Let's take our Bibles now to Psalm chapter 7. We're going to be looking at the subject of the Lord, our Great Defender. Psalm chapter 7. You'll notice the inscription that is given to us in the King James Bible. It says, Shigion of David. Some people translate the word Shigion as meditation. The old Schofield notation calls it praise. The newer versions use the word meditation. Actually the word that you see shigion is from the Hebrew root word shagah which means to reel or to swerve or to stagger. And it probably refers to the emotional conflicts and the emotional conflicting thoughts that David was experiencing that literally caused him to reel in what sometimes might be considered confusion. Have you ever been facing trials and testings that were buffeting you from one end to the other, where you were almost losing your spiritual equilibrium? And you were reeling from the blows that life was raining upon you? Well, perhaps the term shigion might apply to your circumstances this week. But notice it says, which he sang unto the Lord. This was actually a solo psalm. David sang as a solo here. And here he is singing this. Now, notice the occasion. We've seen the inscription, but notice the occasion here. Concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. Now, this person is very difficult to identify historically. He really can't be readily identified. It may obviously have been some enemy who had been slandering David. His enemies were many. Some conjecture that perhaps, you know what the difference is between a guess and a conjecture. A conjecture is an educated guess, but they're really both the same. But some conjecture that here we have an enigmatic picture of Shimei, who also, by the way, according to 2 Samuel 16, verses 5 and also chapter 19 and verse 16, was also a Benjamite. So perhaps the term kush here is being used figuratively, which means the word kush meaning dark. Perhaps it's referring to his character or his nature or his deeds. Some would like to identify him as Shimei. But the point is, the Word of God leaves him unidentified, so it would be best for us to avoid being overly dogmatic on who he is. I think that the major problem that David was having is that he had his enemies that were slandering him. Now, Psalm chapter 7 is the first of seven imprecatory psalms. Now, what are imprecatory psalms? They are psalms where God's judgment is being invoked upon individuals. The imprecatory psalms. Martin Luther said, referring to imprecatory psalms, he said, you know, we cannot even pray the Lord's Prayer without cursing individuals. Now what did he mean by that? Every time we pray, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, we're praying that the plans of Satan and all who serve him will fail and that they will receive the judgment that they deserve. So really, whenever we're praying for God's will to be done, we obviously then are praying an imprecatory prayer in the sense that we are praying against the will of those that are the enemies of God and we're also invoking God's judgment upon those that are sinners. Now, in this psalm, which really just has 17 verses, we're going to be looking at a threefold view of God. passage opens up it with three pedals as it were for us to look at a threefold view of God. First of all, the first view of God that we're going to notice is found in verses 1 through 10. We have God pictured as the justifier of the saint in verses 1 through 10. Then we're going to notice in verses 11 through 16, a second picture of God. God is not pictured just as a justifier, but God is pictured as a judge. A judge of the sinner. And then the third picture of God is given to us in verse 17. We have God pictured as the joy of the singing one. And he gives something to sing about for people that know him. So let's start our journey now in this threefold picture of God. And we're going to see how God, in verses 1 through 10, is the justifier of the saint. And in the first five verses here, we're going to see that David is willing to allow God to examine his heart. David is coming to God honestly and in humility, and he's asking God in the first five verses to examine his heart. Notice it says in verses 1-5, O Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust. The word trust means to lean on. When you're tired, you lean on something. i was at the hospital today saw of very elderly person leaning heavily uh... heavily heavily upon a cane and they were really needing that to get around some of you have seen elderly people using walkers my own mother uses a walker sometimes she gets ahead of her own walker and that can cause problems but she leaves on that Well, here David is saying, Lord, I'm leaning on you. Now, normally when you lean on something, it's because you're tired. It's because you're weak. It's because you're weary. Do those terms characterize you in spirit today? Lean on the Lord. It says here, save me from all them. There are a bunch of them. From all them that persecute me. and deliver me." Notice, he says, "...lest he tear my soul like a lion." We know that the old devil in 1 Peter 5.8 is pictured as a lion, isn't he? And so are his emissaries. A lion is vicious. We heard on the West Coast, didn't we, how there was a tour that was being conducted. And it was a lion. A gal was giving a tour to her own family members. And she got too close to the