SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). A prayer for deliverance (vs 1-2)
(2). A protest of innocence (vs 3-5)
(3). A plea for vindication (vs 6-10)
(4). A proclamation of judgment (vs 11-16)
(5). A praise for righteousness (vs 17)
SERMON BODY:
• Quote: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.’
• Most of us grew up reciting a version of this nursery rhyme.
• I can’t recall when I learned it,
• It was probably some-time when I was at junior school.
• But over the years I have quoted it many, many times.
• And even now as a parent;
• I still find myself saying it to my children when they have been teased or provoked.
• We say it of course;
• In the hope that this little adage is a means of building their resiliency,
• Thickening their skin,
• So that they can handle any teasing and name calling;
• That they are likely encounter in school.
• Quote: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.’
• Of course, in reality we all know that those words are complete twaddle!
• We recognise only too well that names do hurt!
Quote: Proverbs chapter 18 verse 21:
"Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and these words spoken are either poison or fruit - you choose”.
• Words are incredibly powerful.
• They can build up, encourage, and motivate.
• But words can also tear down, hurt, and cause horrible scars
• What other people say about us matters,
• Particularly when what is said is completely wrong.
Ill:
• The Sunday tabloids today will contain a number of false stories:
• Some people’s lives may well be destroyed by these false accusations.
• Maybe it is only just a whiff of sexual or financial scandal,
• But once the story is out there - a person’s life can be ruined,
• Because even those of us who hope for the best in people end up thinking that
• ‘There’s no smoke without fire’.
• And although months or years later an apology may be printed;
• Compensation may be paid out in damages by the newspaper involved;
• Really it is all too little too late – that damage has been done!
Now you may not have been in the newspapers:
• But maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of false accusations;
• Maybe you’ve been falsely incriminated;
• Things have been reported about you which are completely wrong,
• Or you’ve been on the end of what feels like a smear campaign;
• Designed to ruin your reputation and position.
• It might be colleagues at work or neighbours in the street;
• Or even something that went through the courts.
• Then you know first-hand;
• What it feels like to be on the receiving end of someone else’s bitterness,
• Or to be excluded from a social group,
• Or to have your character, your reputation shattered into a thousand pieces.
• And everything in you cries, ‘But that’s not fair! That’s not how it was!’
• If you’ve ever felt like that, then you’re in good company with King David,
• The author of Psalm 7.
Note:
• If you were here at last week service when we looked at Psalm 6;
• Or if you listened to the MP3 audio file from the website;
• You will know that this Psalm (no 7) it is in total contrast to that Psalm (no 6)
• In Psalm 6 David confesses that he has done wrong.
• He knows that, like any wise and loving parent,
• God disciplines those he loves, and so he asked that God will be merciful to him.
• So in Psalm 6, David says to God that he knows he’s done wrong;
• And knows he deserves what’s happening to him;
• But asks the Lord for mercy, for leniency, for help.
• Now Psalm 7, however, is very different in flavour and content.
• In this psalm, David believes he is in the right, and has done no wrong.
• In fact, he is convinced that he has been wronged by others;
• And he longs for God to step in and vindicate him.
• The theme of the Psalm is:
• The vindication of David the servant of God (vs 8);
• And judgement on his enemies (vs 6)
Notice:
(a).
• The Psalm has a title: “A Shiggaion of David”;
• This is the only occasion this word is used in the book of Psalms.
• (It is only used one more time in the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 1)
• The word ‘Shiggaion’ might mean ‘lament’, ‘to cry out loud’;
• But we can’t be entirely sure.
• But musically today - it probably goes to a ‘blues’ tune!
(b).
• The title also mentions ‘Cush’;
• Nobody knows who Cush is, although we are told he was a Benjamite.
• And this might give us a clue.
• Because King Saul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.
It may well be that Psalm 7 was written by David during the time he was a fugitive,
• We know from the story of David,
• That Saul was jealous and came to hate David and even wanted him dead.
• Maybe Cush, and other leaders from the tribe of Benjamin;
• Slandered David and smeared his reputation to win favour and acceptance with Saul.
• Now although we can’t be certain about the background;
• We can be certain about the mind-set we see in the psalm,
• We can be certain about the feelings that are expressed,
• We can be certain about how David felt and the anguish it caused him.
• And we can be certain about the way David handled these circumstances;
• He took it to God in prayer;
• Praying and lamenting through the situation in which he finds himself.
• So if you are in, or if you ever find ourselves in a situation;
• Where you are convinced that you are in the right,
• And yet being treated as if you are in the wrong;
• Then Psalm 7 could be very, very useful to you.
• We are going to look at this Psalm in five sections;
• It divides up under five headings.
(1). A prayer for deliverance (vs 1-2)
“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”.
Ill:
• John Paton was born in Scotland in the late 1800’s (1824 - 1907),
• He was a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific.
• It was a very hostile place and the previous missionaries to these islands;
• Had been killed and eaten by the natives!
