Psalms Seven Commentary

I. Introduction

In this Psalm we find foreshadowed one of the most striking instances of New Testament Salvation as anywhere else in the Old Testament—David, a type of the Savior Jesus Christ, and at the same time a type of the sinner in need of Salvation by the Savior Jesus. David foreshadows both sides of the Salvation Struggle in this inspired Psalm sung by him ( sung by the Spirit of Jesus Christ through David).

We will follow this format:

Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouse over of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).

Commentary We shall always be commenting on this passage keeping before us the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.

II. Psalms Seven Commentary Verses

7:1-2- Save Me Lord God

YLT TEXT: [Shiggaion[1] of David[2], which he sang[3] unto the LORD[4], concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite[5].] O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust[6]: save[7] me from all them that persecute[8] me, and deliver[9] me: Lest he tear as a lion[10] my soul[11], rending[12], and there is no deliverer[13]. (Psalms 7:1-2, Psalms 7:1-2, NLT).

COMMENTARY: Shiggaion of_______, unto the LORD, God Most High:

O save me LORD, be attentive to my cry,

Save me LORD, from my Cush, the Benjamite.

By my side, draw nigh, bare thy sword on thine thigh,

wield it high, up high, and deliver me, the roaring lion defy.

Thee alone I trust—O my, none other I dare try,

for thou art Jehovah, the LORD, God Most High, Most High.

Words. Threatening words. Is there not oftentimes but a small space betwixt them and manifest trouble? Where can one find refuge in such a small space where there is not found many hiding places? Wherever one tries to hide in small spaces such as that one part or another always seems to conspicuously” stick out” as it were. And so, David finds himself conspicuously “sticking out” in such a small space in this blessed psalm:

[Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.]

But David knows where to find refuge—he is no novice at it. He knows to flee straightaway to Jehovah, whom he trusts; Jehovah,  God Most High—here is a large space, where is found many hiding places (Psalms 17:8, 27:5,64:2, 143:9):

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 as a lion my soul, rending, and there is no deliverer.

David speaks of a human persecutor/s, but notice the spiritual overtones coming through in reference to a “lion” (1Peter 5:8). It can hardly be otherwise that the persecutor Satan is in view as well here. Aptly, David says, there is no deliverer from that lion, none contemporary with David that is. But how might his soul, indeed, any a soul, be rent?

Lest he tear as a lion my soul, rending.

A soul may be rent from its rightful owner Jehovah. And who but Jehovah God can reclaim, nay, redeem, such a lost soul, delivering it from the jaws of the lion? Indeed; consider Luke 19:10. There is no deliverer like unto the Deliverer, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the Deliverer of Man.

And then there is Saul and his cronies, no less seeking to rend David. But was not Saul a plaything of Satan just mentioned? And no less so Absalom, David’s narcissist son, another one of Satan’s playthings, coached just so by Satan to rend the Messianic line. Satan is the main enemy in view here—then, now, and always, let us never forget that. Satan’s flesh and blood stooges are but decoys—the real enemy is that unclean thing Satan—then, now, and always. And is not rending souls his main thrust, this defeated-at-Calvary enemy of David, and of God’s people, and of most specifically God? And now the battle plan put forth by David. Please notice:

O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me…

Trust. Trusting God. It sounds like such a passive battle plan; how ever can that save one’s hide? The question reflects the same tongue-wagging sort of mindset put forth by the “God of-the gaps” unbelievers who say: ‘…Irresponsibly and superstitiously you say, God will take care of it…’. They completely miss what is going on here for sure[14]. The answer to the question “how can trusting God save one’s hide,” is, trusting God might or might not save one’s hide in this life—that is an aspect of the trust here put forth by God; that is, one trusts Him and His decision about saving one’s hide, and, of course, one believes up front that the decision rests entirely with God, and one is at peace with that—whatever He decides is good, is excellent, no problem—thus one trusts. But, said trust will certainly save one’s hide (soul) in the life to come—and that is what counts, for what is a long life down here in the land of sin and sorrow compared to an eternity of joy in the presence of Jehovah God? There is no comparison, it is a moot point. Moreover, let us not overlook the fact that Jehovah God valued David’s trust in Him and saved David, and, importantly, the Messianic line, ending with Messiah Jesus’ manifest appearance and ministry. The precedent of Scripture is that Trust in God is an important cog in the wheel of salvation (the mundane variety in which God saves per se) and, again, in the wheel of Salvation (the spiritual variety in which God saves a soul for eternal fellowship with Himself).

7:3-5- Try Me Lord God

YLT TEXT O Jehovah, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity[15] in my hands, if I have done my well-wisher evil, and draw[16] mine adversary[17] without cause, an enemy pursueth my soul, and overtaketh, and treadeth down to the earth my life, and my honour[18] placeth in the dust. Selah. (Psalms 7:3-5, Psalms 7:3-5, NLT).

COMMENTARY: Hard to say exactly who or what David is referencing here, or if he just speaks in generalities: ’… If have done this, done my well-wisher evil, draw mine adversary without cause…’, and so on. Anyway, it is terrific how David now looks inside himself; he searches his conscience; nay, he lets his conscience accuse him—before God is the important takeaway: ‘…O Jehovah, if I have done thus and so, chastise me and fast straiten me…’. Why does he do things in this order? Namely, he petitions God for salvation from his enemies first as in the previous verse set, then he looks deep inside for traces of wickedness in himself and offers himself up for chastisement should there be found the same? Maybe it has to do with David’s emotions. The Shiggaion of the previous verse set was, by definition, steeped in emotion. There, he bares his soul in song, and betrays his exceeding fear, and throws His arms around Jehovah his Helper’s neck, thus embracing Hm to help, to straightaway help. This is an excellent display of faith and trust in Jehovah, his God. No problem that would come first, it is almost to be expected given the danger which we can be sure he was in given what we know of Saul’s and/or Absalom’s intentions, and no less Satan’s intentions regarding the Messianic line, to which David was central (besides Jesus, who is central). In any case, upon this pleading catharsis, he immediately turns to introspection and bares his soul before God and does so in a way that queries his character as over against the character of his enemies—that is important. For how can one plead for God’s help against this or that, or against such a one or another, if one is as bad or worse than such? One cannot is the clear message from the Word of God in this context:

O Jehovah, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands, if I have done my well-wisher evil, and draw mine adversary without cause, an enemy pursueth my soul, and overtaketh, and treadeth down to the earth my life, and my honour placeth in the dust. (Emphasis added.)

Soul, life, and honor, even mine, let the loss of the same be my just reward if you find me guilty of iniquity, evil, and inciting violence, great Jehovah my God, my only Deliverer. Notice how David proposes his own punishment should he be found guilty. What does one have left if one loses their soul, their life, their honor? Nothing, nothing is left, thus serious is the punishment he proposes be imputed upon himself. That is austere punishment to say the very least. What does this reveal about David’s sincerity before God? For starters, David is not a phony before God, he is not a hypocrite. He would rather lose everything than put a cheat on God. Here is a genuine lover of God, one who honors Him; it is a display of manifest reverence. And of course, David distances himself here from these devilish things, namely, iniquity, evil, inciting violence; he, even he, voluntarily on trial by conscience before God, thus introspecting, and clearly considering himself innocent (the inference is that he finds it not in his heart to do such things for he opens/bares his heart for God’s inspection)[19].

7:6- Awake, Awake Thou for Me, Even in Judgment Lord God

YLT TEXT: Rise[20], O Jehovah, in Thine anger[21], be lifted up[22] at the wrath[23] of mine adversaries[24], and awake[25] Thou for me: Judgment [26]Thou hast commanded[27] (Psalms 7:6, Psalms 7:6, NLT).

COMMENTARY: Jehovah God sits as it were; it is His normative posture as Sovereign God, thus reigning, a Dignitary, a King, nay, the King; the King of kings. Yea, He sits (Psalms 29:10, Isaiah 6:1). It is not a light thing when He rises, rises in His anger—the picture portrayed by the Word of God is vivid:

Rise, O Jehovah, in Thine anger…

 it is all about action, this picture, from sitting, to rising, that act; moreover, on the cusp of action is our God, thus risen. It is to that cusp, and beyond, to which David calls his God Jehovah:

Rise, O Jehovah, in Thine anger, be lifted up at the wrath of mine adversaries and awake thou for me…

Arisen in anger, in His Spirit awoken, at the wrath of David’s adversaries. Anger, for wrath. A sore, grievous, plethora of heat directed at misguided and misplaced heat. Right here we see David as a type of Jesus Christ, against which Holy Standard (Jesus) the wicked vent their petty wrath, but for whom (Jesus) Father God arises in fierce anger against Jesus’ wicked adversaries, commanding (Piel, perfect, no less) due and just and consummate Judgment upon them (cf. Psalms 2:1-6, “Psalms Two Commentary”). But how does this Judgment work itself out in shoe leather? For starters, it was shown to be in force by the deliverance of David—the Messianic line has held fast to the day, our day. Israel, of all peoples, is a nation again too by the way—this all fits together and makes some dandy shoe leather. But there is more to show here because that Messianic line, Yea David, was delivered for a reason, and it need not be said, this bespeaks purpose. What purpose? That through David, Messiah may in fact come (Matthew 1:1-6). Yet beyond that Visitation, the Judgment rolls on, for Christ (Messiah) lives, not just as the resurrected Messiah Jesus, which He certainly is, but specifically in His people, His Church, a significant force against said wicked, even their evil—a people, a Church, animated by precisely Him—and a force to be reckoned with, not just by its staggering numbers, but spiritually, carrying forward said Judgment of Jehovah God by its Testimony. And as long as the Christian Church stands, stands tall as today, said Judgment is walking tall in some dandy shoe leather. And drilling down a little bit more, what are we to say of the myriad Judgment-rooted changed lives across the centuries at the scale of the world’s population no less! What mere mortal can predict and then pull off such things, or what random process can come together in sanctifying Judgment like that across space and time? No mortal can, no random process can. But God can and did—He arose, in anger, He awoke, He commanded Judgement, and David survived, the Messianic Line survived, and Messiah Jesus lives, as do His people through whom His Judgment lives. How so? By their witness, their testimony, their ministry of Salvation. (Surely Jesus speaks here as well through David, speaks of sanctifying Judgment for His people [the demise of His enemies] and through His people [the ministering Saints, His Inheritance no less, for whom He tasted very Judgment determined and ordered in eternity past].):

Rise, O Jehovah, in Thine anger, be lifted up at the wrath of mine adversaries, and awake Thou for me: Judgment Thou hast commanded…

7:7-16- Judge the Peoples Lord God, End the Evil of the Wicked, Establish the Righteous

YLT TEXT: and a company[28] of peoples[29] compass[30] Thee, and over it on high turn Thou back[31], Jehovah doth judge[32] the peoples; judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness[33], and according to mine integrity[34] on me, let, I pray Thee be ended the evil of the wicked[35], and establish[36] Thou the righteous, and a trier[37] of hearts and reins[38] is the righteous God. My shield[39] is on God, Saviour of the upright in heart! God is a righteous judge, and He is not angry[40] at all times. if one turn not, His sword he sharpeneth, His bow he hath trodden — He prepareth it, yea, for him He hath prepared Instruments of death, His arrows for burning pursuers[41] He maketh. Lo, he travaileth[42] with iniquity, and he hath conceived perverseness[43], and hath brought forth falsehood[44]. A pit he hath prepared, and he diggeth it, and he falleth into a ditch he maketh. Return doth his perverseness on his head, and on his crown his violence cometh down. (Psalms 7:7-16, Psalms 7:7-16, NLT).

COMMENTARY: The theme of Judgment continues; here follow now some specifics. We have a gathering—an assembly of peoples—round about Judge Jehovah God at the Bench, He, in His rightful place, overseeing the proceedings:

And a company of peoples compass Thee, and over it on high turn Thou back.

In keeping with the “Try Me Lord God” section above, David quite willingly places himself amid the peoples here under judgment: ‘…as for them, so for me; judge me O Jehovah…’. (Thus too did Jesus for the peoples.) He asks God to judge him according to the righteousness that is in his heart, be that as it may (in Jesus’ heart was perfect righteousness of course). Though that righteousness in David be not perfect, far from it, nevertheless, he understands his inner person, his heart, which he knows is filled with God-like righteousness, even though in practice it is far from it. (Thus Jesus in His heart and by His walk accomplished what David could not, for David, for His people.) David knows the will is there to live it out, the desire, strong desire is there, and hardly would he press the issue of transparency before God if this desire and will were not there. Repeatedly, he bares his heart for Spirit-guided introspection per his conscience’s accusations (the Spirit of Christ of whom David is a type is talking to him about this and that consistent with his transparency), and he displays a willingness to make changes, for he is prepared to lose honor, life, and soul to be right before God. (Thus he is a type of the repentant sinner converted; through David in this context the Spirit of God foreshadows both sides of the Salvation struggle—David is a type of the Savior Jesus who wrought Salvation, and a type of the sinner who aright receives Salvation). And therefore, he asks God to judge that righteousness according to that desire, that will to be righteous, to live out what is in his heart—to be God-like—which in the aggregate is an excellent integrity on display before God. (David needs the Savior Jesus Christ who had not yet manifestly redeemed David and the rest of humankind past, present, and future. He is therefore judged differently, and it is a matter of the heart for David, which he feels is right before God [Acts 13:22]). David is Christ-like in his heart—that is his righteousness—and he wants to live out that righteousness before God:

Jehovah doth judge the peoples; judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity on me.

Let us dissect this matter of an upright heart a little more. Of his own, David had no righteousness, besides what he graded, as said, yet he offered the same up for judgment, which he did in the confidence of an upright heart:

Saviour of the upright in heart! God is a righteous judge…

It behooves us to understand what an upright heart is from God’s perspective. In the negative, it is not:

evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders (Matthew 15:19). In the positive, it is to love the Lord God Jehovah with all of one’s heart, soul, and mind, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:37-38; cf. “The Beatitudes”). Thus Jesus’ heart, amid the peoples, and for the peoples, accomplished what David’s could not (for himself; he typifies the sinner here).

But did not David murder Uriah, and was he not an adulterer in the matter? His upright heart, be that as it may—no doubt sincere given Jehovah’s estimation of it—was not enough to save him from the judgment he submits himself to here given the precedent of Scripture. David needed the righteousness of Jesus Christ to save him from sore Judgment, and the righteousness and integrity that is “on him” as he says is in fact Jesus’. Scripture here segues to New Testament Salvation in Jesus Christ, and precisely David is that segue, for he is amid the peoples alike in the same predicament, and thus he foreshadows New Testament Salvation (escaping Judgment unto Life Eternal in Jehovah’s presence through Jesus) as a personal experience (specifically David here), and a public one (generally, Jews, Gentiles, everybody) in keeping with the peoples before Judge Jehovah in these verses. He as much as says so when he asks this public to be sifted such that the righteous and righteousness are established (=Salvation) and the evil of the wicked be ended (=Damnation, ever separated from Jehovah and His people on into eternity). Perhaps even more telling in this regard is David’s understanding that Jehovah’s anger, quenched only by the Divine Justice, is not forever, so he is foreshadowing a time when said anger shall be quenched by the Divine Justice that Jesus satisfied:

God is a righteous judge, and He is not angry at all times…

And so, the big picture shows David a type of the very Savior he is pleading for, a Savior of humankind (peoples in this context), much as the immediate picture shows him pleading for his personal Savior as a sinner (a human being in grave peril in context), of which too he is a type (i.e., a sinner). One can almost hear quintessentially righteous Jesus Himself speaking here, taking Judgment upon Himself in satisfaction of His requests:

Jehovah doth judge the peoples; judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity on me, let, I pray Thee be ended the evil of the wicked, and establish Thou the righteous.

 It is worth repeating that it is the righteousness and integrity of his Savior, Jesus Christ, upon which, unbeknownst to him (?), he David leans for his personal and public wishes, entirely under inspiration:

My shield is on God, Saviour of the upright in heart! God is a righteous judge.

Consistent with the previous discussion about an upright heart, we see that the righteous Judge tries the hearts and reins. Nothing is hidden from His scrutiny. If we may understand hearts and reins as heart and will, we find David and ourselves lacking, for while the heart is willing for many, the will is heartless in its unholy carnal pursuits and satisfactions for too many more—hardly the picture of a righteous unity said hearts and reins—thus is humankind ever under scrutiny saddled, saddled with sin from birth, in sore need of a Savior, the Savior here presaged ( “Righteous Faith”):

and a trier of hearts and reins is the righteous God.

