Turn to God

Introduction

If you’ve kept up with your Bible reading this week, you were, I’m sure, benefited from reading the Psalms, Psalm 7, 8, and 144. As Mr. David Duncan read from this morning, though, we’ll be focusing on Psalm chapter 7. So if you open your Bible to Psalm chapter 7, we’re looking at David this morning. David, a man of God who was put through just about every trial, tribulation, and persecution that you could even imagine. But before we go further into that, I was thinking about how David, this man after God’s own heart, was so tempted and tried. Think about that. This is a man who did what the Almighty God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, did almost exactly what he wanted most of the time, and if he didn’t, he more than made up for it.

And yet he was greatly persecuted. He was sought after. And in Psalm chapter 7, well, see, he was even being falsely accused. It kind of reminds me of a Bill Cosby stand-up he does, and what’s called Bill Cosby himself. He looks out into the audience and he says, Excuse me, ma’am, do you have any children? And they you can’t really tell, but they they said two, and he said, Two? Okay, that qualifies. He said, that qualifies because a person with one child, I don’t really call them a parent. Because there are too many things left out. If you have one, if you have just one child and you have a broken lamp and you come home, you know who did it. You don’t have to deal with the I, I you know the child did it.

And if he starts blaming other people or starts saying, Will you stop touching me? Another common multiple child syndrome problem parents have to deal with, then if the child’s doing that, you’ve got to take it away. In my house growing up, my dad’s least favorite thing had to be when my sister and I would say, not me. Something would happen, and more often than not, this response would be, Well, Gregory, Cayley, did you do this? Not me, Dad. I didn’t do that. I’m innocent. And then he’d go to the other one, and they say, Well, okay, now I know you had to have done it. If Gregory didn’t do it, Cayley, you not me. It wasn’t me. There’s something unfair about being punished when you didn’t do something.

1. The Innocent Are Persecuted

And there was a lot of times where I didn’t do something, and I still incurred the wrath of my parents. Now, truth be told, that’s because most of the time it was me, in fact, that did it, but that’s neither here nor there. Look with me in Psalm chapter 7. In verse 1, O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge, save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces with none to deliver. Think about David over the course of the Old Testament records that we have of him. Physically, men were trying to kill him. Emotionally, men were coming after him, and spiritually, as a result, David was hit with a barrage of obstacles to his faith.

And yet each and every time, whether at the beginning, the middle, or the end, David came to God. But this psalm proven this psalm presents an interesting dilemma. Look at verse 3. Oh Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Now, this psalm is in response to Cush, a Benjamin, as many of your Bibles may make note of. And it suggested that if we follow the text here, the most likely scenario is that David’s being blamed above all things, treating his neighbor wrongly, wronging what verse 4 calls his friend.

Literally, the Hebrew there means the one at peace with me. But we see that he’s being accused of taking something in verse 3 and perhaps still having it. If there is wrong in my hands. Look at David’s reaction, though. In verse 1, he goes to God, but look at verse 4 and 5. He says, if I have done this, verse 5, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it. Let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Now that’s a strong statement. That’s something that as a child I wouldn’t be willing to say if I had actually done it. Frankly, if I had done it, I wouldn’t have said, Dad, trample my life into the ground if I’m found guilty.

He adds this for two reasons. First of all, it emphasizes his innocence. Because what logical human being would say, give me these horrible negative consequences if I am in fact guilty. But secondly, it suggests that he’s not running from this unfair persecution. He’s saying, God, I know that you can help me in this. I know that you, God alone, know that I am innocent. In verse 2, I’m moved by the language, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces with none to deliver. Who’s facing dire consequences. And in fact, David was facing dire quant consequences for essentially doing nothing. Now, how vile, how messed up, how wrong a world was David living in. Where the innocent, the blameless, the people upholding not Christianity, but the beliefs of God would be the ones sought after, punished, chased.

And we think, how wrong, how terrible. And then we remember that’s the world we live in. It is the innocent today in this country that are often persecuted. Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Have you ever been labeled something that you didn’t even understand where that particular label would have even came from? Were you mistreated or punished in some degree, whether at work or in a social standing because of your adherence to doing good things, and because you couldn’t clear yourself against the lies of someone’s accusations. If that didn’t hit you, I encourage you to buckle up, because in this country, that is coming, and it’s coming at us fast. Think about the homosexual movement. In the homosexual movement today, people are saying you have to be willing to take in all ideas.