• John Paton and his wife went to evangelise these tribes with the gospel;
• One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station,
• Intent on burning out the Paton’s and killing them.
• Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them.
• When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave.
• A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ.
• Remembering what had happened,
• Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them.
• The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?”
• Paton knew no men were present
• But the chief said he was afraid to attack;
• Because he had seen hundreds of big men;
• In shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
TRANSITION: Supernatural deliverance;
• Maybe that is what David is asking for at the beginning of this Psalm.
• He is asking for God to intervene into his situation and change it!
Notice: David’s language in this Psalm:
• David uses the language of a hunt.
• Question: Have you ever seen a lion capture and kill its prey?
• Answer: Probably not ‘live’;
• Although many of us may have seen it happen on TV in nature programmes;
• It is a fascinating process when a lion stalks and then goes on to capture its prey.
• But when the lion finally has captured its prey and starts to maul and kill it;
• Many of us probably looked away for a few minutes or found it disturbing.
• We know that nature can be cruel and brutal!
• Now remember David was a shepherd;
• He would certainly have seen these things happen with his own eyes on many occasions!
• He saw first-hand the damage and ruin a wild beast could cause to a flock of sheep.
• And that was the imagery he chose to use;
• To describe the danger and the situation he felt himself in:
• Verse 2: “…they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces…”
Notice:
• David as a shepherd boy;
• May have scared or fought off a wolf, a lion or a bear from his sheep;
• But here he cannot frighten away or overcome his enemies;
• They are too many, to0 big, too strong for him.
• He is absolutely overwhelmed by the situation.
• So he cries out to God: ‘Unless you save me I will be torn to pieces’
(2). A protest of innocence (vs 3-5)
“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.”
• After bringing his fears to God, and praying for deliverance,
• Notice how David lays-bear his soul to God.
• In fact, David was willing to put his life on the line if he was found to be in the wrong.
• To David his reputation was important;
• Of course in middle Eastern countries it is a terrible thing to shame the family name.
• So David confrontationally protests his innocence to God.
• And asks God to do something about the situation.
• Please note that David is not claiming to be perfect and sinless in these verses;
• What he is saying, what he is claiming;
• Is to only be innocent of this particular accusation levelled against him.
Ill:
• Billy Graham years ago telling the story during Mission England ;
• He said he once said to a congregation; “No-one is perfect”
• To his amazement a rather weedy, weak looking man put his hand up;
• And said to Billy Graham: “I know someone who was perfect!”
• He them went on to say; “My wife’s first husband must have been perfect!”
• TRANSITION: David is not claiming to be perfect and sinless;
• Only innocent of this particular accusation levelled against him.
• And only a man who is 1000% sure of his innocence before God;
• Would be willing to call for God to bring such doom upon him if he is guilty!
Ill:
• We know king Saul was fervently pursuing David with his army, wanting to kill him;
• And on two occasions David had the opportunity to kill his hunter, king Saul;
• And yet both times he refused to take his life (1 Samuel chapters 24-26)
• This was proof, evidence that his heart was not filled with malice;
• And a desire for revenge.
Note:
• By all means, let’s pray Psalm 7 if it is applicable;
• But let’s recognise too, that we will also be exposed in the process as well.
• In fact, it might be a good challenge to us if we pray these verses;
• To look with-in at our own hearts as well as looking outwards and judging others.
• Dare we ask the questions:
• What wrong things have I done in this situation?
• Where have I fallen short in my responsibilities to those around me?
• Have I been gracious and loving to others in this situation?
• Have my words been unkind or hurtful?
• Have I been fair to those I know dislike me,
• Or those I am prone to think about negatively?
(3). A plea for vindication (vs 6-10)
Ill:
• Phillips Brooks, was an American clergyman and author,
• Who is best known for being the lyricist of the carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem".
• Brooks was known for his calm demeanour.
• So you can guess the surprise of his associates;
• When they found him pacing up and down the floor of his study like a lion in a cage.
• One of the friends asked, “What is the trouble, Dr. Brooks?”
• He abruptly responded, “The trouble is that I am in a hurry, but God isn’t.”
• TRANSITION: All of us have probably known times;
• When we have felt that heaven’s clock is running slow;
• It can appear to be off by days, sometimes months, or even years.
• We will all experience times when heaven seems silent;
• When God seems to be taking His time in answering that prayer,
• Meeting that need, changing that circumstance or bringing in divine justice.
• That is how David felt in verses 6-10:
“Arise, LORD, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around 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”
• In verse 6, David appeals to the Lord to intervene.
• It’s as if he says, ‘Lord when you gonna wake up and do something?”
• And he goes on to say in verses 7 to 10;
• To ask God to vindicate him, to prove him right;
• And for those who have wronged him to be judged.
Note:
• It is an obvious thing to say,
• But also an important thing to notice;
• We only come to verses 6-10 after we have gone through verses 1-5.
