You Are Not the Only One

1 (Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.) O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: 2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

First of all, what is a Shiggaion? Strong’s Concordance defines a Shiggayonah as: “perhaps a wild passionate song with rapid changes of rhythm.” This Shiggaion is about “Cush the Benjamite.” There is no biblical reference to this person. Some theologians claim that it is Shimei who cursed David as he fled from Absalom. There are no Scriptures to support that assertion. Verse 1 declares David’s faith and trust in God “O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust” and God’s ability to protect him from the people who ”persecute” him. Can you relate to this statement? Have you ever been persecuted? Do you believe that YHWH can solve the problem or do you believe that men are your best option? Verse 2 cements the thought that Cush could not possibly be Shimei. Shimei did not have the ability to make David fearful for his life!

3 O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; 4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy: 5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

Verses 3-5 gives us a clear picture of a man who is pleading his innocence before God. The “ifs statements in this prayer” beg an answer. The “ifs” of this psalm are similar to Job’s “ifs” when his friends accused him of sins that he had not committed. Please read them here. There will be times when people will judge and condemn you according to how they would react in the same situation. God is your judge, let Him handle it. 

“if I have done this; [What?] “4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; [If he plotted and schemed and or called for war against anyone who was at peace with him..then he emphasizes other actions that depict behind the scenes deceptive type of behaviors.] 

“yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy” Visualize the news today. Visualize social media today. Visualize communities that are verbally at war today and one will visualize what David is saying here. He has not done any of those things.

He continues “if there be iniquity in my hands…. [He declares if he has wronged anyone and/or done any of the evil things listed in these verses then he should be judged in this way.] What should his reward be?

5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah. What does Selah mean-it appears throughout the psalms? Strong’s Concordance DEFINITION OF “SELAH”: to lift up, exalt Original Word: סֶ֫לָה Part of Speech: Verb. 

Part 2: Are you awake God? Arise-wake up and vindicate me!

6 Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.  7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. 8 The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. 9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

Is it possible that David was borrowing a phrase that Moses used in Numbers when he said Numbers 10:35  (NIV) . . . .Moses said, “Rise up, Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.” After all David had the parchments to refer to. So when he says “lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded” David is repeating a scriptural plea. He knows that His God will judge his enemies. He also reminds God that His people expects Him to act. “7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.” Could it be that David is requesting that the Shekinah glory of God becomes evident not just to him but to the people of Israel too? When we plead our cause before the throne of grace we do the same thing. We do not pray for just our vindication, but that His name will be glorified by and through our lives as He works His justice and miracles. David laments for “9  . . . the wickedness of the wicked [to] come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.” David is not asking God to kill his enemies. He just wants their action to come to an end and for the just to be exalted. Why? Because only God knows the hearts of people and only He has the authority to rein them in so to speak.

Part 3: God is our Warrior/Defender

10 My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. 11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. 12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

God is David’s defender. He is also our defender/our shield. [Read these verses about God as our shield.] He judges our behavior everyday and He is displeased with the actions of the wicked. Some will say “So what? The poor are still being oppressed. Discrimination still exists.” But for how long will this continue? Either we believe that God is just and His justice will prevail or mankind has no hope!

David declares that “12 If he [the wicked man] turn not, he [God] will whet his sword[prepare His weapons of warfare;] he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. [Ready for what? BATTLE. When God goes to war on behalf of His people His solution is permanent.] “3 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.” Have you experienced the King of Kings battling on your behalf? Do you believe that He can battle for you in 2018? Do we need the government to fight our battles for us? We do know that when the kingdom of wickedness stands up to fight against God’s kingdom a spiritual battle ensues. We also know that we are not fighting a physical battle, right? We will see more about this warfare later. 

Matthew 25:32-34 and 41 NIV describes a time of sifting when “All the nations will be gathered before him [Jesus], and he [Jesus] will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right [the righteous] and the goats [the wicked] on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right,

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

Now verse 41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand [the wicked], Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” 

The enemy is the father of division, hatred and confusion. As we look forward to that time when the wicked of this world will be set aside and God’s people will receive their eternal peace, we must remember that we are already set apart because of the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Part 4: A Time to Exact Retribution/Trouble for the Wicked.

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. 

The KJV Dictionary’s definition of  TRAV’AIL, v.t. To harass; to tire; as troubles sufficient to travail the realm. and To suffer the pangs of childbirth; to be in labor. Gen.35. So, David uses a “metaphor that described the wicked to a pregnant woman. However, the wicked are pregnant not with a child, but with evil! The wicked “conceived mischief ” and gave birth to “falsehood.”

15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate[head].

Have you ever heard the saying “If you dig one ditch you better dig two cause the trap you set just may be for you”? Well, verses 15-16 is where this abridged saying comes from.  David experienced this in a real way when Saul relentlessly chased after him with the intention of killing him. But the very same sword that Saul attempted to use against David is the sword.. well let’s allow Scripture to speak for itself.

1 Samuel 31:4  (ESV) Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.“

In theological circles this is known as retribution theology. Job’s friends tried to use this same theology against him. In Job’s case it was not true. He was not reaping what he had sown.

Proverbs 1:18 (NIV) iterates the same sentiment.“These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!” 

Proverbs 26:27 (BBE) He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again. The same sentiments are repeated in Psalms 9:15; 35:8; 37:15.  David did not fear the hand of the wicked. He already knew their reward. Do we?

“17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

The battle was fought and of course won by the Lord. David takes this time to rejoice in the Lord. Christians battle daily against Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) ^12″ …… principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  When a Christian prays with the intensity of Psalm 7, or even actually prays Psalm 7, they are praying with the knowledge of this battle on their minds. Christians also know that Jesus fights for them every day. Christians can pray with the certainty of one thing. The Warrior King Jesus will return to this earth again. Christians wait patiently for that glorious return when all the lies, deception, and wickedness will end. The final judgment will be rendered and all evil will be erased from this earth. 

Revelation 19:11-21 (NIV)

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave,great and small.”

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.²¹ The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”

Even so Come Lord Jesus Come.

https://youtu.be/XKHsSbgbQZg