It appears by the title, “A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite,” that this Psalm was composed in reference to a particular time when David had been falsely accused by his enemies. Instead of lashing out at them, David appeals to God for favor (Psalm 7:1 & 2). He petitions God concerning his innocence as to the things he was accused of (Psalm 7:3-5). David prays to God to be his Judge (Psalm 7:6-9). He expresses his confidence in God that He would take care of him and rightfully judge his enemy (Psalm 7:10-16). And, in the end, David promises to give God the glory for his deliverance (Psalm 7:17).
As I read through this Psalm several times, I kept asking the Lord, “what is it that You are wanting me to see here?” There is a lot about the history of this Psalm that isn’t certain; for example who was Cush, the Benjamite and what was the exact occasion of the writing of this Psalm. The history of the Psalms, although very enlightening at times, wasn’t what was important here. God was asking me two things:
1. How do you approach Me in prayer?
2. Do you praise Me in the storm?
Let’s briefly take a look back at what we do know about the writing of this Psalm before we tackle these questions. It won’t take long. David had been falsely accused by an enemy and took it to God in prayer. That’s it. That’s basically what we need to know about the writing of this Psalm. Now, I want us to focus on the first part of verse 1 and then we will pray verse 17 back to the LORD.
Psalm 7:1a- “O LORD my God, in You I put my trust”
There are three words I want you to see in the original Hebrew language. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek. The text that we have today is a transliteration of the Hebrew and Greek language.
*LORD= Yahweh- I AM, The Self-Existent One, The One Who Is- The name Yahweh is the most scared, holy name for God to His people. Anytime you see LORD is all capital letters, it represents Yahweh, the Great I AM.
*God= Elohim- The All-Powerful One, Creator-This name is usually associated with God in relation to His creation.
*Trust= chasah- This word means to flee to for protection, to confide in, to have hope in, to make refuge in, and to put trust in.
Okay. So we have a few definitions to some words. What’s the big deal? Hold tight, I’m going to show you. David uttered these words in a time of prayer directed to God. Here is the first instance in the Psalms where he addresses God by the combined names LORD (Yahweh) and God. There are no other words more fitting to begin a time of prayer or praise to God. David was reverencing God for who and what He was. To David, God was the most scared, holy Being. God was the Great I AM, the All-Powerful One, the Creator of the universe. David was giving God the praise and reverence that was due His name. Because David had a proper view of who God was, he had great trust in God. God was to David, a place he could flee to for protection during the storms of life; Someone he could confide in. When the world around him was hopeless, God was David’s hope.
Reading through this made me stop and think- David’s view of God was the exact person of God and he acknowledged Him as such. His view wasn’t obscured or tainted by what was going on around him. He still knew, not only in his mind, but also in his heart who God was. That’s why David was able to approach God in trust. When I was growing up I had a black lab named Jake. As he got older, he developed cataracts on his eyes. Eventually, it became very hard for him to see; his vision was blurred causing him to run into things because he didn’t have a clear picture of what was in front of him. David’s vision wasn’t blurred by the current storm that he was in. He had a clear picture of exactly who God was. I must confess to you (I already did to God), I don’t always acknowledge Him as LORD God, the Great I AM, the Creator of the universe, especially in the midst of the storms. There are times when I allow my circumstances to obscure my view of who God is. I look to others to be my refuge and confidante instead of looking to Yahweh, whose very name shows His character of faithfulness and trust.
Questions to Answer- Thoughts to Ponder
What about you? How do you approach God in prayer? Do you begin by giving Him the praise due His name or has your view of who He is been blurred by your circumstances?
Beloved, stop what you are doing right now. Allow God to do some corrective eye surgery on you (and open heart surgery if necessary) so that you can see Him for exactly who He is. Sing praise to the LORD according to His righteousness, sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. Give Him the praise due His name. Place your trust in Him. Allow Him to be your refuge and strength.
Praying Scripture back to the Lord
O LORD, my God, I give You praise right now because You are righteousness. You are truth. In You alone do I place my trust. You are strength to the weary and a refuge to the oppressed. I will fear no one because You are the strength of my life. To You, O LORD, do I lift my hands in praise and my voice proclaims Your awesomeness, for You are the LORD Most High and King over all the earth. I will praise Your name all my days.
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