The Bible

 

Psalms 7

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1 Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto Jehova, concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite. O Jehovah my God, in thee do I take refuge: Save me from all them that pursue me, and deliver me,

2 Lest they tear my soul like a lion, Rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3 O Jehovah my God, if I have done this; If there be iniquity in my hands;

4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (Yea, I have delivered him that without cause was mine adversary;)

5 Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; Yea, let him tread my life down to the earth, And lay my glory in the dust. Selah

6 Arise, O Jehovah, in thine anger; Lift up thyself against the rage of mine adversaries, And awake for me; thou hast commanded judgment.

7 And let the congregation of the peoples compass thee about; And over them return thou on high.

8 Jehovah ministereth judgment to the peoples: Judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness, and to mine integrity that is in me.

9 O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the righteous: For the righteous God trieth the minds and hearts.

10 My shield is with God, Who saveth the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge, Yea, a God that hath indignation every day.

12 If a man turn not, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He maketh his arrows fiery [shafts].

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity; Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

15 He hath made a pit, and digged it, And is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.

17 I will give thanks unto Jehovah according to his righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of Jehovah Most High.

   

Commentary

 

Exploring the Meaning of Psalms 7

By New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Psalm 7 is a prayer, and offers praise to the Lord for deliverance.

Verse 1 opens with an affirmation of trust in the Lord, as well as a prayer to be saved from persecution. This touches on a key point: our relationship with the Lord goes both ways. The Lord can save us when we continually put our trust in Him; however, He cannot save us at a moment’s notice if we only call to Him in desperation (see Swedenborg’s work, True Christian Religion 329[4]).

The first two verses deal with this point well. If we are not living the Lord’s truths through our actions, there is nothing to deliver us when evils tear at our souls.

Verses 3 to 5 address the issue of intentional harm. If we - even as followers of the Lord - repay evil to someone who is at peace with us, this psalm declares that we will be overtaken by our enemies, trampled down, and our honor cast into the dust.

The spiritual meaning here is to acknowledge that we are all capable of evil. We all will stray from the Lord’s commandments from time to time, even if we tell ourselves that we could not, or would not wish to. Far better to admit this than to face the consequences of denial (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 141).

Verses 6 to 11 pray for the Lord’s righteousness to prevail against evil. This middle section of the psalm presents a somewhat misleading picture of God’s anger; although the text tells us He is “angry with the wicked every day”, it is not individual people, but wickedness itself that He fights. This is supported by the beginning of verse 9: “Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end.” He opposes wickedness because it prevents people from experiencing the joys of heavenly life.

The last part of the psalm describes the many ways that evil brings about its own downfall. This knowledge can help us understand our personal experiences with wickedness and temptation. If we become ensnared in evils, we will live in fear and suffering of our own making (Arcana Caelestia 3718).

Psalm 7 serves as a reminder that our true enemies are within, and become evident in our unregenerate and unrepentant states (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 147). We need to battle against these evils, so that they no longer hold power over us.

Taken collectively, the psalms describe the Lord’s inner states during his life in the world, which makes this idea especially relevant. Our work in regeneration mirrors His temptations and the work of glorifying His human.

The Bible

 

Psalms 34:17

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17 [The righteous] cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles.