“Hear
a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which
is not from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from Your
presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.. Keep
me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be
satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” -Psalm 17: 1-2, 4, 15
(NKJV).[Read Psalm 17]
Another
Psalm of David, this is a lament asking the Lord to protect him from
enemies and appealing to God to execute justice and bring salvation
to the one who is faithful to Him.
The
Psalmist pleads that he is unjustly accused by his enemy. He prays
for vindication from his enemy, but at the same time pleads that the
Lord will see his innocence and remember how he has lived with trust
in the Lord.
Since
the beginning of 2016, my daily devotionals (posted on Facebook and
also sent by e-mail to several) have progressed through the Psalms to
today, the 17th,
and the 17th
Psalm. It is difficult to write a short devotional summary on a
Psalm with 15 verses, as this one has, and so I just focus on a few
verses and select a theme that somewhat summarizes the chapter.
Have
you ever had a situation in your life when you have been unjustly
accused? How you longed that the truth would be revealed and you
would be exonerated from false charges. Maybe such a situation would
cast doubts upon your character or place you in poor standing with an
employer or certainly with persons who trusted you.
The
Psalmist prays that he will be kept as “the apple of the Lord’s
eye.” Imagine the keen imagery of being always reflected in the
Lord’s pupil, expressed in the metaphor “the apple of the Lord’s
eye.” Proverbs 7:2 pleads that the son of the wise man keep his
teachings as “the apple of your eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10 tells
how the Lord found his people in a desert land and “kept him
(Jacob, a term for his people in general) as the apple of His eye.”
This metaphor carried the meaning of being special to the Lord,
being always in His eye, watched over and cared for by Him. He will
also hide the believer “under the shadow of His wings,” another
metaphor indicating safety and protection by the Lord who knows where
the believer is and what he needs in the line of protection and care.
The
Psalm also describes the enemy—one not to be taken lightly or
without defensive warfare against him. The enemy is pitiless and
speaks with arrogance (v. 10 and is powerful as a lion in ambush (v.
11, 12). We can reckon this enemy as the Tempter, Satan, who lies in
wait to attack us. We can also conceive of the enemy as those who
treat us unjustly or accuse us falsely. Attacks from either are
volatile and hard to overcome. It is only through the Lord’s help
that we can be victorious, and the psalmist recognizes this truth and
prays for victory. The attackers expect reward only in this life, as
with large families to whom they can leave their riches.
On
the other hand, the one praying with confidence for God’s salvation
and justice knows that he will be protected from the enemy and will
finally be victorious. He will behold the Lord’s face in
righteousness and will be satisfied and restored to the Lord’s
likeness. We are reminded of the wise words from St. Augustine that
we are made in the image of God and we are restless until we find
rest in Him. We learn from this prayer of David in Psalm 17 that we
can go to the Lord in prayer with our fears, frustrations and
weaknesses and that He leads us to victorious living. The Lord’s
salvation and justice for the believer are sufficient for this life
and for eternity. -Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.17.2016
No comments:
Post a Comment