Have you ever been accused of doing something wrong? How do you respond? Do you rationalize trying to justify your behavior, site excuses, wiggle, squirm? Such reactions are commonplace due to our fallen nature.
It takes maturity to be able to face your faults honestly and apologize to those you have wronged.
But have you ever noticed that the public accusations of sins and offenses we have committed are easier to bear than false accusations when we are actually innocent?
With sin there is at least justification for the accusation. When you face your faults honestly there can be restoration through repentance and apology. But false accusations are harder to bear. You can’t repent or apologize for something you have not done and on top of it all, false accusations can do real damage to your reputation, employment, family and finances.
Such is the case with David in Psalm 7. The Warrior David has been falsely accused by Cush the Benjamite and things are getting out of hand. You know how it goes, at first you try to ignore false accusations hoping they go away but folks begin to jump on board and the accusations gain a life of their own.
Do we ever see anything like this today?
| Psalm 7 (NIV)
A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite. |
The Prayer/Song of a Person Falsely Accused |
|---|---|
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1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you; |
1. Pray: requesting deliverance: Have you ever been attacked verbally and felt defenseless and said, “They tore me up, ate me alive?” |
| 2 or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. |
David feels this way and uses a simile of a lion, tearing its prey. |
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3 Lord my God, if I have done this |
2. Oath: David declares his innocence: He is accused of… |
| 4 if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe— |
Lying: Breaking a treaty with an ally
Treachery: Assisting his ally’s enemy |
| 5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. |
David says that if he were guilty then, of course, he deserves to be punished. But, in fact, he is innocent. |
| 6 Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. |
3. Request for Arbitration and Judgment: He urgently implores God to act. |
| 7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. |
David asks that he be publically vindicated. He wants everyone to know that the accusations are false. |
| 8 Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. |
The God of grace will lead you through the lies and attacks of your enemies. |
| 9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. |
When Christians face false accusations verse 9 should be their prayer; end the violence and make the innocent secure. |
| 10 My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. |
4. Confidence in God: Like a warrior in battle, God is our shield. The tongue, lies, can cause great damage, pain, and anxiety, but God is a protective shield. James 3:5-6 |
| 11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. |
5. Two Word Pictures/Portraits |
| 12 If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. |
A. God is ready for action
God is fully armed. |
| 13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. |
His gun is loaded and aimed at the wicked. |
| 14 Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. |
B. Pregnant with evil, compare to James 1:14-15 |
| 15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. |
God is primed for action against David’s accusers. The nature of the action was simply to direct the consequences of the evil back onto the perpetrators. |
| 16 The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. |
The boomerang effect of evil. Galatians 6:8 |
| 17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. |
6. Rejoice: We have immediate access to the Creator God our ever-present shield and Savior! |
As David’s song/prayer to God began the enemy and his accusations overshadowed God in David’s mind. He was overwhelmed. He could only think of the accusations. You just have to love how realistic the Bible is because that is exactly how we feel when folks tell lies about us. But through prayer and meditation David gained a new perspective and peace in the situation. God is bigger than our problems and will be our shield. But note, God doesn’t say we won’t have to be in the battle or that we won’t have to go through hard times. We are in the battle. It is hard. Accusations fly. But God goes through it with us. Our shield.
By Richard Loper