Everyone can voice their opinion. That is, of course, unless you voice the opinion that God has scripturally made that a non authorized practice. Then 1 Corinthians that has suggested that homosexuality is a sin, that’s not tolerated. And because of it, people are coming after Christians and they’re coming after us hard. That’s not fair. There’s intolerance of the Christian faith in general, this country, founded upon Christian principles and Christianity at large. We have to make room for our brothers and sisters who are of different faiths, like Islam and even atheists. And that’s okay, and we should make room for them gladly. But oftentimes they say they should be able to speak their mind. Christians have got to stop being intolerant. This is happening to us, being excluded or precluded from advancements in our job fields because of a Christian faith.

And that’s all against the Christian faith at large, the umbrella that could include denominational practices. Think about just against the church itself. The Lord’s church is being persecuted with this same mindset when other people say, Oh, y’all are the Christian faith that think you are the only ones going to heaven. Or what about in this very assembly? Have you ever been accused of having some sort of negative attribute for simply trying to help out? Have you ever done something innocently and wanting to put your abilities to work and have someone be upset with you for it for whatever reason? That happens. And sadly it happens to us every day. But there’s a reason why. In 1 John chapter 5 and verse 19, we read, We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

2. If the World Hates You

Brothers and sisters, we need to realize this is not something to cry over. This is a fact. This is what Christian life brings about. It is a consequence, a natural consequence of doing good, is being hated by the world. Jesus warns us of this. Turn in your New Testament with me to John chapter 15. John chapter 15. Beginning in verse 18.

Jesus says, If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

Whoever hates me hates my father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my father. But the word that is written in the law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause.

Simply because he was doing what’s right and teaching what’s right, if we are to emulate his example, we’re going to face the same persecution. Verse 25 is quite sad. They hated me without a cause. But as sad as it is, and as wrong as it is, it is a reality of life. Satan’s going to make life as tough as possible, as inconvenient as possible, and quite possibly even as insufferable as you and I can take on an individual basis. And there’s nothing that we can do to stop the injustice, the injustice. Look at me in Psalm chapter 69. That’s actually one of the references Jesus is making. In Psalm chapter 69. Psalm chapter 69 is one of the Psalms that runs parallel to Psalm chapter 7.

Beginning in verse 1. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out, my throat is parched, my eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause. Mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal, must I now restore. David says, I didn’t do anything. Do I have to make restitution for something I didn’t do wrong? Sometimes we are and will be exasperated to the point of thinking, am I supposed to just take this?

Because after all, the world teaches, give people a peace of your mind. If you’re innocent, stand up for yourself. Tell everyone how right you are and how wrong your accuser is. Make your name known. Make your life straight and convenient. And please understand, standing up for yourself is not wrong. But the Bible teaches clearly we are to live peaceably with all men. And the time will come when we are persecuted by the mighty. We are persecuted by people who are full of lies. And we will either have to fight back or accept the consequences of Satan’s foothold and his commanding center that is our world today. So then the question becomes from this Psalm. What do we do about it? If David, being a man after God’s own heart, was going through this, I think we could certainly garner a lot from looking at what he did.

3. David Goes to God

So look back with me in Psalm chapter 7. I really hope you had a marker there like I do. It makes it convenient. Psalm chapter 7. Look at the first thing he does. Oh Lord my God, in you do I take refuge. Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me. Now I want to point this out. We think basically, this makes sense. We should go to God with our problems. But I think about my life, and when I have a problem, what I do is I try to try to think it through. I try to brainstorm the best scenario. I try to get myself out of it. You know, David doesn’t do that. He goes to God. David doesn’t call Morgan and Morgan because he’s been given some injustice to win his case in court.

