PSALM 17
  • IN THIS PSALM DAVID WAS CONSCIOUS OF HIS OWN INTEGRITY WHILE HE WAS SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES WHOSE PORTION WAS IN THIS LIFE ONLY
  • HE PRAYED TO BE KEPT FROM THE EVIL WORLD THAT OPPRESSED HIM AS HE LOOKED TO A GLORIOUS FUTURE IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE
  • THE PSALM IS SIMILAR IN MANY WAYS TO PSALM 16 BUT THERE IS A MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN PSALM 16 DAVID WAS AWARE OF DANGER IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT HIS FAITH ENCOURAGED HIM NOT TO FEAR
  • IN PSALM 17 HOWEVER, THE DANGER WAS PRESSING IN ON HIM, SO HELP FROM THE LORD WAS URGENTLY NEEDED
  • LET US DIVIDE THIS PSALM INTO THE RELEVANT SECTIONS
  • THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN 17:1-5
  • 17:1-2 DAVID ASKED GOD TO HEAR HIS RIGHTEOUS PLEA, TO LISTEN TO HIM, TO GIVE EAR TO HIS PRAYER
  • THE THREEFOLD REQUEST TO GOD STRIKES A NOTE OF URGENCY
  • THIS PRAYER DID NOT COME FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS UNRIGHTEOUS OR HYPOCRITICAL  THIS PRAYER DID NOT COME FROM SOMEONE ONE WITH DECEITFUL LIPS
  • DAVID AVOWED HIS INTEGRITY BEFORE GOD, SO THAT GOD COULD SEE THAT HE WAS RIGHT AND WOULD VINDICATE HIM
  • 17:3 IN HIS INTEGRITY( VV 3-5) DAVID MAINTAINED THAT IF HE WERE EXAMINED BY GOD HE WOUD BE FOUND PURE
  • THAT IS BECAUSE HE RESOLVED NOT TO SIN,
  • HE RESOLVED TO LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY BEFORE GOD, ONE MUST RESOLVE IN HIS HEART TO  SERVE AND OBEY HIM
  • 17:4-5 MOREOVER, DAVID KEPT HIMSELF SEPARATE FROM THE WAYS OF THOSE WHO DESTROY
  • HIS LIFE HAD BEEN PATTERNED AFTER GOD’S WORD
  • HE HAD HELD TO GOD’S PATHS, THAT IS , HE HAD FOLLOWED THE WAY GOD WISHED HIM TO LIVE
  • HE HAD NOT SLIPPED FROM HIS PATH

2)PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM THE WORLD 17:6-12

  • DAVID PRAYED TO BE KEPT FROM EVIL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY ARE FULL OF VICIOUS PRIDE
  • 17:6-7 HIS PRAYER WAS BASED ON  GOD’S LOYAL LOVE FOR HIM
  • THE LORD’S GREAT LOVE IS REVEALED BY THE FACT THAT HE SAVES THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM
  • REMEMBER OUR ANCHOR FOR THE YEAR ?PSAL 94 :22
  • DAVID AT THIS POINT WAS TAKING REFUGE, SO HE DESIRED TO BE SHOWN THAT GREAT LOVE
  • 17:8 DAVID PRAYED THAT HE WOULD BE KEPT IN THE CENTER OF GOD’S WATCHFUL CARE
  • HIS TWO FIGURES OF SPEECH IN THIS VERSE HAVE BEEN MOST HELPFUL TO BELIEVERS OF ALL AGES
  • THE APPLE OF THE EYE SEEMS TO REFER TO AN EYE’S PUPIL, SYMBOLISING ONE’S SIGHT
  • IN OTHER WORDS THE PSALMIST PRAYED  FOR GOD’S DIRECT AND CAREFUL ATTENTION
  • THE OTHER FIGURE , THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS, IS ALSO MENTIONED IN 36:7, 57:1,61:4, SHELTER, 63:7, 91:4 RUTH 2:12, MATHEW 23:37
  • THIS IMAGE COMES FROM THE ANIMAL WORLD, COMPARING GOD’S PROTECTIVE CARE TO THAT  OF A BIRD WITH ITS YOUNG
  • SO DAVID WAS PRAYING FOR CARE AND PROTECTION FROM THE LORD
  • 17:9-12 THE REASON FOR THE PRAYER’S URGENCY IS THE NATURE OF THE WICKED, WHICH DAVID DESCRIBED WELL IN AN EFFORT TO MOTIVATE GOD TO ACTION
  • THEY TRIED TO DESTROY DAVID VERSE 9 THEY SPOKE WITH INDIFFERENCE AND PRIDE
  • AND THEY RELENTLESSLY PURSUED HIM LIKE A LION AFTER ITS PREY VERSE 11-12

