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Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
¹⁵ Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit they have made.
¹⁶ The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

¹⁷ I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
    I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. NIVUK

v21f. reads, in the Jerusalem Bible: ”The enemy may sharpen his sword…but the weapons he prepares will kill himself” (see Mt.26:32).

This principle is repeated in various parts of the Bible. It is that we will reap as we sow. It can, of course, have positive as well as negative connotations (see, e.g. 2 Cor.9:6/Gal.6:7-10). But as we find it in the Old Testament, it is usually reinforcing the message of verses 14-16 (see e.g. Nu.32:23, Ps.9:15; Prov.26:27).

‘This is the way sin works…it has a boomerang quality as if it were a living agent in its own right. But if sin appears to return on the head of the perpetrator it is because there is a just (6-8a), wrathful (10-13) God before whom all will one day stand, but who is the same every day with resources at the ready for the punishment of the unrepentant.’ Alec Motyer.

The principle of ‘evil coming home to roost…operates unevenly in the material realm, but inescapably in that of the spirit…’ Derek Kidner.

PRAYER: Lord please help me today, in the choices I face, to be sowing to the Spirit and not to the flesh.

Arise, Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.
⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather round you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.
⁸     Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure –
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

¹⁰ My shield is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge,
    a God who displays his wrath every day.
¹² If he does not relent,
    he will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows. NIVUK

What a prayer for today – for these perilous times in which we are living:

”Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure…”

Doesn’t it seem to be so relevant?

David is not merely mouthing words; going through a religious exercise. It is a heart-rending cry to the God he knows to be real, to intervene, to act decisively. He totally believes that God is able to deal with ”the wicked”.

But let’s remember that this comes in a section where David is entrusting his case to the Lord. Warren Wiersbe expresses this well: ‘It is wise to let God be the judge because His judgment is always right (1 Cor.4:3-5). We do not see ourselves and others as He sees, so it is best to turn the matter over to Him.’

Centuries later, Jesus – ‘Great David’s Greater Son – exemplified this approach:

”To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

²² ‘He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.’

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Pet.2:21-23 NIVUK.

Verse 22 of the above passage could never have been said of David, and he would not have claimed it. But in the circumstances surrounding Psalm 7, he upheld his claim to ”integrity” – that he was not guilty of the charges being laid at his door. Nevertheless, he was content to ‘entrust himself’ to the One who ”judges justly”.

¹ Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
    save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
² or they will tear me apart like a lion
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³ Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands –
⁴ if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause have robbed my foe –
⁵ then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
    let him trample my life to the ground
    and make me sleep in the dust.

Psalm 7 is headed: ”A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.” It is thought that ”shiggaion” was probably a musical or literary term. We don’t know what Cush said about David, but it seems he was one of the ‘court liars’ who flattered Saul and made life difficult for David (see 1 Sam.24:9). There came a point in Saul’s spiritual and mental deterioration, where it was probably relatively easy to feed his manic, paranoid suspicion and fear of David.

But David did not take matters into his own hands. See how this Psalm is born out of personal relationship: ”Lord my God”. David takes it to the Lord in prayer. He lays it all before Him. He seeks not retaliation, but vindication. He believes that he prays out of a clear conscience (see also v.8), but he is content for God to decide the matter. Our knowledge (even of ourselves) is partial, but God knows all there is to know.

‘The overall movement of the psalm is the familiar theme that prayer resolves crises and issues in praise for their solution.’ Alec Motyer

(Thought: You may, or may not, have people ‘on your case’ today, but maybe there are fears and concerns which threaten to ‘tear you apart’ – to ‘rip you to pieces’ – like wild beasts. Know that, like David, you can commit everything to the Lord. ”Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”1 Peter 5:7).

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
² Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
³ My soul is in deep anguish.
    How long, Lord, how long?

⁴ Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
    save me because of your unfailing love.
⁵ Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
    Who praises you from his grave?

⁶ I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
    and drench my couch with tears.
⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
    they fail because of all my foes.

⁸ Away from me, all you who do evil,
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
⁹ The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Psalm 6 is one of 7 ‘penitential’ psalms, expressing confession and repentance (the others being 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143).

If there is one question in the psalms with which we can all identify, it is surely this one: ”How long, Lord, how long?” How long will this keep going on? How many more tears must I cry? How much more will we have to endure? How many more prayers before the longed for breakthrough appears? ”How long, Lord…?”

David was clearly in deep trouble and anguish when he wrote this psalm (2,3,6,7), evening sensing a death sentence hanging over him (5). It may be that he was sick in some way. It may be another psalm associated with the time of Absalom’s rebellion. We don’t know for certain.

But notice – and this can happen in prayer – he comes to a place of assurance that all will be well (8-10).

Many years ago, during a time of crisis, I entered into a committed season of intense prayer, for breakthrough. It extended over 40 days. I felt ‘burdened’ about a problem which had dragged on and on without resolution, and it had become a heavy weight to carry. Around day 31 or 32, as I walked around my house praying, I got such a strong sense of conviction that it was over – dealt with. I wrote in my journal, ‘D Day – It is finished!’ Outwardly, nothing much changed for a few months, but as the year wore on it became more and more evident that what I came to ‘know’ in prayer was the case. I still marvel at this experience 28 years later.

For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand
    in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
⁶     you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
⁷ But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    towards your holy temple.

⁸ Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies –
    make your way straight before me.
⁹ Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongues they tell lies.
¹⁰ Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

¹² Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favour as with a shield.

David is swimming against the tide. He draws a contrast between himself and the other people he has in mind (possibly the rebels with Absalom?). This is not a distinction of self-righteousness. David was far from perfect. He knew it. We know it. But at his best he wanted to be the best for God (and he for sure knew how to confess and repent when he fell short). Look how, in verse 8, he prays to live right This psalm shows the ‘moral commitment’ (Motyer) of the man praying, seeking to live right amidst many who are living wrong. He doesn’t want to be like those whom the Lord will banish from His presence (9,10). The life of prayer must not be divorced from the pursuit of holiness.

In particular, though, the contrast he draws is one of God’s grace and mercy:

‘But I, by your great love, can come into your house…’ (7a, compare with v.5).

I remember often singing the hymn ‘Eternal Light’ in my earlier years. Note particularly the third and fourth verses:

‘Eternal Light! Eternal Light!
  How pure the soul must be
When, placed within Thy searching sight,
It shrinks not, but with calm delight
  Can live and look on Thee.

The spirits that surround Thy throne
  May bear the burning bliss;
But that is surely theirs alone,
Since they have never, never known
  A fallen world like this.

Oh, how shall I, whose native sphere
  Is dark, whose mind is dim,
Before th’ Ineffable appear,
And on my natural spirit bear
  The uncreated beam?

There is a way for man to rise
  To That sublime Abode;
An Offering and a Sacrifice,
A Holy Spirit’s energies,
  An Advocate with God:

These, these prepare us for the sight
  Of holiness above;
The sons of ignorance and night
May dwell in the eternal Light,
  Through the eternal Love.’

Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.
² Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

³ In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.

In his fine book, ‘Don’t just stand there, pray something’, Ronald Dunn tells an amusing story of a group of Sunday school children who wrote to a missionary along these lines:

‘Dear Rev. Smith, we are praying for you. We are not expecting an answer.’

It makes one smile, but there is an ‘ouch’ factor. What are we expecting in answer to our prayers?

Recently, I read these words in Luke 18:1: ”Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” ‘Giving up’ is the very thing we are tempted to do, when praying over the long-haul, and nothing seems to be shifting.

PRAYER: Lord, help me this day to align myself with the Psalmist and pray with expectation.

Answer me when I call to you,
    my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

² How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
³ Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴ Tremble and do not sin;
    when you are on your beds,
    search your hearts and be silent.
⁵ Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.

⁶ Many, Lord, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’
    Let the light of your face shine on us.
⁷ Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound.

⁸ In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

It is generally thought that Psalm 3 belongs to the morning, and Psalm 4 to the evening, but both belong to that period when David was on the run from Absalom. Here, David is facing a second night on the run, and under threat, and again he meets his circumstances with prayer. The idea of prayer, and the prayer-answering God, is threaded throughout the psalm.

‘…we note that to come into the place of prayer (1) is to find oneself in the place of peace (8).’ Alec Motyer

We may feel we want to ask the question in verse 2 of the people of our own day. Many, it seems, are happy to follow delusions and lies, rather than embracing uncomfortable truth. In the context, David’s words are ‘An imaginative appeal to those gathered to Absalom to stop denigrating his glory as king, to abandon their delusions of power and their ‘falsehood’…’ (In the original this is more about ‘lies’ than false gods ).

