A shiggayon of David, which he sang to YHVH because of Kush the Ben-Y’mini:
YHVH my God, in you I take refuge. Save me from all my pursuers, and rescue me; otherwise, they will maul me like a lion and tear me apart, with no rescuer present.
YHVH my God, if I have caused this, if there is guilt on my hands, if I paid back evil to him who was at peace with me, when I even spared those who opposed me without cause; then let the enemy pursue me until he overtakes me and tramples my life down into the earth; yes, let him lay my honor in the dust. (Selah)
Rise up, YHVH, in your anger! Arouse yourself against the fury of my foes. Wake up for me; you commanded justice. May the assembly of the peoples surround you; may you return to rule over them from on high. YHVH, who dispenses judgment to the peoples, judge me, YHVH, according to my righteousness and as my integrity deserves. Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and establish the righteous; since you, righteous God, test hearts and minds. My shield is God, who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge, a God whose anger is present every day. If a person will not repent, he sharpens his sword. He has bent his bow, made it ready; he has also prepared for him weapons of death, his arrows, which he has made into burning shafts.
Look how the wicked is pregnant with evil; he conceives trouble, gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digs it deep, and falls into the hole he made. His mischief will return onto his own head, his violence will recoil onto his own skull.
I thank YHVH for his righteousness and sing praise to the name of YHVH ‘Elyon.
We all understand selfishness. You know, making sure we get what we deserve before considering what others get. The context with selfishness is usually presented as us getting what we want before anyone else gets theirs.
What’s interesting is David does the exact same thing here. Looking out for himself before considering other people -- but it’s selfishness in its correct context.
Before calling out to God to bring justice on his enemies, he asks if it’s him that is guilty. And if he is, it’s him that deserves to be overtaken by his enemies and trampled down into the earth.
Think about this.
People are pursuing him and want to kill him. Did you get that? Kill him.
Think about the people you are crosswise with. There likely isn’t a murderous intent attached to your scenario and yet we still seek to have them pay for their crime. We paint ourselves as victims and eagerly cry out for justice in the situation. And of course, “justice” means they get what they deserve.
This is the essence of unforgiveness. Someone did something to us and they need to pay. Guilty them, innocent us.
But David confronts this in a completely different way. He understands that if those pursuing him have just cause then it’s only fair that he receive the punishment. Is there any chance we could learn to do the same? I suppose that is the question.
Could you be so bold as to pray what David prays here?
YHVH, who dispenses judgment to the peoples, judge me, YHVH, according to my righteousness and as my integrity deserves.
This is tough. Very tough.
I don’t know about you, but I like to assume my integrity is such that I am deserving of a fair judgment. I’d also like to assume my righteousness is counted somewhat favorably. But what if I’m holding onto unforgiveness? What if I’m harboring a bit of hatred against someone?
What if I try to call down justice for someone else without ever considering justice coming upon myself? Is that itself just? Is it ok for others to pay for their crimes while I get forgiven for mine?
In light of this, I’m not sure I have the courage to ask Abba to judge me. I’d personally like to defer His judgment as long as I possibly can. I just need a bit more time to “work through” my issues.
Besides, if I ask Him to show me those places and He judges rightly, won’t I just end up a sinner in the hands of an angry God?
Well, maybe He really isn’t angry.
God is a righteous judge, a God whose anger is present every day.
We have to be careful in how we interpret the word “anger” here. We must realize we are dealing with ancient Biblical concepts, presented in Hebrew, interpreted into English, and filtered through a 21st century mindset.
Using our culture's understanding of anger, we might interpret this as a God sitting, stewing and being extremely ticked off. It’s as if He can’t wait to execute justice upon me. He may even find joy in ridding the earth of my presence. Sadly, some people actually view God exactly like this. However, this does not at all sound like a kind and loving God. It sounds more like an executioner.
How do we resolve this conflict in our understanding? By understanding.
What is actually meant by the word “anger” in this passage?
It isn't the normal usage of the word anger (aph) that is mostly used throughout the Bible. Here, the word is za’am and that carries the meaning of: abhor, abominable, defy, and indignation.
Not good, but also not angry like we interpret it.
In the context of a Judge, the frustration and annoyance comes when those that committed a crime simply will not repent. And we see precisely this in the following passage:
If a person will not repent, he sharpens his sword. He has bent his bow, made it ready; he has also prepared for him weapons of death, his arrows, which he has made into burning shafts.
The point? You made a mistake now just own up to it. Doubling down and making excuses only makes matters worse. Just repent.
And if you don’t, the outcome is that your ways get dumped back on your own head:
Look how the wicked is pregnant with evil; he conceives trouble, gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digs it deep, and falls into the hole he made. His mischief will return onto his own head, his violence will recoil onto his own skull.
It’s only those that refuse to repent that need to be concerned. But for you, if you sincerely want to be healed, eagerly cry out to Him to show you where you need to repent.
If we are asking Him to judge us, it’s because we want to repent. When we approach Him in this manner, He will be delicate in how He opens up our shortcomings. He will be honest (but patient) as we try to repair the effects of our crimes. In fact, He’ll even help us do it. And He’ll be honored through it all.
But we have to start the process.
Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and establish the righteous; since you, righteous God, test hearts and minds. My shield is God, who saves the upright in heart.
God tests the hearts and minds of everyone. As such, David makes the appeal for Abba to end the wicked and establish the righteous. I think we can all agree that this is exactly what we’d love to have happen in the earth, but we need to make sure we land on the correct side of that equation.
And to do that, we need to be like David -- a man after God’s own heart.
Go ahead and ask Him now to judge you. Ask Him to diligently search your heart and mind. Ask Him to test you in those areas where compromise exists. Ask Him to uncover the unforgiveness you have against others. Ask Him to show you where hatred exists.
Then repent.
There is no need to fear having Him infiltrate you because He is your shield. He will protect you and guide you through the entire process. You will not fall into the pit of your own making. Instead, you will stand firmly on solid ground.
What an amazing Father we have! And David knew it. Which is why he could confidently ask Abba to allow judgment to come upon him if he was actually guilty. And also why he could appeal to Him to bring just judgment upon his foes.
We ALL need His judgment because it is right and true. It heals us. And the upright heart has nothing to fear. In fact, it’s this same upright heart that lets us say,
I thank YHVH for his righteousness and sing praise to the name of YHVH our God!