“[Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.]
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. 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. 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. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he 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. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.” -Psalm 7
A cursory reading of Psalm 7 may leave us wondering how it is relevant to us. Thankfully, most of us have never had to engage in the type of warfare David saw, and no one I know has been personally sought to be executed by the government without cause.
Further, the heading of this psalm describes the occasion David is writing as “concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.” This is somewhat mysterious because this Cush is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible (the Cush who was Noah’s grandson in Genesis is certainly a different person because he lived much earlier in history than David). It is not possible to definitively determine who Cush was, but the content of the psalm and Cush’s identity as a Benjamite seem to indicate that Cush was a servant of Saul who slandered David to King Saul. Alternatively, the name may have been used for Saul himself, or else it may refer to Shimei, a man of Saul’s house who cursed David during his struggle against his son Absolom. Regardless, what we know for certain is that Cush spoke false and evil things about David, and the men allied with Cush were ready to take David’s life.
Again, the type of struggle David is describing is foreign to most of us. Our understanding of persecution is mostly limited to shame and ridicule, whereas David’s persecution meant he would be torn like the prey of a lion. Our prayers typically do not call for our enemies to be destroyed in God’s wrath, but that is exactly what David requested in verse 6. I would be fearful to pray that God would judge me by my righteousness and integrity, but that is David’s plea in verse 8.
To begin our study, we need to keep in mind that David has been falsely accused. David knew that he was innocent of whatever crime he was accused of, and in that sense he can pray that God judge according to his innocence. Further, his prayer for God to rise in anger is not a revengeful statement. David is not planning on trying to exact his own revenge: he is asking God to judge. “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” In His own time and strength, God judges wicked men. David is not wrong to align himself with God’s judgment.
Still, the question remains: how is this relevant to people who have never been engaged in warfare? On closer inspection, we must admit this is a faulty question. Are we not engaged in warfare? No, we do not war in the way David did with flesh and blood, but scripture plainly teaches that we are engaged in a very real warfare. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:11-12). According to this text, not only do we have a warfare, but we also have an enemy. The devil (known as Satan, which means adversary) is our chief enemy. Just as David had an enemy stronger than himself, so we have an enemy stronger than ourselves. Just as David had to look to God for deliverance from this adversary, so we must walk in faith to quench our adversary’s fiery darts. Just as David’s enemy sought cruelly to destroy him as a lion destroys prey, so the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Just as David’s enemy used slander to harm his reputation and engage the battle against David, so our enemy is the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Just as David was assured that God would recognize his innocence, so we in a much greater sense believe that the devil cannot lay anything to our charge before God, because it is God who justifieth (Romans 8:33-34). The devil’s accusations against God’s people amount to slander, and God will not honor it.
Recognizing that this psalm presents a picture of faith during our spiritual warfare, verse 16 is notable: “His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” This echoes God’s judgment against the serpent in the Garden of Eden, that the seed of man shall bruise the devil’s head (Genesis 3:15). God’s people should not shy away from His righteous judgment and wrath against the wicked. Instead, we should anticipate and rejoice in it! Verse 17: “I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.” I hope that meditation on this psalm will result in a godly battle cry of the Lord’s people against ungodliness. Let us not shrink away in fear or hopelessness, but let us fight the good fight of faith with all confidence in the power and promise of God to deliver us from the enemy.