cage and that lion grabbed hold of her arm and literally tore it off of her body. To the amazement and to the horror of family members. Can you imagine how those people would have felt? And attempts to recover the arm and to surgically reconnect it. proved to be futile. And the vengeance and the anger and the horror of a lion. Well, here, David says, my enemies are trying to tear me apart like a lion, rending it in pieces while there is none to deliver. Oh, he's concerned about that. But notice, notice how transparent David wants to be with God. There's no facade here with David. David is saying, Lord, You search me. You reveal to me. You show me something in my life that needs to go, and Lord, I am willing to deal with it. Would to be that we would come before the throne of grace this evening with that attitude. Notice what he says, Oh my God, if I have done this, If there be iniquity in my hands, in other words, that may be causing what I am suffering through. If I have rewarded evil unto Him that was at peace with me, yea, I have delivered Him that without a cause is my enemy. If there's been wrongdoing on my part towards anyone, Lord, I am open for You to reveal that to me. Because Lord, I don't want anything between my soul and the Savior. It's kind of like the hymn writer said. And he said, here, let the enemy persecute my soul and take it. If it's true, Lord, if there's anything, and I've got it coming, Lord, then let it be. Yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay mine honor in the dust. Selah. Lord, I'm willing to examine my heart. You know, this reminds me of Psalm 139. You remember David when in verse 23 he said, Search me, O God. Know my heart. Try me. Know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me. Lord, I want to first examine my life. You see, there's no bitterness here. Even in an imprecatory psalm, When David pleads for judgment upon his enemies for the glory of God, he starts off, first of all, with his backyard. And that is, folks, where we need to start in our prayer life, with our own backyard. It's so easy to start cleaning up everybody else's backyard and things in their lives that we see ought to go, but how about allowing the Spirit of God to place the searchlight first in our hearts. Now, in verses 6 through 10, He's committing all of this concern that, by the way, is out of His hands anyway. He can't control what His enemies are doing. He is committing this to God. And notice, in Psalm 7 and verse 6, He's committing his concern to God. And in verse 6, Arise, O Lord! Arise, O Lord! You know, this is a military cry in Israel to this day. Israelis cry out, Calm! Calm! Whenever they're going out to battle, it's a military cry to this day. It was used in the book of Numbers as they went out to battle. Arise, O God. In other words, Lord, we know the battle is yours. I believe that's why the Israelis are such formidable soldiers. You study the intelligence of the Israeli soldiers. You know why they take so much heat? Because they can see so far ahead of everybody else that everybody thinks they're conjecturing and making up what they see, but it's just that their intelligence is so sophisticated and so well planned out and they are soldiers are par excellence and and they are formidable soldiers and when they go out the battle our rise oh lord now i wish i could say that they were embracers of the messiah and that everything that they did was right but that cannot be and we pray for the peace of jerusalem but we also realize that that is a messianic statement that will never take place until israel says blessed is he that comment in the name of the lord But David is using a war cry and he's saying, Lord, all of this with my enemies is out of my hands. But Lord, you're my divine captain. You lead the way in this warfare. Arise, Lord, you get them. In thine anger lift up thyself because of the rage of my enemies. David was spiritual enough to let God fight his battle. You see? And he says here, Awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. Notice how David continues in verses 6-10 to remind himself, our first point, that God is the justifier of the saint. David will be exonerated in God's timing. And you know, so will you if your walk is what God would have it to be and accusations and slanderous comments let them be in God's hands because the Lord is the justifier of the saint notice what he says in verse 7 so shall the congregation of the people compass thee about for their sake therefore return thou on high the Lord shall judge the people Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness. Get this now. He's saying, Lord, I'm just not asking You to be the judge now, but I'm asking, Lord, for You to even work in my heart according to my righteousness and according to my integrity that is in me. Wow! Would we be willing to pray that prayer? Lord, You look at my heart, at my right walk with You, my integrity, and on the basis of that, Lord, you begin to answer. You know, we're living at a time in central Florida where the integrity of many pastors is greatly questioned. We're living at a time when the name of the Lord is being blasphemed among many people who do not know Christ as personal Savior. And here, integrity and righteousness is a key towards the blessing of god but he continues he says all let the wickedness of the wicked com to and n but