Psalm 17

A Prayer of David.

1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

2 From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!

This is the prayer of one who is suffering from injustice. He has been wronged and he is not finding vindication in the human court of appeals. Three times he asks for the LORD to take up his case as advocate and judge -- hear, attend, give ear. He has three requests of the LORD as well: First, listen (stated three times); second, let my vindication come from your presence; and third, let your eyes see what’s right. There is anthropomorphism here as well as the psalmist speaks of God’s ears, eyes, and presence. In the midst of his request, he asserts his innocence four times: hear a just cause, hear my prayer from honest lips, my vindication, behold the right. There can be no doubt that the psalmist believes he is right. This is not one of those, “show me my error” kind of prayers. There is no question about the injustice of the situation or the psalmist’s integrity here. In many disputes there is plenty of blame and responsibility to go around, but not here. The historical context is most likely David’s mistreatment by Saul. David acted throughout that entire episode with the utmost integrity. In fact, some would say that he was too good to be true. The key to David’s integrity in the face of unjust treatment was his faith in God. He knew that God was the judge and that God was just, and this enabled him to face the wrongful treatment and false accusations. In fact, underpinning all of the psalms of lament is the conviction that God is just. Why else would you appeal to him? The universal question in the laments is, where are you God? “I don’t doubt your power and justice, it’s just your presence”. Here the psalmist expresses the union of these two ideas: God if you’d just show up, your very presence would be my vindication. The lament is a prayer for God to show up. This is ultimately answered by the seed of David, Jesus on the cross. 

3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Since the psalmist has asked for the presence of a judge, he first places himself on the witness stand, inviting the LORD himself to fully examine him (139:1,24). This examination includes not only his actions and his words, but his motives. “You have tried my heart,” he says. At night when he is alone with his thoughts, the LORD has visited him and even in his quiet moments there has been nothing worthy of condemnation. He has purposed that he will not transgress with his mouth, saying anything that he will regret. When hit comes to his deeds he is equally blameless, and he credits the words and the ways of God for this. He has avoided the ways of the violent by paying heed to the words of God. His steps have held fast to the LORD’s paths, his feet haven’t slipped. This is a person who has taken the first psalm to heart (there are a lot of echoes of it here). David is certainly overstating the case of his innocence because he will in later psalms pray for grace and mercy because of his sins. But in this case, in this situation, he is fully self-justified. Presuming this is his conflict with Saul, the historical record affirms that. Are there similar situations today where one can declare themselves 100% innocent in motive, word, and deed? I suppose it’s possible on a small scale, in certain contexts, to assert perfection of motive, word and deed, while still acknowledging that as a whole, sin is still present. Have I invited the LORD to thoroughly examine me, by day and night, my motivations, my words, my deeds?

6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.

7 Wondrously show [Distinguish me by] your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

The psalmist is confident that the LORD will hear and answer. This is implicit in his prayer, so he asks God to lean in and listen as he calls upon Him. His petition is that God would show his steadfast love, or the God would distinguish him by his steadfast love. The idea is the same either way, make the psalmist notable in the way that he is faithfully loved by God. God is Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at God’s right hand. Sometimes “right hand” can mean “favored”, as in, Benjamin - son of my right hand. It can also mean powerful (80% of human beings are right handed). The grammar is not clear here because we’re not sure who is at God’s right hand. It could be that the adversaries are at God’s right hand, and he is about to smack them. In others words, their judgment is imminent. Or it could be that there are those who are seeking refuge at God’s right hand. The latter seems to make the most sense, and it is the most common way that it is translated. It’s curious that the word order is such that it make it ambiguous. Perhaps because both are true. The psalmist seeks refuge at God’s right hand, and that same right hand is about to punish the adversary. It is another subtle hint at God’s justice, both restorative and punitive. Justice and mercy are both in his right hand. David earlier asked for God’s presence, and there’s nothing closer than being by God’s side, at his right hand. May I find that same comfort from your strong presence. 

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

9 from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.

