Psalm 7

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Psalm 7
• Sermon

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Sermon Title: Finding Refuge from Slander and Injustice

Scripture: Psalm 7

I. Background and Context of Psalm 7

A. The heading identifies David as the object of slander from Cush, a Benjaminite

• Cush is not identified elsewhere in Scripture, but his tribal identity is significant

B. The Tribe of Benjamin was historically hostile toward David

1. Saul, a Benjaminite, pursued David relentlessly
2. Shimei of Benjamin cursed David during Absalom's rebellion — 2 Samuel 16:7–8
3. Sheba, a Benjaminite, led a revolt against David after Absalom's defeat — 2 Samuel 20

C. Benjamin's repeated opposition to David throughout his reign establishes a pattern of enmity

II. The Problem: How Can David Claim Righteousness?

A. David has previously appealed to God's mercy, acknowledging his own sinfulness in earlier psalms

B. The distinction between heavenly and earthly righteousness resolves the tension

1. Heavenly (vertical) righteousness — the righteousness that makes one fit for God's eternal presence; no one attains this — Romans 3:10
2. Earthly (horizontal) righteousness — innocence with respect to a specific accusation between persons; this is what David claims here

C. David is not claiming sinless perfection before God, but asserting his innocence of the slander being leveled against him

D. Rather than appealing to human courts, David takes his case to the heavenly tribunal — the one God who cannot be deceived by slander

III. The Justice of God Considered in Psalm 7

A. God's judgment against the wicked operates on multiple levels

1. Eschatological judgment on the last day
2. God's present wrath seen in giving sinners over to their sin — Romans 1
3. Providential judgment: the wicked fall into the traps they set for others — Psalm 7:15–16

B. Historical illustration: The Roman Empire was not destroyed from without but devoured by its own sin and unrighteousness

C. Whether or not David's name was publicly cleared, the psalm models integrity under injustice

• It is better to maintain integrity and suffer injustice than to compromise and join ranks with the unrighteous

D. The pattern throughout the Psalter: David begins in distress, comes before God in prayer, and ends in confidence in God's goodness and faithfulness

IV. Three Lessons on How to Pray from Psalm 7

A. We pray for earthly justice

1. Christians saved from sin are called to live righteously and remain sensitive to unrighteousness
2. We are to pray for leaders and governing authorities — 1 Timothy 2:1–2
3. We pray that God would intervene and cause justice to prevail

B. We pray to a God who knows us completely

1. God's knowledge of our inner life can be terrifying in light of sin
2. But for the slandered innocent, it is a profound comfort — God knows the trajectory of the heart and cannot be deceived
3. Anticipation of Psalm 121 — God's knowledge of our going out and coming in is not simply a comfort but a searching reality

C. We pray that we would remain righteous amid the assaults of the unrighteous

1. The natural impulse is to vindicate ourselves horizontally — to ensure the truth reaches everyone who heard the lie
2. David's example: the first response is to go to the One who knows the heart
3. True contentment is not found in what the world thinks of us, but in what the righteous God — who knows us inside and out — thinks of us