it stablish the just you see the lord is the justifier of the faint established the just for the righteous god try it the heart and rain now the term heart obviously refers to the immaterial part of man in the Hebrew Scriptures, their walk with God. The word reigns is literally the word kidneys. And it just refers to the innermost part. He's referring to the innermost part within him. And he's saying, Lord, I know that You try the part of me. You test. You examine. the part of me that nobody can see, the inside of me. Just like within him and the immaterial part. Lord, examine my heart. Examine even the reins, the innermost part of my being, my soul and my spirit. Examine me, because I know You try the hearts. So God, in verses 1-10, is pictured as the justifier of the saints. He says, My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. So that's where our defense is. In the Lord. Our responsibility is that we walk in righteousness and in integrity. In verse 8. Now, we've seen God the justifier of the saints. Now, in verses 11-16, we're going to get another view of god not as the justifier but now towards the judge god is the judge of the center who refuses to come to the lord in repentance you know it a person refuses to receive jesus christ as personal savior if they refuse to come to the land they will someday the lion of the tribe of Judah. And I'll tell you, you name the day, I'd rather face the lion of verse 2 before I'll face the lion of the tribe of Judah if I were a non-believer. Because the lions of this world are nothing compared to the one who possesses the power to condemn men's souls to an eternal hell. Why? Because they have refused to come to the knowledge of the truth that they might be saved. Man goes to hell because he rejects the only source of eternal life. And it's the provision, the justifier. We need to be justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. But when we reject God as the justifier, then He will be the judge of the sinner. And that's what verses 11-16 are talking about. And I want you to notice that God the judge is pictured in verses 11-13 here, as the work of God is pictured here in verses 11-13. You have the work of God as judge, And then you've got the work of man that brings judgment. So let's take a look at verses 11 through 13 now. We're going to see God as the judge. God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day because His moral law and His righteousness is being trampled upon. If He turned not, if the unsaved man doesn't turn, He will wet his sword. That's what God's going to do. He's going to wet his sword. He's going to sharpen it. He has bent his bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for him the instruments of death. He ordains his arrows against the persecutors. And many of David's enemies would die terrible in physical battle But most of all, judgment was awaiting them because God is judge. So in verses 11 through 13, here you have the work of God as judge. But now in verses 14 through 16, you have the work of man. Here's the work of man that brings judgment. What does he do that causes the judgment? Notice what it says. Behold, this is speaking about the pagan, unregenerate, unsaved man. Behold, he travails with iniquity." Here you have the language of childbirth. He travails with iniquity and conceives mischief. Even though it hurts him, and even though it causes great pain, he still pursues it with utter vengeance, and he gives birth to mischief and he brings forth falsehood. You see, he can only produce that which is like him. And I like verse 15 because you have in verses 15 and 16 the principle of divine payback. If you want to get theological, we can use the word divine retribution. But in verses 15 and 16, you've got divine payback. Here's what it says in verse 15 and 16. He made a pit. This is the unsaved man. Unsaved man made a pit for David. There may be people that will make a pit for you, and they'll watch your walk every single day, and they'll listen to everything you say. There are some people, undoubtedly, that are listening to my message today on the internet just to find out what they can hear that I'm saying they don't agree with. And there are people that go to churches to hear their pastor, or maybe some Sunday school teacher, say something wrong so that they can criticize it. There are people that go to pastors' conferences, not to be blessed, but to hear something, some morsel of gossip or tidbit of injustice so that they can come home and report on it and write articles on it and all of this, you see. And their mind is always to make a pit for somebody, to catch somebody some way, you see. Well, I'll tell you what, people that live that way, they fall into their own pit of their own making. And a lot of times, it's what happens in their home or their own family. or their own church, or their own association, or whatever it might be. But notice it says in verse 15, speaking of all of these people that were dogging David's steps, it says, "...he made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made." Take a look at Well, let's read verses 15 and 16 before I take you to some parallel passages. Look at verse 16. Still speaking about the wicked man. The one where God is going to be the judge of the sinner. His mischief shall return upon his own head. You don't have to try to be the catalyst