Psalm 17
Violence or Vindication?
Sadly, in the world as it is, injustice is all too prevalent. Particularly against those who seek to bring truth to light, and follow the ways of God.
This Psalm is an earnest plea to the LORD for justice and vindication. It is built around a contrast of the righteous and wicked.
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer –
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
You can almost hear the desperation in the opening cry of this Psalm. Three times in just the first verse, the King insists that God would bend his ear to the prayer.
The boldness of his request is rooted in his conviction that he stands before God in righteousness. No lies or treachery or duplicity stain the lips or muddy the heart that plead for the LORD’s intervention. His appeal is just. And that’s because it comes from a righteous heart.
He says ‘Bring my life under the microscope. Inspect every millimetre of my heart. Whether you find me at night unexpectedly or in the light of day, you will find the same thing.’
The King says his heart is open. There is nothing to hide or feel ashamed by.
Look at the way he describes his conduct in vv3-5. He has not concocted sinister schemes. His own mouth and feet have not ventured beyond the strictures of the law. His life and worship have been governed not by the world but by the Word. Even in the face of financial temptation, sweet gifts trying to lure him away from the path of life and righteousness, he has stayed firmly on course.
As you read this, you might well think you could not in good conscience claim these words to describe yourself. You’re not alone, as I feel the same. I remember reading this for the first time and this bringing more conviction of my own sin than any real source of assurance and encouragement.
As we saw with Psalm 16, we read this songbook “in Christ”. Jesus was the one who rejected the glittering promises of the devil (Luke 4.1-11). He was the one who refused the ways of the violent (1 Peter 2.23). He was the one who was obedient to the word of God, never veering on the way to the cross (Philippians 2.8).
When he prayed to God, he could point to his righteousness. And when we bring our prayers to God, we can point to his righteousness, because it is now ours as we are united to him by faith (2 Corinthians 5.21).
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
Where the heart of the righteous one is open and true, the wicked’s heart has been calloused by lies (v10).
The picture is of a heart covered up, seeking to hide its motives and schemes from those peering in. But God knows. And the King knows that God can see through the pretense and defenses.
The ones described in vv10-12 are set in direct contrast with the righteous one:
They close up their heart to God (10) in contrast to laying it bare (3)
Their mouths boast in themselves in contrast (10) to a mouth that does not transgress (3)
They scheme and attack (11-12) in contrast to rejecting violent ways (4)
Again, the King prays boldly, this time not seeking vindication but protection. In v7, he uses language similar to that of Moses when he sung of God’s great redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 15.11-13).
Looking back to God’s previous rescue, the King calls on him to remain faithful, but shielding them like a mother hen would her vulnerable chicks (v8). He also pleads that his righteous ones would stay the apple of God’s eye. The literal meaning is being the pupil of his eye. That means, he asks that they would stay central in God’s focus and concern.
And so in our own skirmishes and battles with the Deceiver, we plead with God to protect us, shielding us from our enemy and ultimately defeating them.
13 Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down;
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, LORD,
from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers for their little ones.
15 As for me, I shall be vindicated and shall see your face;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
The King closes this song with a call on God to give his enemies exactly what they want. This might seem like a strange request. But the King knows of the true vanity of their pursuits.
For as Jesus said, those who gain the whole world will lose their soul (Matthew 16.26). They get their treasure on earth (Matthew 6.19-21). But all the treasures of the world will rust and decay. Their joy will be momentary in the grand picture. They will have sacrificed eternal treasures for fleeting trinkets. They have chosen violence to get their own way in the short term.
But for the King, and all those who follow in his way, sharing in his suffering, obedient to the word, they will be vindicated and gain what is greater than all (v15).
We will behold glory and greatness of God, hearts satisfied and ravished by his beauty and manifold perfections. For there is no greater treasure than God himself. And he is the destination and certain reward for all those who, forsaking the world, bind themselves to Christ and his righteousness.
Glory be to God the Father, the supreme treasure of the righteous.
Glory be to God the Son, who is our righteousness by faith.
Glory be to God the Spirit, who shields us in the peace and love of the LORD.