Psalm 17 An Honest Plea David’s first concern in Psalm 17 is to honestly plead his innocence, opening himself to God’s scrutiny. This is the prelude to a call for protection, which dominates the second half of the Psalm. The first mention of his danger is in verse 7, which leads into a vivid account of the encircling enemies and a strong plea for their overthrow. The final verse leaves these earthly preoccupations behind. Night will give way to a cloudless morning (Kidner). Although “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), Scripture sometimes refers to Divine body parts to describe God’s activities with respect to His people - a figure of speech called an anthropomorphism. David refers to four of these “parts” to describe God’s attributes. God’s ears (vv. 1–2). The enemy opposed David’s just cause, so he cried out to God for vindication. David’s prayer was not self-serving but simply sincere, and he wanted God to judge righteously. God’s eyes (vv. 3–5). David had nothing to hide. His heart was right and his walk was righteous. You must be able to say the same of your heart and walk if you expect God to answer your prayers (Ps. 66:18). God’s hand (vv. 6–14). David trusted not his own hand but the hand of God to protect him and to defeat the enemy. The pride of the enemy grieved David because he wanted God alone to be glorified. The “apple of the eye” is the pupil (Ps. 17:8; Pr. 7:2; Zec. 2:8). This figure of speech is followed by that of the protective wings also in the song of Moses (Deut. 32:10–11). Elsewhere it is a standard way to express God’s protection (Ruth 2:12; Ps. 36:7, 57:1, 63:7, 91:4). God’s face (Ps. 17:15). This verse clearly is linked with the promise of resurrection in the preceding Psalm (Ps. 16:11). Also, the word “awake” refers to the resurrection in Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2. “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to” (C.S.Lewis). The promise, however, can also be applied to contentment in life today. While his enemies may find temporal satisfaction in their children (v. 14), David finds endless satisfaction in God’s future promise and current presence (v. 15). Our Lord goes with us into the furnace so that we may be more like Him when we come out of it (Dan. 3:19–25). (Wiersbe suggested the above outline that utilizes the anthropomorphic parts of God’s “body”).
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 14:02:55 +0000
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