3)THE PROSPECT OF A GLORIOUS FUTURE DELIVERANCE PRAYERS FROM ALL PERSECUTIONS

  • 17:13-14A IN CONTRAST WITH DAVID’S PRESENT PERSECUTION BY WORLDLY MEN VERSE 6-12 HE LOOKED TO THE PROSPECTS OF THE FUTURE
  • HIS URGENT PRAYER FOR THE LORD TO RISE UP AND DELIVER HIM FROM THESE WICKED PEOPLE WHOSE REWARD IS IN THIS LIFE
  • VERSE 14 WAS A REMINDER OF HIS PRESENT DILEMA
  • BECAUSE THEY DID NOT FOLLOW THE LORD, THIS LIFE WAS THEIR ONLY HOPE OF ENJOYMENT
  • THEY PERSECUTED THE RIGHTEOUS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, PHYSICALLY AND VERBALLY
  • IN DAVID’S PRAYER HE CALLED ON GOD SWORD TO RESCUE HIM
  • THIS MAY REFER TO THE FACT THAT GOD AT TIMES USES HUMAN ARMIES, EVEN OF THE WICKED, TO PUNISH NATIONS ISA 10:5
  • 17:14B-15 IN CONTRAST WITH THESE WHO LIVE FOR THIS LIFE AND FACE GOD’S SWORD
  • DAVID ANTICIPATED A FAR GREATER BLESSING FOR HIMSELF AND OTHERS
  • INCLUDING SATISFIED APPETITES AND WEALTH FOR THEIR CHILDREN
  • IN RIGHTEOUSNESS HE WROTE, HE WOULD SEE GOD’S FACE 11:7
  • WHEN HE AWAKENED, HE WOULD BE SATISFIED WITH SEEING GOD’S LIKENESS
  • THE PSALMIST WAS NOT ANTICIPATING DEATH, OR AN AWAKENING IN RESURRECTION FROM DEATH
  • RATHER HE WAS CONTRASTING THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED, WHO LIVE THEIR LIVES WITHOUT GOD WITH HIS LIFE, WHICH WAS LIVED IN GOD’S GRACE
  • NEVERTHELESS THE WORDS ARE APPROPRIATE AS DESCRIPTION OF HIS ENJOYMENT OF GOD’S PRESENCE
  • THROUGH DAVID MAY HAVE THOUGHT OF SPIRITUAL BLESSING AND GOD’S PRESENCE
  • THE WORDS LEND THEMSELVES NICELY TO BELIEVERS TODAY, WHO WITH FULL NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION CAN ANTICIPATE A FAR MORE GLORIOUS PROSPECT THAN THEY EXPERIENCE IN THIS LIFE
  • THIS PSALM IS A SONG OF GRATITUDE FOR VICTORY BY THE WARRIOR-KING WHO AT LAST WAS AT PEACE THE PSALM IS ALSO RECORDED IN 2 SAMUEL 22 WITH SLIGHT VARIATIONS
  • PERHAPS SOME OF THE WORDING IN 2 SAMUEL 22  WAS CHANGED IN THIS PSALM FOR USE
  • PRAYERS
  • JAMES 4:7
  • PS 32:7 PS 34 :17
  • PS 140
  • MATT 6:10-14
  • IJOHN 4/;4
  • IS 43:18-19
  • 1 JOHN5:4-5
  • 1COR 15:55-58
  • 2 TIM.4:18
  • PS 138

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

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