At first reading the verse for today appears quite BOLD. I’m not even sure most Christians in our day would word the prayer exactly as David has.

But you can decide that matter, as the Lord leads you. “The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.” Psalm 7:8

David, in the “context” of Psalm 7, has been falsely accused of undermining King Saul of Israel. Treason, a capital offense, by the way.

But David is clearly NOT GUILTY!

Yet this young man finds himself running for his life, fleeing the death squad of a backslidden King!

So … David brings his petition for safety to the Lord, in prayer.

He knows a Judge who is right in all His decisions, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob!

Hear his faith speak: “The LORD shall judge the people.”

Here the noun “people” is different than in verse 7. There it was “leom,” a more general word, a mixture of people, the nations even. Here the word is “am,” a more unified group, even meaning “kinsfolk” at times! The idea is that God will judge HIS PEOPLE! Those who believe in Him!

This great God (the Judge) will reveal who is right, no matter what any false accuser might allege.

Then our verse continues, as if David has joined this throng of “little ones” God is judging … “Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.”

Wow!

In this case anyway (being accused of seeking harm to King Saul), David is completely innocent! And he pleads that innocence before God!

(Really, we have no righteousness of our own! Isaiah the Prophet, who lived centuries after David, penned: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ….” Quoted from Isaiah 64:6. Any righteousness we Christians have has been given us because of the Cross of Calvary, the Death of Jesus. His Imputation of Purity, His Holiness placed on us when we believed in His Name. When we trusted Him for salvation.)

But David, who is already trusting in a Messiah who would come (though seeing Him through a glass darkly) KNOWS he will some day face a Judge who will not be sitting on the bench in anger! But viewing his children in amazing love!

The noun “integrity” is based on “tam” in Hebrew, meaning “whole, complete, undivided,” even being translated “clean” a few times.

Talk about God removing our fear! “The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.”

An old preacher from the 17th century wrote the following words about today’s verse, about David. I thought they were particularly good. “Believers! Let not the terror of that day (of Judgment) dispirit you when you meditate upon it; let those who have slighted the Judge, and continue enemies to him and the way of holiness, droop and hang down their heads when they think of his coming; but lift ye up your heads with joy, for the last day will be your best day. The Judge is your Head and Husband, your Redeemer, and your Advocate. Ye must appear before the judgment-seat; but ye shall not come into condemnation. His coming will not be against you, but for you. It is otherwise with unbelievers, a neglected Saviour will be a severe Judge.”

Amen.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Verse 9 is next, the Lord willing.

 

Today’s verse is short, and not that simple either!

It contains one brief thought of assurance, followed by a direct (rather insistent) prayer.

“So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.” Psalm 7:7, addressed to God, obviously, a sincere prayer of young David.

The people of God will some day gather around Him … He being the Great Judge of the universe!

And God will fulfill His Holy and Exalted Position … as Arbitrator of all right and wrong!

This is indeed a call to judgment!

David will not himself judge his difficult situation (filled with enemies who hate him and want his death) … rather David will wait for the Lord to render the (right) verdict in the matter!

This is sort of like something Paul wrote: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19, actually quoting Isaiah 63:4.

Wow!

“So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.” Psalm 7:7

The noun “congregation” is “edah” in Hebrew. The word means “witnesses,” when used as a collective noun, as here. The people who KNOW the truth about David … who are aware of his innocence in the matter of Saul son of Kish … will gather around the Lord … and speak on David’s behalf!

Until then … David will do Saul no harm. Though Saul was not living a godly life. In fact, it’s in this context David wrote: “Touch not mine anointed.” That number including the King of Israel, Psalm 105:15.

The noun “people” is “leom,” large groups of people, “nations” occasionally in the King James Text. It’s from a verbal root meaning “to gather.”

“To compass about” merely means, in our day, “to surround.” That really sounds like a sweet thought, doesn’t it? Meeting around our great God!

Even the Judgment Seat of Christ (for those who area saved) will be a time when we are reviewed … as Believers in Christ. Not as lost sinners (the Great White Throne) being condemned to Hell forever.

The part of the verse that asks God “to return on high” is pleading with Him to call “court” into session!

To speedily judge those who have lied so much about David!

Folks, this is really “bringing your burdens to the Lord … and leaving them there!”

“So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.” Psalm 7:7

Plead my cause, O God!

Oh, what Wisdom in a single line of Scripture.

And Oh, how we need to apply this example in our lives.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Today we study a prayer.

Well, actually David has been praying the whole Psalm long.

It’s just that his prayer now “turns” away from himself (in a good way) … and focuses on those enemies of his (many in number, at least through most of his life).

This “new” type prayer is call “imprecation.”

In reality it is … “asking God to take care of one’s enemies, to judge them (when the time is right) and to make them conform to God’s Standard (righteousness).

The Latin-derived noun “imprecation” means (imprecare) “to pray” with a prefix meaning (in) “toward!” Praying toward (against) a wicked person!

And the Book of Psalms is replete (Latin again, “plere” means “to fill” and “re” means “again”) with such bold, honest prayers. Many of them.

Let’s look at today’s verse now: “Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.” Psalm 7:6, talk about turning something (someone) over to God!

He (David, the petitioner) is trying to “arouse” God, “qum” being a Hebrew word for “stand up!”

The noun “anger” is “aph,” literally meaning “nostril, nose,” then “face.” He is pleading with the Lord to get “red-in-the-face,” that angry at his ungodly enemies! So angry that one’s countenance (face) changes appearance! The he “breathes hard, through his nostrils,” heavily, noisily!

Wow!

The noun “rage” means “excess, outpouring, overflow, fury!”

