Psalm 7: God's Judgement On The Wicked
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- In fact, every one who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted.
(2 Timothy 3:12)
When we are persecuted, it is our duty to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45). We must ask God to pour down His mercies upon them. The salvation and deliverance of our enemies from their blindness will be the greatest blessing we should desire to come upon our enemies.
However, God will judge the wicked if they do not repent. Judgement will begin with those who are wicked within God's house (1 Peter 4:17). Then judgement will come upon those outside the Church.
- For it is time for JUDGEMNET to begin with the FAMILY OF GOD; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the Gospel of God?
(1 Peter 4:17)
We deal with those who persecute us in the local church differently from those who persecute us from outside the local church.
For those who persecute us in the local church,we must use Matthew 18:15-17 to deal with the ones persecuting us.
Persecutiion within the local church is an act of breaking up the body of Christ. A persecutor within the local church shows a lack of a discerning of the body of Christ on the part of the persecutor (1 Corinthians 11:29). For that he must be prepared for the judgement of God every time he takes the Lord's Supper.
For those who persecute us from outside the local church, we can only surrender the matter to God and ask for His mercy upon our persecutors and ourselves.
We must ask God to save our enemies from their own wickedness. We must also ask God to put and end to the violence of the wicked. We must also ask God for His protection over us.
God will judge the wicked in and outside the local church at His own perfect timing. He is a righteous and just judge. He will never be unfair or unmerciful. Neither will He tolerate the wicked ness of those who do not repent. He will judge at the fullness of His own timing.
Psalm 7 is a psalm of David in which David asks God to deliver him from his enemies.
He also declared his own righteousness and integrity before God. He also knows that God is a righteous Judge who judges all the peoples of the earth. He also knows that the wicked will fall into the trap they set for others. For this He praises God in the midst of his trials.
Like David, we also should likewise believe and praise God in the midst of our suffering under persecution, because we serve a righteous Judge.
Psalm 7 teaches us the following truths, which will help us to debure and triumph over our sufferings.
These truths are:
God is our Savior and deliverer from all persecution.
God is a righteous Judge, who will judge all wicked people who are unrepentant.
We must trun from all sin so that we will not be judged by God.
We must pray for our enemy's salvation.
We must pray for an end to the violence of the wicked.
We must believe that all those who are wicked and do not repent will ultimately be destroyed.
We must thank and praise God for His righteous judgement.
1, God is our only Savior and Deliverer from all persecution.
Whenever we are persecuted, we must always turn to God. He is the only One who can save and deliver us. He is the Almighty God. He is also a righteous God. He can and He will deliver us. This was the confidence of David when under persecution (Psalm 7:1-2, 10-11).
- 1 O LORD my GOD, I TAKE REFUGE IN YOU;
- SAVE and DELIVER me from all who pursue me,
- and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
10 My shield is God Most High
- who SAVES the upright in heart
- a God who expresses His wrath every day.
2. God is a righteous Judge, who will judge all wicked people who are unrepentant.
No one, no matter how wicked, can triumph over us, when we are on God's side. God will only allow our persecutors to persecute us to the degree that we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
- No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN BEAR. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)
When our persecutors step beyond their bounds of wickedness, God's judgement will fall upon them and remove them. God is a righteous Judge. He knows when to judge the wicked. He has the perfect and most righteous timing. No one can accuse God of being unfair when He judges the wicked, both within and outside the local church (Psalm 7:10-11).
- 10 My shield is God Most High
- who SAVES the upright in heart.
- a God who expresses His wrath everyday.
3. We must turn from all sin so that we will not be judge by God.
When we turn to God for help, we must also examine ourselves to remove all wickedness from our own lives. If we walk in sin, God will allow our enemies to pursue and harass us. He will judge us as well as judge our enemies, if we live in sin. However, if we turn away from sin we will not be judged by God. We will be delievered from our enemies.
Thus in Psalm 7, David was also to declare before God that he had no guilt on his hands, which would have justified his persecution at the hands of his enemies. Therefore, David could plead with God to deliver him (Psalm 7:3-5,8).
- 3 O LORD my God, if I had done this
- and there is guilt on my hands ---
- or without cause have robbed my foe ---
- let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the sand.