But let us not miss the heart of this psalm which is one of confident trust in the Lord. David knew what it was to have a table prepared for him in the presence of his enemies (Psalm 23:5).

Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
² Many are saying of me,
    ‘God will not deliver him.’

³ But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
⁴ I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

⁷ Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

We do know something of the life-situation out of which this psalm arose. It is there in the title: ‘A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.’ This was a dangerous, and heart-breaking, time for King David. He had ”many” people against him, not least his beloved son who was leading an internal rebellion. But I am reminded that ‘one with God is a majority’. Also, as someone observed, ‘God is not on the side of the big battalions.’ A David, trusting in the Lord, will fell ‘Goliath’ over and over, if necessary.

”What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.

When Elisha and his servant were surrounded by enemies in Dothan, Elisha told his fearful servant,’ ”Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Ki.6:16). Then he prayed, ”Open his eyes LORD, so that he may see.” When God opened the servant’s eyes, he ”…saw the hills full of horses and chariots” (v.17).

In the face of the ”many” David has his ”But”. It is the ”But” of faith. If the outlook was gloomy the up-look was glorious. The life of faith is not one of unreality where we deny facts. Rather we face them, choosing to trust God, and not give way to fear. Whatever people may be saying, we place our confidence in the God we know: The One revealed in the Scriptures, and whose power we have proved in our own experience.

‘Here is a psalm with a clear focal point i.e. that prayer brings confidence to face life (4-6)…the antidote to despondency is, first, to assert divine truth (3), and secondly to seek divine aid (4). The consequence is the blessing of a night’s sleep (5) and fresh confidence for the new day (6)…confident prayer draws on past experiences of grace and begets assurance for the future (8)’ Alec Motyer.

‘God never sleeps (Ps. 121:3-4), so why should you stay awake and worry?’ Warren Wiersbe.

Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ ‘Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.’

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ ‘I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.’

⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, ‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

‘When the world’s noise frightens you, turn to the Lord and let Him take over (Acts 4:23-31)…Over the noise of the nations, listen for the assuring voice of God’ Warren Wiersbe.

There is something wonderful about the word ”installed”. Regardless of the human rejection of God (the essence of sin), the Kingship of the Messiah, Jesus, is immoveable. No wonder ” The One enthroned in heaven laughs…” His Throne is safe. He is far above all the wicked schemes and machinations of those who hate Him and do not want Him. He, in His love, grace and mercy will be a ”refuge” to all who run to Him. But let all who refuse Him ”be warned”. ‘There is no refuge from him: only in him’ (Derek Kidner).

Charles Wesley wrote these majestic words:

”His kingdom cannot fail
He rules o’er earth and heav’n
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n
Lift up your heart
Lift up your voice
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice’ (From the hymn: ‘Rejoice the Lord is King).

Alec Motyer, in the ‘New Bible Commentary’ provides this excellent summary: ‘The psalm is rooted in 2 Samuel 7, the promise to David of a supreme name, a relationship of sonship to the Lord, and an enduring line. Possibly the psalm was used to greet each succeeding Davidic king on his ascension as a reminder of the ideal, but its fulfilment came in ‘great David’s greater Son’ (Lk.1:31-33), just as the ever-pervasive refusal of the world to have ‘this man reign over them’ (Lk.19:14) reached its climax at Calvary (Acts 4:25-26; 1 Cor.2:8). The age in which we live, however bland and accommodating it may at times appear, essentially hates, opposes and rebels against God in Christ. Historically, the Davidic king was always under threat from the surrounding world; essentially, this reflects the world’s rebellion against God; prophetically, the psalm speaks of the rejection of Jesus.’

He later adds: ‘It is Satan’s delusion (Gn.3:1-5) to represent divine conditions of blessing as hostile restrictions holding mankind from proper freedom.’ (see v.3)

PRAYER: Almighty God, help me to see past the news, with its angles, distortions, half-truths, and even lies, to see things as they really are. Enable me to enjoy the view from ‘the heavenly realms’. Please give me an unclouded vision of spiritual reality