• Only after we have sought refuge in the Lord,
• Only after we have fully reflected on the possibility of being in the wrong,
• Only after we have submitted ourselves to God’s word,
• Only after we have asked him to shine his light into the dark places of our own hearts;
• Can we pray the words of verses 6-10 with genuine integrity!
Now David’s prayer may come across as very strange to us:
• Because he does not pray for mercy or grace or even forgiveness;
• In this case he prays for justice.
• If that sounds strange to you;
• That is because as Christians we are so often taken up with mercy against justice.
Ill:
• A man went to a well-known artist to have his portrait painted;
• When he saw the painting he was not impressed and refused to pay the artist.
• The artist asked him what was the matter;
• And the man replied; “This picture does not do me justice”.
• The artist replied; “You don't need justice, you need mercy."
• Maybe these verses sound a little strange to us;
• Because as Christians we are so often taken up with mercy against justice.
• But we need always to remember that the God of mercy is also a God of justice.
Perhaps the key phrase in this section is the first line of verse 8:
• ‘Let the Lord judge the peoples.’
• It’s crucial in all of this to note that David doesn’t do anything himself,
• He doesn’t take vengeance himself.
• David commits this situation and his circumstances to God:
• And he wants God to do the ‘sorting out’.
• Confident of course that he always, always acts fairly and right.
(4). A proclamation of judgment (vs 11-16)
Ill:
• Justice Gray of the Supreme Court in U.S.A.
• Once said to a man who had escaped conviction by some technicality:
• "I know that you are guilty and you know it,
• And I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge,
• And that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law."
• TRANSITION: David knows that judgement awaits the wicked;
• And he uses three very powerful word pictures in these verses to declare it.
“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”
• These verses are a proclamation, a declaration, an announcement;
• Continuing the thought of the previous section;
• God protects the upright in heart;
• He goes on to say that God will judge wrongdoing of wicked men.
Notice the powerful word pictures in these verses:
• Verses 11-13: God is visualised as a soldier;
• He has a sword and he is also like n archer who is poised for war.
• Verses 14-15: David pictures the wicked as a pregnant woman;
• Only they are pregnant with evil, they are conceiving trouble,
• They are giving birth to something that doesn’t satisfy or bring joy.
• Verses 15-16: David comes back to hunting images;
• The type he used at the start of the Psalm.
His descriptive use of language is so expressive:
• He says his enemies have prepared a booby trap,
• And yet they have been caught in it themselves.
• They have dug a hole;
• And yet they themselves have fallen into it.
• And notice in verse 16 David reminds us (as he did in Psalm 5):
• That these people bring this on themselves;
• ill: Like a boomerang their own evil plans are returning to destroy them.
• I guess the New Testament equivalent of these verses is Galatians chapter 6 verse 7:
• “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
• God’s Word translation puts it this way:
• “Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God.
• Whatever you plant is what you'll harvest”.
• Psalm 7 is a historical illustration of Galatians chapter 6 verse 7:
• It shows this universal law in action.
(5). A praise for righteousness (vs 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.”
Ill:
• “I will give thanks to the Lord because of HIS righteousness”;
• No human being can ever trust in their own righteousness?
• It is like seeking shelter under one's own shadow.
• We may stoop down low to the ground; and no matter how low we bend,
• We still find that our shadow is beneath us.
• Instead we need to flee, to run, to shelter in the shadow of a great rock;
• Or of a wide-spreading tree.
• That way we will find an abundant shelter from the rays of the noonday sun.
Notice: at the end of this Psalm where the final emphasis falls:
• The Psalmist reminds us of whose righteousness is really at stake?
• And so the final words of praise are focused on God’s righteousness.
• David may have had things to say about his own righteousness,
• He may be concerned about his own name and his own families reputation;
• But ultimately he reminds himself and us;
• That God’s righteousness and God’s name is what ultimately is important.
Ill:
• The biographer of Bishop Watts-Ditchfield, First Bishop of Chelmsford;
• Relates the story when he was a child.
• One day he was taken to the house of a very old Christian woman,
• And she asked the child to read a framed Bible text;
• The verse (Genesis chapter 16 verse 13) read: "Thou God seest me."
• Then she said to the child:
• "When you are older, people will tell you that God is always watching you,
• Watching you to see when you do wrong, in order to punish you.
• I do not want you to think of it in that way,
• But I want you to take the text home, and to remember all your life;
• That God loves you so much He cannot take his eyes off you!”
• The Psalmist was confident God’s eye was on him;
• He just had to wait…..patiently for God to act!
Conclusion: Note how much there is to learn from this psalm!
• We learn that God’s people will be slandered.
• We learn that false accusation is painful to bear.
• We learn that God cares about injustice.
• We learn that it is best to go to God about it,
• To take our cries to the righteous judge.
• We learn the importance of examining our own heart.
• We learn that, whether sooner or later, whether directly or indirectly,
• God will set things straight by judging the wicked and vindicating the righteous.
• We learn that in spite of trouble;
• We can carry on praising and giving thanks to God for his righteousness.
