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Meditation Psalm 7c

If he does not relent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.

Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

(Ps. 7:12-17 NIV)

The encouragement from this part of the Psalm is that evil will be punished. The Psalmist speaks of God’s righteousness and the fate of the wicked and the false accuser. The activity of the false accuser was the cause of the Psalmist’s problem. The judgement may not happen now, but the warrior God is ready to meet out judgement in His time. ‘If He does not relent’ means if God decides not to enact judgement. (We saw this when we were studying the book of Jonah: Jonah 3:10). In every threat of judgement there is the understanding that there is the possibility of repentance and averting judgement. So the false accuser has time to repent, but if in that time they don’t repent God is ready in His time to send judgement. God’s weapons are prepared and ready v12-13. The false accuser remains at risk, they are described as being pregnant with evil, conceiving trouble and giving birth to disillusionment. The seed of mischief has been planted in the mind and after plotting, scheming and composing their words they have twisted the truth, it then comes forth as falsehood. Quite often the judgement comes about from the false accuser’s own hands as they fall into the pit that they have dug. The trouble that the false accuser had planned for the accused boomerangs back on them. This may all sound like retribution, but we need to see this in the context of God’s righteousness and the unrepentant accuser.

The Psalm ends with praise. The Psalmist is thankful for God’s righteousness and he sings the praise of the name of the covenant LORD. The problem may not have been resolved at this point, but what is most important is that he was given a new perspective on the problem by taking it to God in prayer.

Prayer
Covenant LORD you are our God and we thank you that you know all things and that righteousness will be established in the end. LORD help us to be willing to leave matters in your hands. Help us to bring our every circumstance into your hands. Lord we thank You that when we bring these matters before you in prayer, that we are reassured by Your nature. We rest in You our shield and our defender. Hear our prayer in the name of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.