In defiance, in turning not from unrighteousness, in turning not to righteousness, to God, to Jesus and the Righteousness He offers, one is found without His literally precious righteousness, and then follows sore judgment. Then follow instruments of Death (Death is eternal death), the hounds of heaven, pursuing the unrighteous; instruments of death from the Righteous God, as the balance of the verses in this verse set describe. Importantly, David speaks entirely spiritually now, his own enemies are not in view—this is hands down inspiration as it chimes singularly New Testament Salvation:

if one turn not, His sword he sharpeneth, His bow he hath trodden — He prepareth it, yea, for him He hath prepared Instruments of death, His arrows for burning pursuers He maketh.

Defiant, turning rather to perverseness and falsehood, iniquity aplenty, hearts and reins thus in hot pursuit, engaging the same with painful and laborious effort no problem, turning not to God. And what of it? it is Death in the long haul as just said, but please notice that it is a painful backfiring in the short haul (Job 20:24, Galatians 6:7-8; consider Saul 1Samuel 31:4, Absalom 2Samuel 18:14-15, Satan Revelation 20:10):

Lo, he travaileth with iniquity, and he hath conceived perverseness, and hath brought forth falsehood. A pit he hath prepared, and he diggeth it, and he falleth into a ditch he maketh. Return doth his perverseness on his head, and on his crown his violence cometh down.

Thus are the defiant Godless-wicked a loser, a loser times two (contrast the trusting Godly, a winner, a winner times two, Isaiah 57:13—here we come full circle back to trusting Jehovah God as in the opening section).

7:17- I Thank Jehovah the Righteous Judge, I Praise the Name of Jehovah Most High

YLT TEXT: I thank[45] Jehovah, according to His righteousness, and praise[46] the name of Jehovah Most High! (Psalms 7:17, Psalms 7:17, NLT)).

COMMENTARY: Thanks, and praise. These two belong together. Thanking God is lacking when not at the same time He is exceedingly praised. Praising when it is genuine lends credence to thanking. Here David thanks Jehovah, his Righteous Judge, for His righteous judgment (Figure 1), which is for Him a Name, and which for David is rest from his quite unrighteous enemies, an unrighteousness that is their undoing. David knows he may appeal to Jehovah for help and gain His help against his enemies only if he is set apart from his enemies’ unrighteousness—that is why all throughout he was introspecting and laid bare his heart for Jehovah’s heart-scrutiny—so that he might not be caught up in the same Judgment or miss out on His sought-after justice. But more than that motivates him. David knows that judgment follows hard on the heels of resolute unrighteousness and he wants no part of it, neither the Judgment, nor, particularly, the attendant odium directed to God and His exceedingly precious Name by it (cf. Jesus’ concern for that precious Name, John 12:28; why is God’s Name precious? “O, That Name!” barely gets at the Worth). And please notice the nature of David’s praise upon thanking God for His sought-after justice—he invokes the Name of Jehovah which he so conscientiously reverences via introspection and ever so decorates it as best as humanly possible with a blessed superlative, namely, he addresses Jehovah as Jehovah Most High. Thou Most High, he says to his Lord—in his heart (there where he invites Jehovah’s scrutiny; no mere flattering words here we may reckon). It is Jehovah’s righteousness, to which David had appealed for justice regarding his enemies, and which justice he was granted, that David here decorates. Yea, Jehovah’s righteousness, and attendant justice, driven by His holiness, that, is most high, it is surpassing; indeed, it sets Him apart from everything else. Way on up, up, up high, thus is Jehovah Most High (Isaiah 55:7-9):

I thank Jehovah, according to His righteousness, and praise the name of Jehovah Most High!

Yea David, even Jehovah Most High, Most Exceedingly High,

whose righteousness decorated a Cross, upon which He hung Most High,

 which precious, adorning righteousness, He extends to you and I,

 to escape the Judgment we deserve, and live, ever live, and not die.

Praised be your Name great savior God, Righteous Judge, Jehovah Most High, Most Exceedingly High…