Slices
Prepare
Give thanks to God that he is just and will act justly to save and defend his people. Look forward to Jesus’ return, when God’s justice will be fully seen, and rejoice in that hope.
Bible passage
A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
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.
Explore
It’s hard having untrue rumours put about by opponents. That’s the world this psalm assumes (vs 1–5), a world familiar today in politics or work or (alas, sometimes) church. Although we do not know Cush (in the psalm’s title), we do know that some Benjaminites refused to have David as king (2 Samuel 20:1,2). What to do?
David turns to God for justice (vs 6–11). Judges in Israel both decided cases and took the required action which followed, and that’s the basis of David’s appeal to God. He asks God as judge to vindicate him publicly in the divine court where God is enthroned (v 7), and to make the wicked stop acting this way (v 9).
David does not plan how to deal with his opponents himself – that’s God’s problem. Like Paul, he leaves God to act, rather than acting himself (Romans 12:19,20, echoing Proverbs 25:21,22). If his opponents don’t back off (v 12), God will prepare powerful weapons to enforce justice (vs 12b,13). These people’s violence will come back on their own heads as God acts (vs 14–16). So David confidently praises God because he knows God will act justly (v 17).
Respond
Pray for people being slandered or publicly attacked, especially Christian leaders, that they will put their hope in God and that God will vindicate them.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 5,6; John 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks to God for all the young people doing our Young Leaders Development Programme. Ask God to give them a fresh revelation of his love for them, and a deeper relationship with him. (This week's prayers relate to this article.)