He goes to God. He doesn’t call the local priests with his problems or to claim his innocence. He doesn’t call his friends to say, this is so wrong that this happened to me. He just goes to God. And in verse 2, we see him facing the facts. That without God, he will not make it. Now, whether this is literal or exaggerated, the fact is, without God, we have no reason for hope, and we certainly have no hope itself. If we truly believe that, though, wouldn’t we go to God first? Wouldn’t this be a no brainer? But that runs contrary to human wisdom. That runs contrary to my basic mode as a human being, which is to go to myself or to other people for advice and not seek the almighty wisdom of God.

4. He Trusts God to Be Just

But I think what he does next is, in my estimation, one of the gutsiest and strongest examples of faith throughout the Bible, frankly. Look at me in verse 3. We’re going to read down through verse 11. O Lord my God, if I had done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Arise, O Lord, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the fury of my enemies. Awake for me, you have appointed a judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you over it, return on high.

The Lord judges the peoples. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous, you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God. My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge. The reason that this is gutsy is pretty simple. I already touched on it. If he’s wrong, if David truly did do this, he’s not only going to face a severe persecution, it’s going to be at the hands of his enemies. The ultimate disgrace, the ultimate insult in any sort of trial is to lose and lose at the hand of your enemy. But much more than that, he proves his faith in two ways.

Throughout these scriptures, we see that he trusts God to be just. He believes with all of his heart and mind that God’s justice will prevail. That God not only can help him, but knows he’s innocent and will do anything to help him. Well, allow me to be clear about something this morning. When we look at verse 8, when he says, Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. He’s not claiming himself to be righteous like Jesus was righteous before God or blameless. David is simply referring to his trust in the Lord for this particular matter. Albert Barnes, who writes many commentaries, says it best. When he says, A man may be conscious of perfect innocence in respect to a particular matter, and yet have a deep sense of general unworthiness and of the fact that he is a sinner against God.

We know that from Psalm chapter 69 and verse 5. The chapter and Psalm that we just read from, Psalm chapter 69, this time verse 5. O God, you know my folly. The wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. See, David’s not claiming to be perfect. He’s not claiming to be righteous or deserving in his own right of his faith. He’s relying on God. And we can make the point a million times, but the point deserves to be made a trillion times. We must go to God with our problems. Human problems that are solved with human wisdom create more complex, complicated human problems. God solves problems. Humans make them worse. Back in verse 6, David calls God to action. Arise, O Lord, in your anger.

Lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies. Awake for me. You have appointed a judgment. Notice the battle language here. He’s telling God, prepare. I want you to spill out your anger, your indignation that you feel every day. The latter part of verse 11 talks about against the enemies, eliminate the wicked, put them to an end, verse 9. See this in prayers, time and time again throughout the Bible, people, men of faith telling God what to do, so to speak. They say, God, you appointed a judgment. God, you promised me this. Do we have the faith that those men of faith did? Do we have the faith of David to call out to God for what we know he has promised us? Because God has promised us that he will never leave our side if we obey him.

5. Are We Longing for God’s Judgment?

But look in verse 9 and 10. May you establish the righteous, the latter part of verse 9. You who test the minds and hearts of righteous God, my shield is with God who saves the upright in heart. David’s longing for the judgment.

Are we longing for God’s judgment? There is no middle ground on this. We either desperately want and are clinging to the hope of heaven, and that if judgment day were to come now, God would save us because of his mercy and his grace. Or we should be very fearful of that same judgment, because conversely, that is the God who feels indignation every day, verse 11. And in verse 11 through 16, we see the flip side of David’s eager call to God for his salvation. Starting in verse 11, God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will wet his sword. He has bent and readied his bow. He has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull, his violence descends. As wonderful, as fulfilling, and how promising the promises of God are to David, and that they should be to us as well. The flip side is conversely, the enemies will face great persecution and punishment. An angry God every day means never relenting in his expectation of submission and obedience. This is the same God who is just to reward those who act righteously in his sight. It is the same God who then would reward accordingly those who act unrighteously.

6. Go to God and Stay Innocent in the Matter

These are people who go through a great struggle to do wrong. They’re doing whatever it takes to accomplish their goal, even if it means difficult time, slugging through challenges in this world. They’re willing to do it if it gets them to their end or to their selfish degrees. And these people God will judge, and God will avenge his people. So for us, we would be wise to imitate the example of God. First of all, most importantly, if you take nothing else from the lesson this morning, go to God with your problems. Psalm chapter 145. Look at me in Psalm chapter 145. When I have a problem, I need to call on this God. Psalm chapter 145. Verse 1, I will extol you, my God and king, and bless your name forever and ever.