There are two images here of God’s protection. This first the psalmist makes is a request that God “keep me as the “little man of your eye”. This expression refers to how we guard the pupil of the eye. When we look in someone’s eyes we see a reflection of ourselves, a little man. Hence, the little man is the pupil, the center of the eye. In the same way that we protect our eyes instinctively, may God protect us -- instinctively, reflexively. The second image is of God as a parenting bird, guarding and protecting their young, hiding them in the shadow of their wings. One can imagine other predators approaching a nest and the bird raising a ruckus, swooping and diving on the threat. Or one can imagine how a bird might shelter a chick in a storm by covering it with its wing. If this is how things in nature protect their eyes and their offspring instinctively (eyes and chicks), how much more do you think God chooses to protect us? The two dangers that he cites are “the wicked who do me violence” and “my deadly enemies who surround me.” David lived most of his life under threat. As awesome as being a king must have been, it came with its own unique dangers. Someone was always trying to kill you or depose you. Political enemies have always been a thing, and the guy at the top lives in constant danger of being toppled. Think of playing “king of the mountain”. There is never rest for the king -- unless you put yourself under God’s care. There’s no rest for us as well from the fears of this life -- wicked people who would commit violence against us or natural disasters that catch us by surprise. We can pray with the psalmist, keep me as the center of your eye and protect this little chicken that I am with your overshadowing wing. 

10 They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

11 They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.

12 He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.

The enemy is described as those who have closed their hearts to pity. With their mouths they speak arrogantly. The description makes me think of someone whom we might describe as a hardened criminal, someone who thinks nothing of taking or abusing another human life. They no longer have feelings of remorse, completely unrepentant, they make arrogant boasts with no thought of the consequences of their actions. Such people have surrounded the psalmist’s steps. There is no apparent means of escape. These enemies have set their eyes to tear down others; it is their mission and purpose in life. Now the psalmist moves from the general to the specific. He is no longer talking in generalities; his enemy is singular and has a name and a face. We don’t know who David is speaking of, but he compares him to a lion hiding in ambush, about to pounce, kill, and eat his prey. This is our enemy as well if we want to get specific and personal. We can speak in generalities about enemies and even singular individuals who have wronged us, but the ultimate enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. When Peter uses this image in his letter to the persecuted church, he is drawing on this frequent metaphor in the psalms. We would do well to remember that this enemy of mankind is always lurking, and just when you think you are secure, he will pounce. Keep me from the arrogance that assumes that I can never fall. Jesus himself did battle in the wilderness for 40 days with this enemy, so why should I ever expect that it would be easy? Take the enemy seriously. If you knew that you were being hunted by a wild animal that was capable of killing and eating me, you would be very careful. You would be hyper vigilant. How much more should you be on your guard against the enemy of your soul! You are the hunted. God is the parenting bird protecting you from discovery and attack, guarding you instinctively as one guards his eye. 

13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

14 from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.[from men whose portion in life is of the world] You fill their womb with treasure; [As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb] they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

David issues an urgent prayer for deliverance, stated in four action words: arise, confront, subdue, deliver by the sword, by your hand. He expects God to get involved in a very real situation in a very real way. This doesn’t feel metaphoric at all. David’s very life is threatened by these men, men whose portion is in this life. This is in contrast to David who in the previous psalm declared that the LORD was his portion and his cup. These are men who have no thought of God and they are motivated purely by material realities. Verse 14 presents an ambiguity in translation. If the verse refers to the previous description of men then it is stating that all that they receive is in this life, and when they die, all that they have goes to their infant children (suggesting that they will die young). “You fill their womb with treasure” suggests that these are wealthy men who are constantly “birthing” even more wealth. Their satisfaction is in their children and they leave all of it to them when they die. If the verse refers to David and “YHWH’s treasured ones”, then the promise is that the godly will be blessed with children and their life will be a legacy, a blessing to those who come behind them. I’d like for this to be the correct interpretation, but I lean more toward the former because of the quick change and contrast in verse 15 to “as for me”. David’s reward is to see God’s face, to find satisfaction in knowing God. This is not to deny that children are a blessing and a legacy, but in this case, the context suggests that children are the best thing that the wicked can expect in this life. If this is the correct interpretation, it suggests that David is thinking of an afterlife, a time and place where he will literally be able to see God’s face. Again this is similar to the previous psalm where David speaks of being at God’s right hand with the Lord before him, enjoying eternal pleasures. Do I find my ultimate satisfaction and joy in YHWH? This is the message of Psalms 16 and 17. Even the best things in this life do not compare to the satisfaction of seeing our creator.