2005-07-02 - God Does Judge

Psalm 7, Part 1

One of the most difficult things we have to deal with as believers is trusting in the Lord when it doesn't look like things are going the way we want them to. Too frequently, I equate my desires with the Lord's will. Over the years, it has been easy to fall into the trap of believing that because I am striving to be obedient to the Lord, He should meet my needs as I define them. When this does not happen, it can become easy to doubt.

The world tends to function in this same way. The non-believer takes the position there is either no God at all, or He is impotent. Because non-believers haven't seen God's judgment, or don't recognize it when they do, they assume He won't judge. The world sees the Lord as it wants to, not as He is. Unfortunately, we sometimes do that ourselves.

The fact of the matter is that God is in control. If circumstances don't conform to my desire, this is happening consistent with His will. The fact the others have strived to serve the Lord as He desires, and things haven't worked out the way they want, is because God has something better for them.

David understood that God is in control, and that He is trustworthy. David understood the nature of God. Because he did so, he could live in confidence and hope, even when circumstances worked against experiencing peace. We, too, need to have this same confidence in the trustworthiness of God. In Psalm 7, we will see that because we can have confidence in the Lord in one area, we can trust Him in all things. Because God is just, God will judge. Because God will judge, God is trustworthy in all things. And because we can trust Him, we can receive the gift of His peace.

Psalm 7

Shiggayon of David which he sang to Yahweh to the words of Kush the Benjaminite..

² O Yahweh, my God, in you have I trusted, save me from all my pursuers. ³ Rescue me, lest he tear me apart like a lion Rending my neck with none to rescue me.

⁴ O Yahweh, my God, If I have committed an indignity, if there is guilt on my hands, ⁵ If I have repaid my ally with treachery, troubled his heart with idle talk: ⁶ Let the foe pursue and overtake me, Let him trample my vitals into the nether world, Let him cause my liver to dwell in the mud. Selah

⁷ Arise, O Yahweh, in your wrath, rise up against the arrogance of my adversaries; Bestir yourself, O my God, a judgment appoint! ⁸ Let the congregation of peoples surround you, and over it preside, O Exalted One!

⁹ Let Yahweh judge the nations! Judge me, O Yahweh, according to my justice, and according to my integrity, O Most High. ¹⁰ Avenge the treachery of the wicked, and reassure the just man, Since the searcher of mind and heart is God the Just.

¹¹ My Suzerain is the Most High God, The Savior of the upright of heart. ¹² God is a righteous ruler, and El is a vindicator at all times. ¹³ O that the Victor would again sharpen his sword draw and aim his bow! ¹⁴ O that he would prepare his lethal weapons, make his arrows into flaming shafts! ¹⁵ Look, he conceives malice, is pregnant with mischief, and gives birth to treachery.

¹⁶ He dug a pit, but it pitted him, and he fell into the hole he made. ¹⁷ His mischief recoiled upon his head, and upon his skull his malice redounded. ¹⁸ I will thank Yahweh as befits his justice, and will sing the name of Yahweh Most High. ¹

¹ Dahood, Mitchell, The Anchor Bible, "Psalms 1", Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York, NY, 1978, p. 40-41.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

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http://www.cfdevotionals.org