Have you ever been wrongly accused? Perhaps you’ve felt misunderstood or misjudged? I certainly have.
How do we move from feeling mistreated to expressing gratefulness? Let’s watch how that happens for David in Psalm 7.
Wrongfully accused
In Psalm 7, David feels wrongly accused by the words of a man named Cush, the Benjamite. He fears for his life. He’s not afraid of his day in court if he’s done something wrong.
You can’t go straight to being thankful without acknowledging what’s happening.
Present case to God
David sees God as a Divine Warrior who can shield him from false accusations and defeat those who seek to devour him. He also sees God seated on his heavenly throne as King and Judge of all nations.
David brings his case to God and believes firmly in his innocence. He asks God to defend him, save him, and judge his innocence. He’s willing to have God look deeply into his mind and heart. Believing that righteousness will prevail, David knows that only God can discover the truth.
Like David, I’m thankful to have a righteous judge and a divine advocate. Scripture reminds us that Jesus is praying for us at God’s right hand unceasingly. “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Rom. 8:34 NLT).
Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a 19th-century Scottish minister, said,
“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference; he is praying for me!”
Robert Murray M’Cheyne
Don’t worry about your enemies, pray for them
In contrast, David says the wicked are “pregnant with trouble” and “give birth to lies.” God will not only call them to account in his divine court, where he rules all nations, he will also cause “the trouble they make for others (to backfire) on them.”
The same Hebrew word yasab (יָ֭שׁוּב) translates as repent in verse 12 and backfire in verse 16. If you don’t repent, your sin will fall back on your own head.
It’s in this context that Jesus’ words make sense: “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matt. 5:44) We may be falsely accused, but if we are in Christ we know that Jesus took all the false accusations upon himself that we can be declared righteous. Jesus prayed for us when we were still his enemies that we would one day believe, and now we are his friends and brothers.
If our enemies don’t repent, they will receive their violent reward, forever. We don’t need to seek retribution. Though it may be painful at first, we can ask God to show them mercy just as he gave to us.
For the accused
So, if you’ve been falsely accused, seek God’s divine protection. He will protect and defend you. He will rule justly.
Thank him for his protection, his intervention, and his justice.
If you’ve been rightly accused, repent, and seek God’s divine mercy. Only by Christ’s work on the cross will we escape the backlash of our sin.
Thank him for his undeserved mercy, his sacrifice, and his acceptance.
From accused to grateful
It’s right that David ends this psalm on a high note of thanksgiving. He praises God for his justice and as the High King.
“I will thank the Lord because he is just;
I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (Psalm 7:17 NLT)
CHALLENGE:
In your journal write down a few times you’ve been wrongly accused. Pick one that still feels raw or unresolved. Spend some time talking to God about it. Ask him to take up your case. Tell him the details. Then thank him for resolving it. Pray for the person who accused you. Forgive yourself and seek God’s forgiveness for your part.
PRAYER:
Righteous king, I come to you today for protection and deliverance. Protect me from the evil one and all his ambassadors of wickedness. I pray you would cause their false accusations to be exposed. I pray you would bring my earthly enemies to repentance that they might find mercy and forgiveness. Thank you, that though I was once your enemy, now you call me friend. It’s in Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.