towards bringing that around. You know, God is an expert at doing that. You let God handle that. You don't have to be a private investigator to try to see what you can do to defend yourself. No, David said, Lord, You are going to bring this mischief upon their own heads. Notice, His violent dealing shall come down upon His own people. Right down, like a house of cards on top of them. I think of Proverbs 26 and verse 27. Don't lose your place in Psalm 7. But in Proverbs 26 and verse 27, you have a virtual quotation by Solomon, David's son. And it says here, Whoso diggeth a pit, shall fall therein. And he that rolls a stone, it will return upon him." You see, there's the concept. Now, where is it illustrated? I'll just make reference to it. All of you have read the book of Haman. You remember in the book of Esther, chapter 7 and verse 10, how that Haman constructed the gallows and it was his intention to get Mordecai and if he could every Jew in the nation he hated God's chosen people and yet who was first to hang high it was Haman and his plot was exposed by Esther and his doom was sealed by King Ahasuerus in God's due time you see so you have the principle here of divine retribution divine payback so we've seen God as the justifier in verses 1 through 10 God will exonerate his children in due time if not here on this earth certainly at the judgment seat of Christ number two we've seen God as the judge of the ungodly payback will come not might come will come and that will come to pass then i want you to notice finally as we close just one single verse god is the joy of the singing one god brings joy in the midst of hard circumstances notice david attitude he says i will praise the lord according to his righteousness, I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." And here you have the word praise occurring two times in the same verse. It's not the normal word Hallel or Hallelujah or any of the terms that normally would be used in the Hebrew language. The first word praise that's found in verse 17, Yadah has the idea of a praise, but it involves a praise with confession. It has the idea of a praise with a view towards confession of sin. Lord, I praise You even in the midst of my conviction as I look upon my heart. But then the second word that's translated praise here, in verse 17, the word zamar speaks of praising the Lord in singing, in music. It's more of an outward manifestation of praise. So you have the inward heart praise when confession is made, when you can praise God with sincerity because sin has been dealt with. That's the first word, praise. You've let the Spirit of God, through the Word of God, bring confession of sin. There's a clear conscience. There's nothing between your soul and the Savior. You're able to sincerely, without guile, praise God. That's the idea of the first word, praise. But then, the second word, praise, is the outward result. You're singing unto the Lord because your joy is there out of a right relationship with God. And it looks at man's response, knowing his sins are forgiven. So, whenever you're faced with persecution or slander, look at God in this threefold way. First of all, He's your justifier. He's the one that has justified you through Christ. You belong to Him. He'll take care of His saints. He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus. Then we've seen God as the judge. He's the one that's going to call to task those who are against Him and against His servants. He will be in charge of the divine payback. Then finally, God is pictured as the joy giver. because he is the one that truly gives us a reason to sing. And by the way, you may not have a nice voice, according to your opinion, but I'll tell you what, we all have a lot to sing about, even if it's in the shower. We have a lot to sing about. And we can make a joyful noise here. And you know, when we get to heaven and get our glorified bodies, even Tommy will be singing. Is that right? Amen and amen. We all have a lot to sing about. Isn't the Lord good? Is He good enough to take care of you? Is He good enough to see you through the trials and testings of this life? That's right. And He's good enough to see to it that it polishes us and makes us pure and cleanses us. And He'll take care of us against the slanderers. And by the way, someone once said, I'm not sure who came up with the quote, that the devil, the word diabolos means slanderer. The devil is the slanderer of the saints. Let's not help him out by us slandering. Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Father, thank you for your love towards us and that we can commit our way into your paths. And Lord, not a one of us can say that we haven't been where David found himself at what time? One time or another. But Lord, help us that we might have a righteous walk and a walk of integrity that we as David might be able to claim that. And pray, Lord, for Your special work because He has allowed the Spirit of God to reveal to him those shortcomings. And David was willing to confess his sin. He wasn't sinless. He had fallen, but Lord, He confessed his sin and sought in his heart to follow you. He was indeed a man after God's own heart. So we pray that you would bless these thoughts as we go to prayer together. And may we remember that you are our ever-present help in time of need. In Jesus' name, with thanksgiving, we pray. Amen.