Psalm 7 Lord I make my refuge in You
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LORD I make my refuge in you,
Save me God, from men who would harm me.
Or they’ll tear me up like a lion,
Rip my flesh, with no-one to rescue me.
LORD if I have done wrong,
And have guilt on my hands;
If I’ve robbed a friend or a foe,
Let them catch me, trample me in the dust.
In your anger, rise up O LORD,
Rise against the rage of my enemies.
Let your justice sound out O LORD,
As the people gather around you.
From your throne set on high,
Let the LORD judge mankind,
And the LORD will vindicate me,
Judging me, for he knows my righteousness.
So our God the Most High,
Who probes hearts and minds,
Bring an end to violence and pain,
Make the righteous safe from men’s wickedness.
God who saves the upright in heart,
God Most High, my strength and my sovereign is.
God he is the most upright judge,
Brings his wrath on evil men every day.
He will sharpen his sword,
Bend the string of his bow.
He’s prepared his weapons of war,
Makes his flaming arrows fly through the air.
He who evil plans in his heart,
Comes at last to trouble and discontent.
He who digs a hole scoops it out,
Falling in the pit that his hands have made.
Trouble recoils on him;
Violence falls on his head.
But we’ll sing our praises to God,
To the LORD Most High, full of righteousness.
Comment
David seeks refuge in God against real enemies that could do him terrible harm. Whilst recognising that if guilty of wrong, he would deserve their wrath, he is firmly convinced that he has done no harm, and so calls on God to thwart his enemies and vindicate him.
Modern Christians face similar trials. There are both spiritual and human enemies. The human enemies are controlled by spiritual ones. As Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm”. He goes on to exhort us to put on the whole armour of God as protection and finally to stand firm.
Let God do the fighting, for the Psalmist tells us he has deadly weapons of his own which he is ready to deploy when necessary. The spiritual battle we all face is a fierce and demanding one. But if we hold on to the shield of faith, standing our ground , the demonic strategies will recoil on the Enemy’s followers themselves, and the violence will come down on their own heads. We will give thanks to our righteous protector God. We will indeed sing praises to the Lord Most High.
Jeff Lowe: lead vocal, backing vocals, guitars, piano, harmonica, keys, percussion, drums