It is this God in verse 18. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. In Psalm chapter 7 and verse 10, we see that God is our shield. But allow me to suggest a shield is only good if you choose to wield it, if you put it out in front of you, or at the very least, if you crouch down behind it. Otherwise, a shield is useless if you leave it on the side. It does you no good, it gives you no protection. And the fiery bows and the sharp swords will pierce us without God protecting us. This means that when the world is getting to us, the solution is to stop and pray. And if you can’t do that when you’re at work, you can pray when you have a free moment.

But most importantly, it means showing self control. Realizing that there is something bigger than this issue. If David can look past it, if David can call out to God in a time where his life sometimes is being pursued and wished to be taken, we can stop and take a minute prayer to our God and Father who wishes to help us. But finally, I think another important aspect of David that we should emulate is we better make sure that we stay innocent in the matter. Because if you look at Psalm chapter 7, most of David’s reasoning falls if he is at fault. First of all, of course, there’s his challenge almost, it seems, to God, where he says, If I did this, allow the enemy to trample me.

And then he goes on and he says, God, you who judge the heart, judge. Put the evil, the wicked ones away, have their time come to an end. If we are that evil, that wicked one, or if we are at fault at blame, we not only can’t ask that, but we should shudder at the thought of praying to God for the day of judgment. You see, in verses 3 through 5 of Psalm chapter 7, David had a leg to stand on here. In this particular matter, he was innocent. And my question is this. Could I take a stand on a problem I’m having with someone like that? Could I honestly beseech the God who knows my heart, who knows my ways, who knows my thoughts, and say, if I am innocent, reward me.

If I am guilty, though, allow my enemy to destroy me, or even kill me. Depending on what you think the consequences are from the verse 2 of Psalm chapter 7. That takes Christian purity. That takes a commitment to obeying God, to have that kind of leg to stand on. Look with me in 2 Timothy chapter 2. Turn with me in your Bibles, please, to 2 Timothy chapter 2. In verse 22. So flee, youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels. So, first of all, we have to flee the youthful passions, flee the problem, scene. But uphold, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

Call on the Lord from a pure heart. So then when we have gone to God and trusted in his might for our deliverance, then we can call out for God’s justice. Then we can diligently seek God with a heart that says, God, please, not only help me through this, but abolish the wicked. Allow your justice to shine through once and for all.

First and foremost, because Isaiah chapter 59, verses 1 and 2 suggest that God cannot have his face nor his ears turned towards those who are living against him. Those who are in sin, God will not hear. So for God to even hear us, we needed to live that way. But secondly, we need to be prepared for God to judge. Because the bottom line is, David is right. God is just, and God will judge us by everything. David is also right in verse 11, noting how God feels indignation every single day.

Conclusion

It doesn’t matter what the world did. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks of us. It doesn’t matter what the world accuses us of in regards to homosexuality or tolerance of other religions. It doesn’t matter if we have God. God is all we need, and God is all that matters. It didn’t matter who came against him, what they said, or whether they could even prove it, or how they treated David. It didn’t matter if it was true or not true, fair or unfair. And it didn’t even matter if they could have punished David, even though he was in the clear. Because God is on our side. And as long as we do his will, he will remain there. As long as he remains there, there is nothing this world can do to stop it.

God is on our side. But to have that blessing, we have to keep him on our side by doing his will, keeping his commandments and loving him and focusing on him the way David did. Look at the way David concludes this Psalm. Psalm chapter 7 and verse 17. I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness. And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord the Most High. As we go out through the week, let’s remember that it doesn’t matter how fair or unfair this life is. It just doesn’t matter. But more importantly, we know that even if we were being treated great, God is there, and God will reward those who diligently seek him. Let’s go to God in prayer, and I’ll be reading the prayer of Psalm chapter 8, also in this week’s Bible reading.

Let us pray. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens, and out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars which you have set in place. What is man that you are mindful of him, and the Son of Man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

Amen.