Psalm 7

I Take Refuge in You

As I read this psalm, two words stick out to me.  Refuge and Rise.  As David writes this, he is being hunted by King Saul, who wants David out of the picture because he is a threat to the King's power.  David sings this song to the Lord, asking Him to be his refuge, to keep him safe from his oppressors, and also to rise against them, or to give his enemies what David believes they deserve.  David makes the case that he is a good person, to the point where he tells God that if he is lying, that God should be allow him to fall to his enemies.  But, as a good person, he expects God's refuge and Rise.

Fast forward to the New Testament, we learn the lesson from Christ that being a good person is not enough to protect you from your enemies.  Jesus was the only blameless man on Earth, and even He succumbed to his enemies, as did the majority of His apostles.  Therefore, I have to ask aloud, are these contrary messages?  Can we count on God to give us refuge and rise against our enemies?

I think we can always count on God, but we can't always count on Him to give you what you expect.  David speaks of a "relentless" wrath, with God flashing a sharp sword and flaming arrows against the enemies of the righteous.  If that's what you're expecting God to do for you, you'll probably be disappointed.

God is our refuge.  While he will not protect us from the wicked ways of the world, he is a partner to help us cope through it.  God's refuge is not a literal shield protecting you from your enemies, but rather a shield of grace, providing someone who loves you even when it feels like no one else does.  God is a refuge when he provides forgiveness to you, when you're the enemy of others.  He is a refuge to something bigger and better than you can ever hope to see in the world.

God will rise against your enemies.  As David says, "God is a righteous judge", and that assurance tells us the wicked will be punished.  However, that may be hard to see sometimes.  Often, it seems like our enemies prosper while we suffer.  What of this?  David writes, "whoever is pregnant with evil...gives birth to disillusionment."  We learn that sin is its own punishment.  Many people define sin as the distance between you and God.  Those who sin push God away.  They lose that refuge.  They lose that mercy.  They lose that love.

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, which seems to be the opposite of what David is asking for here.  I think there may be a middle ground though.  David tells us that those who sin "fall into the pit they have made", and this is true.  However, you have to remember, that God loves even the sinners.  If God loves that sinner in the pit, we can learn to as well.  When we see someone in need, we should offer our help.  If we see someone fall into the pit, we should reach down to pull them up.

We can be a refuge.  We can rise.

1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
    save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me apart like a lion
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
    let him trample my life to the ground
    and make me sleep in the dust.

6 Arise, Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8     Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shield is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
    a God who displays his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent,
    he[e] will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

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.