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: that they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.” Psalm 64:2-4, showing arrows aimed against the godly!

Then today’s text: “If he (the wicked) turn not, he (God) will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” God shooting at the wicked, now bringing them down!

Big difference!

BIG GOD!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Psalm 7:12 is a BOLD verse.

It goes “against the grain,” the message this verse delivers.

It’s Subject is God, God Almighty.

It’s object, those receiving God’s Wrath, are the wicked.

The pronouns, however, are somewhat ambiguous.

Read it (our verse for today) with me, if you will. “If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.” Psalm 7:12

Someone has a sword!

And a bow, presumably with an arrow loaded, it being “bent!”

Who is this … so angry?

Well, let me give you the verse, with the pronouns (3 of them) explained, linked to their antecedents. “If he (the wicked) turn not, he (the Lord) will whet his sword; he (the Lord) hath bent his bow, and made it ready.”

And at whom is the Lord about to shoot? The previous verse told us, “the wicked.” (That would be Psalm 7:11. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”)

Wow!

That is, if the wicked man “turns” not! If he does not relent! “Shub” (used here) is the main Hebrew verb meaning “to go back, to withdraw,” hence to repent. Thus, if he stays unrepentant … God will severely judge him.

Yes, this presents a view of God almost unheard, practically unknown today!

Again … God is going to fiercely judge the stubbornly wicked.

(In the setting of Psalm 7 David is applying this truth to an enemy of his. A man named Cush. Who hated David and spoke lies against him, apparently repeatedly. Cush wanted David dead.)

Bottom line: David turned his enemies over to God.

David will await the Lord’s decision … not prematurely taking matters into his own hands!

This short little Bible sentence gives us all a good example of how to respond to those who react to our Christianity, our attempts to live in a godly manner.

Go get ’em, Lord!

“If he (the wicked) turn not, he (the Lord) will whet his sword; he (the Lord) hath bent his bow, and made it ready.”

It’s the Truth.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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I’ve often heard that “categorizing” life into too many departments may not be such a good idea. Others criticize religions for often seeing life as “dualistic.” That means “two” fundamental aspects of life prevail, as one’s worldview. But, for the Christian, indeed, there exists the good and the bad. Better stated, “right” and “wrong.”

Our verse today, Psalm 7:11, lets David tell us his perspective on the matter. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

Two groups … as viewed by the Lord!

The “righteous,” are those who have lived “straight” before God … not “crooked.” Other synonyms include, “just, lawful.” Those who please God by obeying His Commandments.

And the “wicked” are those who (essentially) are the opposite to the righteous. (The words “with the wicked” are obviously printed in italics. Meaning that the words do not appear in the Hebrew Text. But have been supplied by the King James Translators for clarity.)

There we have it.

Humanity’s two most important categories!

“Saved” people and “lost” people.

Now look at God’s response to those two groups. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

“Judgeth,” a verb, means “to govern, to decide right and wrong,” but also can mean (and does here) “to vindicate.” Also “to avenge.” And once “to defend.”

David (in the context of Psalm 7) will not handle the “Cush” matter by himself.

He will wait.

He (David) will let God VINDICATE his good motives. And his correct living. God will defend David, showing his innocence in the matter at hand.

And in the mean time (or simultaneously at least) … God will remain “angry” at the wicked. The Hebrew verb now is “zaam,” meaning “to denounce, to defy, to abhor, to be indignant” even “to consider abominable!”

Yes, God is the Great Arbitrator!

Who will (based on the facts) find David “not guilty.”

What a wise way to view life. A belief, by the way, taken up in the New Testament in several places, especially from the pen of Paul. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

In our journey through Psalm 7 we have arrived (today) at verse 10. It is beautiful! Especially when one considers its age, its history. David long ago felt and verbalized this thought. Somewhere around 1000 BC, in round numbers.

“My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.” Psalm 7:10

David will not try to fight his own battle here, against a backslidden King Saul or any of his allies. Especially against a wicked man named Cush, whose dangerous designs on David initially prompted this Psalm! Remember its “superscript,” written “above” verse 1. “A Psalm of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.”

David now boldly says, “My Defence is of God.”

The Hebrew noun translated “defense” her is “magen.” It literally means “shield,” a military term. God is David’s PROTECTOR!

Not some (even though good) group of men who serve as “body guards.” (David often had these in parts of his life.) Not the sword with which he killed Goliath. But the LORD will care for David!

Most armies of the past utilized two types of shields. One large enough to cover the whole body, certainly protective but not much help in close, hand-to-hand combat. The other smaller, hand-held, versatile, singularly effective in specific situations! The smaller weapon, “magen,” as used here!

The Lord is close by my side … as my Protector!

One old commentator said the word picture used here is that of an armour-bearer, standing on the battlefield WITH his compatriot … handing the fighter the exact tool he need to conquer the foe!

Wow!

Think today of God as your SHIELD!

But verse 10 says something else as well. “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.”

God not only protects … He “saves” as well.

The verb as used here is “yasha,” meaning “to deliver, to liberate, to bring freedom, to rescue, to preserve, to make safe,” and even at times “to avenge!”

Sounds like an amazing God!

This verb also is formed as a Hiphil participle, Hebrew grammar wise. That’s the “causative” root, suggesting there is a clear reason for God’s salvation becoming so real. A reason which is immediately given … David’s heart in this mater of Cush is “upright.”

The word means “straight, correct, just.”

Not “crooked,” then.

Oh, to have pure hearts before God.

A condition only possible through the Grace of God and the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father … through the Death of his Son Jesus. On that old rugged Cross, via the Shed Blood of the Lamb. An event David anticipated, it not having occurred as yet. But an event which is now history (including Jesus’ Resurrection) for us!

Are you “upright” today?

Have you been to Calvary?

Are you right now in communion with your Lord and Saviour?

Yes … what peace these words would afford … when spoken honestly. “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.” In the heat of battle, God with us!

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

It’s a relatively “mild” prayer, yet still aimed against the wicked!

And Psalm 7:9 is a vital element in the Bible’s attitude toward acceptable (even godly) imprecation.

Let me show you. “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.”

Both the noun “wickedness” and the adjective (called a “substantive” since it “stands” for a “group of people”) “wicked” are translated from the same root word. And in Hebrew “ra” or “rasha” means “guilty, malignant, evil” (especially in the sense of actively seeking sinful things), and even meaning “harmful” (seeking to do hurt to an individual)!

These are the “activists” when it comes to sin!

Sheer rebels!

Paul might have even said “reprobates!”

The verb “come to an end” is “gamar,” only found 5 times in the whole Bible! It means “to fail.” But it can mean “to come to its final state of completion.” Then, “to cease” being. For something to have “run its course!”

Almost as if (when given time) sin will  (eventually) prove itself worthless!

Show itself to be terminally useless!

David is asking God to finally annihilate ungodliness!

But, conversely … “establish the just,” the prayer continuing.

The verb “establish” is “kun” (used 219 times in Scripture, the Old Testament), meaning “fix, confirm, make stable.” And the verb is formed to show “vigorous effort and strong emotion” in its doing! This is called a Polel verb, much like the Piel stem, which is described by one Lexicon as … “usually expressing an intensive or clearly intentional action.”

God is here being asked to “roll up His Sleeves” and really WORK at establishing the godly man. Here is Isaiah’s way of saying it. “The Lord hath MADE BARE HIS HOLY ARM in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:10

Again, the whole verse we’re noticing today, Psalm 7:9. “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.”

Only GOD can “end” wickedness and “establish” justice. And this fact is explicated in the verse’s final clause … “for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.”

The verb “trieth” is “bachan” (again fairly rare, only 29 times in the Bible). It means “to examine, prove, scrutinize.” It is a participle, suggesting on-going action, habitual and continuous activity! God apparently never ceases “trying” mankind’s hearts!

One’s “reigns” are, technically, his or her “kidneys!” It’s root word means “one’s tool, utensil, vessel!” It means (in practicality) “that which is deep down inside a person.”

David just (in sincere, believing prayer) put everything in God’s Hands!

He just asked God for conditions opposite to those of Isaiah 59:14. “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.”

Wow!

Psalm 7:9, a prayer that some day will be fully answered!

“Thy Kingdom come!”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell