Psalms 7:1

The Bible says in Psalms 7:1-2, “O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:[2] Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” In the first part of verse one King David said an important phrase. He said to God, “in thee do I put my trust.” That is how to live a life of faith. Whatever comes your way in life, you turn to the Lord and you tell the Lord that you are trusting in Him about it. And then King David says to the Lord, “save me” and “deliver me.” A wise person understands how weak they are, and how many dangers there are in life, including the dangers that wicked people can bring. We need God to protect us and to help us. Anyone who thinks they do not have that need is not very wise. David knew that without God’s help that David’s soul would be torn “like a lion.”

The Bible says in Psalms 7:3-5, “O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;[4] If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)[5] 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.” David is telling God that David only wants God to help with David’s enemies if David has treated others properly. If David treated someone improperly, and that was the reason they became an enemy of his, then David does not want God to punish such a person. Notice in verse 5 that David mentions his “honor.” There was a time when people did things because it was the honorable thing to do. A person’s honor meant something to them. It is a matter of doing what is right and knowing that you did what was right. If you do not, then you are dishonorable.

The Bible says in Psalms 7:6, “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.” The important thing to notice about these verses is that David did not take vengeance on his enemies. David knew that his enemies deserved to be punished, but David also knew that it must be God’s decision whom to punish and how. The Lord said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”

David prayed in Psalms 7:7, “So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.” David understood God’s heart. David understood that God loves His people, and that is why David prayed, “for their sakes.” God will take care of His believers. Also notice that the Holy Spirit calls the believers “the congregation.” A congregation speaks of an assembly: those that are gathered together. If you believe in Jesus, God wants you to gather with other believers.

David prayed in Psalms 7:8, “The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.” Of course, if we are going to think about God judging people, then we must also realize that God is not only Judge of the unbelievers, but God is Judge of the believers too. Even if you are a believer, beware of doing wrong and falling into the hands of the living God. How can a believer avoid God’s chastisement in his life? The answer to that is clear: learn to evaluate yourself and be quick to confess your sins. It says in First Corinthians 11:31-32, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.[32] But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” It also says in First John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”

David prayed in Psalms 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.” The first part of this verse is the desire of every believer. That is why we are grieved at the influence of the wicked. That is why we look forward to the return of Christ. Only when Jesus returns will everything be fixed. But we rejoice in those times in this life when God shows forth His mighty hand against wickedness. God is at work whether we realize it or not. And one of the things that God is doing in His work is that He is trying “the hearts and reins.” God is attempting to work in everyone’s heart. God is trying to bring the lost souls to salvation, and He is trying to bring the saved souls to a closer walk with Christ by faith. A lot of this life is a trial: the trial of your faith. It will be manifest at the judgment how well you did. Pail said in Second Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.[7] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:[8] Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

David prayed in Psalms 7:10-11, “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.[11] God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” David knew that God would defend him. One of the benefits of being a believer is that you can have that kind of confidence. David also knew that God would save “the upright in heart.” Believers are upright in heart because when they turn to Jesus for forgiveness, they have the desire to start doing the right thing. God is always on the side of the right. Do the right thing whenever you can, and you will know that God is on your side. God wants us to do the right thing, and that is why “God judgeth the righteous.” God is judging us in order to improve our lives and bring us closer to Christ.

The last part of verse 11 is very ominous for those who have rejected Christ. It says, “God is angry with the wicked every day.” That means today God is angry with the wicked. It would be a terrible thing for someone to die in an unsaved state and have to face God’s anger and wrath. Just as in this verse the Bible warns many times of God’s wrath against sin and against those who have chosen to reject Christ. It says in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” At the end of the Great Tribulation the wrath of God will be revealed as never before on the earth at the Battle of Armageddon. It says in Revelation 14:19-20, “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” If you have not done it yet, you might want to turn to Christ with all your heart.

What about those who do not repent, and who do not turn to the Lord? The Bible says in Psalms 7:12-13, “If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. [13] He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” Who will make his sword and bow ready: God. God is watching the life of every person, and God decides the exact moment when each person dies. Of course, God has “the instruments of death.” God decides that a person has had enough opportunities to repent, and has rejected the work of the Spirit too often, and therefore, the chances to repent are over. And when that time comes for a person, God will let the arrow go out of its bow and it will strike its target down. And then that person will stand before the wrath of God without the Savior. That will have a terrible outcome: it is called Hell.

In the next three verses the Bible tells a little bit about why wicked unbelievers have chosen to reject Christ. The Bible says in Psalms 7:14-16, “Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.[15] He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.[16] His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” Three words are used in verse 14 to describe those who reject Christ: “iniquity,” “mischief,” “falsehood.” One of the main reasons that some people reject Christ is that such people actually want to do what is evil. They do not want to do what is good. That truth is also stated in John 3:20, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” The “light” is Jesus. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, that person is saved by faith and by faith alone. But part of their motivation is to do the right thing. They turn to Jesus because they want to start doing the right thing.

When people do not turn to Christ, they live their life working and planning and scheming with all kinds of selfish ambitions and purposes. But all the work that they are doing results in this: they are digging their own grave, and they are increasing the punishments that they will have in hell. When verses 15 and 16 talk about the unbeliever falling “into the ditch which he made,” and the fact that “his mischief shall return upon his own head,” it is talking both about the consequences that can sometimes happen in this life, and the consequences that will certainly happen at the judgment. The more evil that someone does, the more will be their punishments in hell.

King David writes in Psalms 7:17, “I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.” When you think about the fact that God is in control and that no one is going to get away with anything, you should be able to praise the Lord. The right will win. The wrong will fail. It will happen because God is righteous. God is good, and He will make sure that all things work together for good. God will give a good result to all things. When we are at the judgment and we see the judgments that are handed out, we will rejoice with God at His goodness and righteousness; and we will wish that we had had more faith to wait upon Him and to praise Him while we were on the earth.

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