Psalm 7

The psalms often acknowledge a truth that we North American Christians regularly ignore.  That is this:  We live in a world that is not neutral.  In fact, it is hostile, and there are enemies of our faith all around us.  Echoing verses of  this psalm, Peter wrote, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1Pe 5:8-10 NIV) 

The psalms also recognize something else that we modern Christians overlook:  God punishes sin.  The psalmist uses unsettling language, “If a man does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; he has prepared his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.” 

That’s not the way I usually prefer to think about God.  I like, “The LORD is my shepherd.  I shall not want.”  This stuff about swords and arrows to be used against sinners makes me uncomfortable.  But both are true.  God’s proper work, the work He likes to do, is the shepherding, loving and tending, but He never turns away from standing against unrighteousness. 

Indeed, it is at least partly because of the fact that God is a loving shepherd that He also draws the sword and nocks the arrow against the wicked.  He will not tolerate the attacks that wicked people bring against His children.  He defends us as he leads us to the home Jesus prepared for us. 

Our salvation itself shows that God will not turn a blind eye to sin.  God did not merely overlook our sins, but attacked them and destroyed them.  The fearful and awesome thing about the way He did this was that He did it while Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, stood in our place. 

So now we can say with the psalmist, “Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.”  Jesus bore our guilt and was judged on our behalf, and now as we stand before our Heavenly Father we bear Jesus’ righteousness.  He sees Jesus’ integrity in us. 

So we join the psalmist saying, “I will give to the LORD thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.”  We praise the LORD for he has given us His righteousness.  This is the center of our worship as we gather around the Word and Sacraments. 

There are enemies out there.  They are those who would condemn us.  They are those who would whisper in our ears (or proclaim loudly) that Jesus’ death is not enough, we need to do something to be worthy of or somehow earn this salvation.  They are all the things in this world that would steal the Gospel from us, persecute those who believe in Jesus, and inject false teachings into the pure Word of God.  They will do anything just to get us to believe the smallest piece of false doctrine so they can slowly edge us away from the Truth. 

God, however, will not allow it.  He fights for us.  His salvation is more than sufficient to calm our fears and give us peace.  In Him we take refuge, and because of His great power we will not be put to shame. 

O God, help me to remember there are enemies and dangers in this world.  Be my guardian and defender to keep me in the salvation Jesus won for me.  Fill me with Your Spirit so that I may be confident in that salvation, and boldly share it with others. In Jesus’ name I pray; Amen.