The man (whom we met even back before verse 1 of Psalm 7) named Cush is one of David’s main “subjects” in this dramatic prayer! David will not personally harm this individual, no way. But He certainly will ask God to keep an eye on the situation!

The plea “awake” (said to God) means “arouse Thyself,” Lord.

Lord, do the “judgment” (in Hebrew “mishpat … a judicial word meaning “to pass and execute sentence on a wrongdoer”) that You have “commanded” on the wicked!

Like: “God is angry with the wicked every day.” And “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” And “Evildoers shall be cut off.” Each verse or part of a verse just quoted is from the King James Version of Scripture, word for word.

All David is asking God to do is (maybe speedily) go ahead and place “righteous judgment” on those who have so hated him! Those who would kill him. Those who have no respect for the future King of Israel! Yes, David too is God’s Anointed!

More bout this idea, this type of prayer tomorrow, Lord willing.

To me it’s like this. Instead of taking matters into one’s own hands … “I will get even with that enemy.” David has just thought: “I will put that enemy in God’s Hands. And ask my Lord to deal with Him as His Word says is right and (ultimately) inevitable!

Nothing wrong with that!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Is it a prayer?

A poem?

A good man’s inner thoughts, just put on paper?

David (the man after God’s Own Heart) has been “falsely” accused of disrespecting (yea, even more than that) King Saul of Israel.

The lies have been hurled at Psalm 7’s hero by a reprobate named (or nicknamed) “Cush the Benjamite.” By the way, the Tribe from which Saul descended was also that of Benjamin. So this fellow Cush is somehow a relative (near or distant) of the King.

So David (in innocence) writes, says …

“O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.”

Then he continues …

“O LORD my God, IF I HAVE DONE THIS; if there be iniquity in my hands; if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.”

This is pretty stringent, really.

David, like Paul much later in Scripture, is being pretty “rough” on himself.

This is self-imprecation, judging oneself, if I’ve ever read it!

And today’s verse, Psalm 7:5, specifies the “curses.”

“Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust.”

The verb “persecute” translates “radaph” again. It was also used back in verse 1 of the Chapter. It means “to pursue, to chase, to be behind, to follow after,” all with harm in mind. Stalking a person in order to kill him, for example.

And David, if guilty of “hurting” the King of Israel (even though wicked Saul was currently occupying the throne) has just given God “permission” to remove any “restraints” on the enemy! “Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it.” The verb “take” is “nasag,” essentially “to capture.”

To “tread down” (the next clause), means “to trample.” In other words, “Let him stomp me into the ground!” That’s an ancient word picture for “conquering” an individual. “Your feet on his neck,” that kind of idea. “Let him tread down my life upon the earth.”

Then a third petition immediately follows. “Let him … lay mine honour in the dust.” A man’s “honor” in those days long ago meant nearly everything to him! His “good name,” his “reputation,” nowadays, his “testimony.” What his friends believe him to be! His “character,” his “goodness.” The noun “honor” is “kabod,” suggesting “importance, heaviness, gravity, seriousness.”

BUT … and this becomes even more prominent tomorrow … DAVID IS NOT GUILTY OF SUCH DANGEROUS CHARGES!

And David will “turn” this prayer around, reversing it completely! From praying against himself … to praying against this lying man named Cush! In fact, to praying against all the incorrigibly wicked! (The word is from Latin, “not able to be corrected!” That stubborn, that hardened!)

David, self deprecating, humble, willing to be “whipped” if guilty of insurrection!

This reminds me of a verse the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament. “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” 1st Corinthians 11:31

Wow!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

David says some things today (in Psalm 7) that he could never repeat … after this sin with Bathsheba. Or after the “chain” of sins the Bathsheba affair entailed in his life.

Listen to this man of God (yes, David) as he is being falsely accused (by a man named Cush) of intending to harm King Saul. “If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy ….” Psalm 7:4

David held  no animosity toward the reigning (though failing) King!

If he had done so … David was fully willing for God’s Hand of Judgment to fall upon him. Tomorrow’s verse proves this: “Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust.” That is, if I (David) have so sinned against Saul!

If I have dishonored the King, God’s very “anointed,” David calls him.

Yes, David “lists” the very things of which he is being accused, apparently. “If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy ….”

Not only had David done Saul no “evil” … he had previously refused to “deliver” Saul to an assassin! Thus sparing the man’s life! Twice (previously) David had already refused to take Saul’s life!

So, David in Psalm 7 is praying, pleading his “innocence” toward Saul … as an “argument” for God to keep him safe in the wilderness! Safe from Saul’s relentless “posse.” The king’s death squad!

And every single word David spoke to God here … was truth.

But, as I sadly said earlier in the Lesson … David could not pray these words any longer after the debacle with Bathsheba and Uriah.

Because, in killing his new “lover’s” husband … David DID “reward evil to him who was at peace with him.”

And David did “deliver (to be murdered) him that was without cause his enemy.” In fact, Uriah (professionally, as a soldier) loved his King, and was loyal to David to a fault!

Oh, what a difference one blunder can make!

Even after that sin has been erased, forgiven.

By the way, keep studying with us the next few days … David (who was genuinely not guilty of Cush’s accusations) will have a  “mood” change. One approved of God, I suspect.

David will put his true enemy (Cush) into the Hands of the Lord!

Yes, imprecation is on the way!

More about that later, however.

In the mean time … let us all stay clear of sin, best as is humanly possible. Let us pray (as Jesus taught us) “Our Father which art in Heaven … lead us not into temptation, but deliver us of evil.” Matthew 6:13

Stay innocent.

Avoid “the unintended consequences of sin!”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell