Psalm 7: An Honest Look: Dealing with Injured Character"

Intro:

Review from last week:

What is your fight song? The song that has gotten you through ?

“Final countdown”- studying for my Archeology Exam in Israel

“To Not Worship You” MercyMe

Outline:

The Issue: “I Take Refuge” (vs. 1-5)

The Invitation: “Arise…Judge” (vs. 6-11)

The Integrity: “Repent and Sing Praise” (vs. 12-17)

Summary: Integrity to look comes from a position that cannot be shook

Illustration:

Prayer:

The Issue: “I Take Refuge” (vs. 1-5)

Pre-Script (vs.)

A Shiggaion- transliteration, Dithyrambic rhythm; or wild passionate song, “A Poem written with intense feeling” (BKC)- There is quite a bit written about it in the 7th Century B.C. in Greece.

“The performance of dithyrambs was grandiose and spectacular: after a prologue spoken by the group’s leader, two choruses in expensive apparel—one of 50 men and the other of 50 boys—sang and performed circle dances around the altar of Dionysus. Auloi (wind instruments with double reeds) provided the instrumental accompaniment.” -Britannica

of David- The shepherd boy that was employed by king Saul to play his lyre whenever the harmful spirit of God was upon the King (1 Sam16:16-23). Saul was refreshed and was made well by this.

which he sang to the Lord

Concerning the Words of

Cush- 2 Sam 18:21-32- “Cushite”

A Benjaminite- the tribe of the first king Saul.

Reliance: The LORD or the Lions (vs.1-2)

O LORD my God

in you do I take refuge- Psalm 11:1 “In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain,”

save me from all my pursuers

and deliver me

Lest (if you don’t) like a lion- Does David have any history with lions, yes. This imagery is going to come up over and over in his writing.

they tear my soul apart

rending it in pieces

with none to deliver (rescue)- the first of many occurances in the Psalms of the word “rescue”.

“Refuge” and “Rescue”- where do you and I look for these things?

Evaluation: If I have done this (vs. 3-5)

O LORD my God- same address as verse 1, the same place of refuge and reliance

If I have done this

If there is wrong in my hands

If I have repaid my friend with evil

or plundered my enemy without cause- This seems to be the taunt of the enemy. Probably against King Saul.

Let the enemy pursue my soul

and overtake it

and let him tramply my life to the ground- the verb ‘rms’ can be used to describe the action of a potter mixing clay by foot (Isa. 41:25) , a vintner crushing grapes (63:3), a crowd of people trampliing a man (2 kings7:17), or horses trampling Jezebel underfoot (2 Kings 9:33)” (NIVAC, 190)).

and lay my glory in the dust- there is a progression from pursue, to overtake, to lay down.

Selah

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Think of the last time your character was injured or slandered. Or someone said something about you that was not quite right. Who did you take refuge in? Where did you look for rescue? The Lord or the lions? We have to start with the unshakable ground of who we are in Christ.

When was the last time you took a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and asked, “what is my part in this?” “Where are there areas that I need to grow”?

Selah, pause, tune your heartstrings to what you just heard

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

Today is a good day to spend some time evaluating where you heart is.

Transitional phrase: There was something that someone said in David’s life that caused him to pause, to ask, “Is this true?”. Allowing space to evaluate. It is hard to do this if we trust more in ourselves than the LORD our God. David is going to invite God to move on his behalf.

The Invitation: “Arise...Judge” (vs. 6-11)

Awaken for me (vs. 6-7)

Arise, O LORD- a call to action, to move- EVERYONE STAND!

In your anger

lift youself up against the fury of my enemies

awaken for me- Now Pastor Jeremy, the Bible says in Psalm 121:4 “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Remember the genre we are reading, it is poetic, David doesn’t think that God is sleeping, he is calling on him to bestir himself on David’s behalf.

you have appointed a judgment- check with the person next to you to make sure they are not sleeping!

Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you

over it return on high

Judge me (vs. 8-9)

The LORD

Judges the peoples

judge me, O LORD

according to my righteousness

and according to the integrity that is in me

Oh let the eveil of the wicked come to an end

and may you establish the righteous

you who test the minds and hearts- “hearts and inward parts” the point is that God is able to scrutinize the interior thoughts and emotions of humans” (NIVAC, 192).

O righteous God!- first time that “God” or “Most High God” is used

Shield me (vs. 10-11)

My shield is with God

who saves the upright in heart

God is a righteous judge

and a God who feels indignation

every day- God does not “wink at wickedness”

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

What are you passionately, with intensity, asking of God today? What situations in your life are you begging Him to engage in?

Wow, David really goes crazy here. Asking God to Judge him. The one that knows the minds and hearts. I am much more willing to have God test my actions than my thoughts and desires.

What will is sound/look like to honestly evaluate my life before the LORD and ask Him to test my thoughts and desires?

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

Don’t forget, this is a passionate song that David sang to the LORD. How do you communicate passionately to the LORD? Is it in writing, is it through prayer, is it verbally, do you paint, bake, etc?

Where do you have thesse conversations?

Transitional phrase: David gives the invitation to God to judge him. Even if he is guilty, David still finds his refuge, rescue, and shield in God. So where does David go with his intense song from here?

The Integrity: “Repent and Sing Praise” (vs. 12-17)

War (vs. 12-13)

If a man does not repent

God (he) will whet his sword- “sharpen his sword”

he has bent and readied his bow-

He has prepared for him his deadly weapons

making his arrows fiery shafts- David describes God as being poised and ready, the bow is pulled and his eye is on the target.

James 4:6–7 “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

If a man does not repent, he is going to war with God

A pregnant pit (vs. 14-16)

Behold

the wicked man conceives evil

and is pregnant with mischief

and gives birth to lies

James 1:14–15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

There is a process here, conception, pregnant, birth. Be careful what we allow into our lives, grow in our hearts and minds, and act upon.

He makes a pit-

digging it out

and falls into the hole that he has made

His mischief returns upon his own head

and on his own skull

his violence descends-

We take “Concussion protocol” very seriously, how much more should we take the reprocussions of choosing evil.

Praise and thanks(v. 17)

I will give to the LORD

the thanks due to his righteousness

I will sing praises

to the name of the LORD

Most High- “The most high God” elyon

2 Samuel 14:14 “We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.”

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Do you really think that you can fight against God and win? Yet we don’t repent of Sin, we allow the conception of sin in our minds and hearts to continue to grow until it gives birth to sinful words, actions, and emotions.

Let’s just say, for argument sake, you go before the Lord and invite him to evaluate your life this week. And He finds you guilty! What are you going to do? How will you respond? You can still have integrity, you can still confess and repent to God!

Whatever the issue, are you looking through the lense of belonging to Jesus?

Ask Jesus, “what is it that you would like me to see?”

Repent to Jesus, sing to Jesus

Summary: Integrity to look comes from a position that cannot be shook

Discussion Starters:

When it comes to the issue of your character, whose opinions do I value the most?

What will it look/sound like to honestly evaluate my life before the LORD and ask Him to test my thoughts and desires?

Prayer: What wildly intense song will I sing to the Lord this week? One of evaluation, repentance, or thanks?

Song: Great is they Faithfulness

Benediction/Looking ahead: INVITE PEOPLE TO THE CAFE