Psalm 7: An individual lament, David calls on God for help

Biblical Reflections

Psalm 7 is an individual lament, David calls on God for help because David has been unfairly slandered and persecuted by a man from the Tribe of Benjamin, the same tribe that King Saul came from.

Psalm 7 starts out with a cry for safety because of the desperate circumstances that David finds himself in. In the 1st verse, David calls for refuge and deliverances from his pursuers.

David claims innocence in the face of his pursuers. He has done no wrongdoing that now results in his suffering, quite the contrast to David’s suffering in Psalm 6, which was the result of his wrongdoing. This Psalm clearly only applies to those who suffer unrightly the malice of wicked people.

David calls on God to arise as Judge. God is called upon, as a righteous judge, to save David from these attacks. This is a Psalm that can help all of God’s people to pray when they are persecuted by the wicked.

In response, God’s anger against the wicked persecutors will show itself by turning their own schemes against them.

David rejoices that the covenant, personal, relational God, YHWH, is also the Most High, El Elyon, the God above all other gods. Genesis 14:18-19.

Repeatedly in this Psalm we see the words judge and righteousness.

David asks God to judge his persecutors in righteousness. David proclaims that God is the righteous judge. Psalm 4 – righteousness is the faithfulness in which God acts according to his holiness and covenant promises. David, and we, can appeal to the righteousness of God for salvation, protection, and refuge from the wicked, but our appeal should come from our own righteous relationship with God and with this wicked person.