Arise Lord!

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Scripture: Psalm 7:6-9 (NIV)

 Arise, Lord, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.

Awake, my God; decree justice.

7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

while you sit enthroned over them on high.

8     Let the Lord judge the peoples.

Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,

according to my integrity, O Most High.

9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure—

you, the righteous God

who probes minds and hearts.

 

Devotion:

 

            David, the author of this psalm, is crying out to God to defeat his enemies. The exact historical setting for this psalm is unknown. What is clear is that these unnamed enemies are oppressing David. David knows that the only hope of salvation he has is for the Lord to intervene in this situation. So, he calls on the Lord to rise up against his foes. David knows that he is better off trusting in God’s protection in his hour of peril than relying on his own strength.

 

            Our psalmist longs for God to assemble all the people in order to judge them in His righteousness. David trusts in the Lord’s unfailing, steadfast love to keep David safe while his enemies will be found guilty and punished. The righteousness that David claims for himself here in verse eight is not some total righteousness, but rather righteousness in the current situation. David acknowledges that God’s righteousness is the only true one. That David’s integrity is nothing compared to God’s.

 

            In verse nine, David pleads with God to end the reign of terror that David sees around about him. David calls on God to put his enemies to death. God is urged to judge rightly between the righteous and the wicked according to what is in their minds and hearts. Only God has the right and ability to judge humanity justly. All human judgement is based on appearances and outward actions. We know that when God appears as the judge of humankind that we will see the beauty of His holiness.

 

            How does this psalm speak to our world today? In many ways it is applicable to the contemporary situation as it was applicable to David’s situation. Today, the Christian finds him/herself surrounded by a neo-pagan culture. This culture seeks nothing less than the elimination of Christian beliefs and practices. We as a church are not strong enough in our own power to stand up to these cultural pressures. We, like David, must seek God’s help to stand up and proclaim that God alone is Lord, and that salvation comes only by repentance and belief in God’s son Jesus.

 

Prayer:

            Lord, help us to proclaim the reality of your wrath against sin, and your love toward those you have created. May we imitate David’s example in this psalm and petition you for help in our spiritual battles. Open our eyes that we may see that you are a wonderful Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of your people. May we trust in you for all of our days. Amen.

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