Psalm 7

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
1   O LORD my God, in you I take refuge;
    save me from all my pursuers, and deliver         me,
2   or like a lion they will tear me apart;
    they will drag me away, with no one to         rescue.
3   O LORD my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,
4   if I have repaid my ally with harm
    or plundered my foe without cause,
5   then let the enemy pursue and overtake me,
    trample my life to the ground,
    and lay my soul in the dust.  Selah
6   Rise up, O LORD, in your anger;
    lift yourself up against the fury of my         enemies;
    awake, O my God; you have appointed a         judgment.
7   Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered         around you,
    and over it take your seat on high.
8   The LORD judges the peoples;
    judge me, O LORD, according to my         righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.
9   O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    but establish the righteous,
  you who test the minds and hearts,
    O righteous God.
10   God is my shield,
    who saves the upright in heart.
11   God is a righteous judge,
    and a God who has indignation every day.
12   If one does not repent, God will whet his         sword;
    he has bent and strung his bow;
13   he has prepared his deadly weapons,
    making his arrows fiery shafts.
14   See how they conceive evil,
    and are pregnant with mischief,
    and bring forth lies.
15   They make a pit, digging it out,
    and fall into the hole that they have made.
16   Their mischief returns upon their own         heads,
    and on their own heads their violence         descends.
17   I will give to the LORD the thanks due to         his righteousness,
    and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the         Most High.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 7:9)

O Righteous God, You are the Judge of all things, the only One who sees all, knows all, and always renders true justice. You peer into our hearts. Nothing is hidden from You. Even before I speak, You know what I'm going to say. That You know everything about me is both scary and wonderful. It's scary, Lord, because there's so much junk in my heart – pride, arrogance, lust, fear. None of this is hidden from You, and that's scary. But the wonderful part is that You seek me nevertheless. You love me nevertheless. You forgive me nevertheless. This, dear Father, is marvelous beyond words. And it's all grace – nothing I've earned. All praise be to You, Gracious God, for knowing me completely and loving me nevertheless.

Postscript

The Hebrew verb used in the phrase "establish the righteous" means to make something firm or solid. It can be used for the founding of a city. The verb is often used to describe the action of God, as in God's establishing of the sanctuary (Exod 15:17) or the throne of David (2 Sam 7:13). If God establishes the righteous, then they will not perish forever like the wicked.

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Except for the Scripture text, all material of The Daily Psalm Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts

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The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved