For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 7 – the Lord who Judges

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.

6 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.

14 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.

A. Find Out:    

1. About what is David praying? v.1,2
2. What does he seek to establish? v.3-5
3. How does he view God? v.6-9,11
4. How also does he view the Lord? v.10
5. What does he anticipate the Lord doing? v.12,13
6. How also does he see justice coming? v.14-16

B. Think:

1. What sort of world was David apparently living in at this time?
2. What things does David expect of God as a Judge?
3. In what is David’s confidence?

C. Comment:

     Note first David’s CAUSE of concern. People are usually the greatest cause of distress in our lives, and for David, again, he feels under dire threat (v.2), and his response as always is to call on the Lord.

    Second, note his VIEW OF THE LORD: a judge! He calls on the Lord to judge both him and his enemies.

    But then observe THE GROUNDS OF HIS PLEA: he declares his innocence (v.3-5), he declares his righteousness (v.8) and then cries to the Lord to rise up and deal with his enemies on the basis of justice. David is quite remarkable in the way he can declare his righteousness in his appeal to the Lord to act as judge. David is willing to be judged himself and feels sure that those around him, by comparison, will be declared guilty by the Lord, of evil and violence.

     Fourth, note what he EXPECTS OF THE LORD: he expects Him to judge his enemies, and to bring judgement upon them, having first found them guilty.

    Finally note, in respect of the Lord, His MEANS OF JUDGEMENT: first there are his direct acts of judgement whereby He brings evil upon evildoers, then comes evil that the evildoer brings on himself. In this there are echoes of Rom 1:24,26,28 whereby the Lord gives up or allows foolish men to suffer in the fruits of their folly. Also see Gal 6:7.

D. Application?

1. Jesus Christ is the ground for our righteousness.
2. God is my judge AND my protector.