My Lord, My Refuge

Biblical Context:

Cush the Benjamite

The specific details of David’s problem are alluded to in the psalm’s title, which describes it as a lament sung “to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.” We have no other information about Cush, but the fact that he was from the tribe of Benjamin fits well with what we know of the opposition David faced from this tribe. David’s predecessor, King Saul, was a Benjamite. So when Saul was killed by the Philistines and David became king of Israel, a process that spanned nearly eight years, it was natural that the new king’s chief source of opposition was Saul’s tribe.

It seems to have lasted for a long time too. For when David was forced to flee Jerusalem years later on the occasion of his son Absalom’s rebellion, a man named Shimei of Benjamin cursed him as he left the city. He accused David of being a “man of blood” and a “scoundrel.” He cried out, “The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned” (2 Sam. 16:7–8).

Still later, when David had returned to Jerusalem after Absalom’s death and the defeat of his armies, another Benjamite named Sheba led a revolt against him (2 Sam. 20:1–2). Neither of these men can be identified with the Cush of Psalm 7, but it is easy to understand how the slander described in the psalm could have emerged from the smoldering hostility of this tribe.

We can’t really know if this Psalm was written in direct correlation with the events surrounding David and Saul’s relationship or in the aftermath of Saul’s demise and the subsequent trouble that the Benjamites may have given David.

Saul

1 Samuel 22:8 “All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”” - Saul accuses David of conspiring against him.

1 Samuel 24:9 “And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?” - David tries to get through to Saul that what people are saying about him is nothing but gossip and slander. This is right after David spares Saul’s life the first time.

1 Samuel 26:19 “Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’” - Again this is David trying to reason with Saul right after sparing his life for the second time.

Slander, what do we do with it?

As believers we are certainly never to engage in the use of slander even if the object of our malice is evil. Slander is always sinful because it is built upon deception and lies.

What about those times that we are target of slander? How loudly do we protest? Should we respond in kind?

The great lesson of Psalm 7 is that David does his best to put the outcome of this circumstance in God’s hands rather than his own.

Spurgeon called Psalm 7 the “Psalm of the Slandered Saint”

Request for Deliverance v. 1, 2

Our Immovable Refuge

David was a man on the run. He had a consistent need for refuge to preserve his life.

Yet David a man on the run declares first of all that he has found refuge.

Derek Kidner says that “his unseen refuge was already a fact.”

This is an expression of trust.

Whatever may be the emergency of our condition we shall never find it amiss to retain our reliance upon our God. “O Lord my God,”

This seems to be something that David reminds himself of often, Psalm 2:12 “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

It is never right to distrust God, and never vain to trust him. And now, with both divine relationship and holy trust to strengthen him, David utters the burden of his desire:

Deliver me!

We should follow David’s example here. When we are the target of slanderous speech our first response should be to ask for God’s deliverance.

“Before I respond I should pray.”

For David this wasn’t something to be just shrugged off. This was a painful experience. He likened it to having his soul ripped apart by lions.

Declaration of Innocence v. 3-5

It is appropriate to declare you innocence. Just make sure that you are actually innocent.

Notice how David declares his innocence. “If I deserve it punish me.!”

We must be constantly aware that our flesh is always attempting to blind us from our faults, deficiencies and shortcomings.

There is a kind of raw honesty to his words, but it communicates the confidence he has in in innocence.

One of the great lessons of the Psalms is that righteous living will shield you from the negative consequences of your own actions, but it doesn’t always shield you from the actions of others.

In this case David was innocent of the charges laid against him, whatever they may have been, but he still finds himself in this place.

The Christian life is not a bed of roses.

We were never promised a life free from suffering, but we are promised His hand of comfort.

We were never promised a life free from loss, but we are promised an eternity free from loss.

We were never promised a life free from temptation, but we are promised the continual presence of the Holy Spirit.

The key to living a contented Christian life is not the absence of problems but the presence of Christ.

Appeal for Justice v. 6-11

Pastor Chris Paraphrase: “Ok, God as much as I appreciate your patience not would be a great time for you to let em have it!”

David is not wrong to call on the Lord to extend His justice on the earth. We too should long to see the day when Christ sets all things right repairs all the damage we have done.

As one commentator pointed out there is always “a concern for universal justice which motivated David’s personal appeals for vindication.”

David recognizes that the slander he is enduring is representative of a larger problem that is worldwide.

We being blessed with the NT can long for can call for God’s justice with a degree of greater detail. We must simply say, “Even so come Lord Jesus.”

Christ’s return is our vindication. Even David understands this in a limited way when he states, “Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high.” (v. 7 NIV)

When David ask God to judge him on the basis of his righteousness and integrity he is referring to his specific situation again(v. 8). He believes himself to be innocent of the charges being laid against him. David is using his specific situation to apply a more universal truth of the need for God’s justice in the world.

We are in a interesting situation. We are grateful for God’s patience yet we also yearn for his justice. The one thing that I am confident in however is that God is a shield for the righteous, and in Christ I am righteous.

Description of Justice v. 12-16

v. 12 immediately reveals what God is waiting for, repentance.

But the larger point is when that repentance never comes God responds by sharpening His sword and readying His bow. We don’t know when the sword will fall nor when the arrow will be loosed.

The need for repentance is pressing and should not be ignored.

The reality of the unrepentant (wicked v. 14)

Illustration # 1 - The way they live

Conceives evil

Pregnant with mischief

Gives birth to lies

James 1:15 “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

Illustration # 2 - the end they meet

Digs a pit

Falls into it

Explanation: “His mischief falls on his own head...”

Expression of Gratitude

Some might say that verse 17 doesn’t fit with the rest of the Psalm.

However, that underestimates both the need and concept of gratitude.

We should end everything with a word of gratitude.