8 Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
- according to my integrity, O Most High.
In order that we might not come under God's judgement, we must examine ourselves everyday. We must repent of every evil -- evil thoughts, evil words, and evil actions. We must repent of:
** pride, self-sufficiency, an independent spirit, self-glorification, a critial spirit, a judgemental spirit;
** rebellion against God and authority, stubbornness, disobedience;
** revenge, retaliation;
** worldliness, lukewarmness, idolatry, greed, lust, putting God second to other things, dishonoring parents, lying, robbing God, immorality, envy;
** divisiona dn strife, party-spirit, slander, gossip, bitterness, anger, malice;
** fear, doubts, lack of faith;
** unwillingness to share the Good News;
** complaining and grumbling.
4. We must pray for our enemy's salvation.
As we are living in the New Testament, and as we have tasted of God;s mercy and grace, we are like wise commanded by our Lord to show grace to our enemies. We must not hate our enemies, but love them. We just do good to them and pray for them But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
(Luke 6:27)
We must never repay evil for evil. If we do so, we have fallen into the devil's trap and have become children of the devil instead. Rather, as children of God, we must overcome evil with good (Roman 12:117-21).
- Do not repay anyone evil for evil
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it si possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge: I will repay," says the Lord.
On the contrary:
- "If your enemy is hungry, fed him;
- if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
(Romans 12:17-21)
5. We must pray for an end to the violence of the wicked.
We must not take revenge, but leave room for God's wrath (Romans 12:19). In other words, we must allow God to judge the wicke in His own time and way, for only God alone is a righteous and true judge, not man. Like David, we can only pray to God that He will quickly bring and end to the violence of the wicked (Psalm 7:6-11).
As we pray, God will answer. He will deliver us. He will judge those who do not repent.
- 6 Arise, o LORD, in your anger;
- rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
- Rule over them from on high;
Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness,
- according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 O righteous God,
- who searches minds and hearts,
- and make the righteous secure.
10 My shield is God Most High
- who saves the upright in heart.
- a God who expresses His wrath every day.
6. We must believe that all those who are wicked and do not repent will ultimately be destroyed.
Our God is a righteous God who expresses His wrath everyday (Psalm 7:11). It is by His grace and mercy that all believers and non-believers are not destroyed completely everyday. God gives time for everyone to repent of their evil, in the Church and outside the Church, before He judges.
However, when sin is not repented of, and when sin is taken lightly, and when sin has reach its time for God's judgement, then judgement will fall. God's judgement is already prepared for all those who are wicked and unrepentant (Psalm 7:12-13).
Those who do evil will receive evil in return, by the hand of God (Psalm 7:14-16). We will always reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-8). God is not mocked by our evil; therefore do not be deceived.
- 12 If a man does not repent,
- God will sharpen His sword;
He will bend and string His bow.
- He makes ready His flaming arrows.
14 He who is pregnant with evil
- and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
- falls into the pit he has made.
- his violence comes down on this own head.
- Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.
(Galatians 6:7-8)
7. We must thank and praise God for His righteous judgement.
David ends his psalm by giving thanks and praise to God for God's righteousness. In other words, he rejoices in the understanding that God will be righteous in His judgements (Psalm 7:17)
- I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness
- and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
David is a man who knows that .... God knows all our problems at the hands of our enemies .... God knows the wickedness of everyone in and outside the local church .... God is a merciful God who gives time for everyone to repent .... God is a righteous Judge who will surely remove all those who do not repent.
Because of this understanding, David can praise God all the time (Psalm 34:1). David can praise God whether he is living in safety or in danger from his enemies. He knows that God will work out all things for his good in the end.
And as David always rejoiced, so should all the people of God, even in the midst of suffering at the hands of our enemies. For our God is a righteous Judge. Praise His holy name.
- I will extol the LORD at all times;
- His praise will always be on my lips.
Your thought
1. When you faced persecution from others before, in the local church as well as outside the local church, did you rejoice in God?
- If you did not, why not?
What was wrong with your attitude of not rejoicing?
Why should you rejoice now if you face persecution from your enemies?
2. Many say that gossip, slander and criticism are sins that are worse than sexual immorality in the local church?
- Why is this so? What will God do to those who gossip, slander or tear down others?
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