David is being hunted. They desire nothing more than to kill him and tear him to pieces, and that is exactly what they plan. This psalm is his prayer and song during this time.
There are three parts:
- The Gut Check – Is he himself walking righteously before the Lord?
- The Prayer – O God, I need protection
- The Proclamation – While they have their portion in this world, I have you and that is my satisfaction
The Gut Check
This is similar to the Scripture to “take the log out of your own eye” before accusing others. David does so, and he honestly feels like he is walking with a clean conscience (Ps 17:3-4):
“You have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.
Concerning what people do:
by the word of Your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps are on Your paths;
my feet have not slipped.“
Well first of all it is apparent that one of the big ways we can sin is what we say. “My mouth will not sin” (Ps 17:3). And in this I find immediate conviction.
Last night small things that are yet holy were desecrated and violated for the thousandth + time. I was angry and my mind and words spewed out (when no one else was around) the bitterness of soul. That and “how long, O Lord?” “How long!?” As if hate and anger can ever deliver. Somehow when our life is in danger it is easier to call upon God rather than when our soul has been violated repeatedly.
But it is good to gut check. To make sure we are walking in holiness and righteousness before him to the best of our ability. To repent of any known sins in our lives and to forgive where there is need.
The Prayer and the Identified
THE PRAYER
When in danger, David prays this (Ps 17:7-9):
Display the wonders of Your faithful love,
Savior of all who seek refuge
from those who rebel against Your right hand.
Protect me as the pupil of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings
from the wicked who treat me violently,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
He needs help from the Lord. He needs protection as they treat him violently. He goes on to say, “They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush” (Ps 17:12).
David calls out to the Lord (Ps 17:13-14a):
Rise up, Lord!
Confront him; bring him down.
With Your sword, save me from the wicked.
With Your hand, Lord, save me…
THE IDENTIFIER
And then he does something interesting. He describes the people who are attacking him. He cries out to God (Ps 17:14) to save him
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what You have in store;
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.
“from men of the world”
These are not godly men who fear God and walk in his ways. They are men of the world.
“Their portion is in this life”
These are atheists. These are the people of Ps 14 and Ps 36 who deny God’s existence and therefore live for themselves. Their portion is in this life alone
They have plenty to eat and plenty of money
They are rich. Their food supply is abundant. Their bank accounts are abundant. They don’t just leave an inheritance to their children, they leave a “surplus”
In the ways of this world, they are to be envied. They have it all. They have supply, provision, and enough to take care of their children when they die. What more could they want? But David says they are not the Godly of this world, and they are living for this world only.
The implication is that they are not living for the life to come. They do not understand this basic principle (Mt 6:19-21):
“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“
Nor do they have a righteous fear of God (Rom 3:17-18; cf Ps 36).
‘and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
This is the fruit of denying God. It is the fruit of atheism. They may have much money and much provision and all the things the world has to offer, but they do not have God. And yet, they will face him upon death.
The Proclamation
At this point David knows he has something greater than all the wealth of his enemies. He knows he has the Lord and with that, he can rest in peace (Ps 17:15).
But I will see Your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.
David may or may not have all the things this world has to offer, but that He has the LORD is the place of his satisfaction. The place of his rest. The place of peace.
The truth is we are probably all like the other writer of Psalms – Asaf. We’ll end with this psalm, Ps 73, right out of many a person’s journal:
Psalm 73
God’s Ways Vindicated
A psalm of Asaph.
1 God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.
3 For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have an easy time until they die,
and their bodies are well fed.
5 They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.
6 Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.
10 Therefore His people turn to them
and drink in their overflowing words.
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?”
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.
13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.
15 If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed Your people.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.
18 Indeed, You put them in slippery places;
You make them fall into ruin.
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, You will despise their image.
21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being was wounded,
22 I was stupid and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me up in glory.
25 Who do I have in heaven but You?
And I desire nothing on earth but You.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart,
my portion forever.
27 Those far from You will certainly perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all You do.
