PSALM 7:1–7 Persecution
READ: PSALM 7:1–7
Story and example: Revelation 2:8-11, the example of the church in Smyrna. Also, pray for the brothers and sisters in the Chinese church who are in prison.
V. 1 “Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.”
In many places in the world today Christians are being persecuted. Each year an organization called Open Doors publishes a “World Watch List” of countries where Christians face oppression and persecution. Countries like North Korea and Afghanistan are usually at the top of the list. Canada isn’t on the list at all.
However, that doesn’t mean that Christians don’t experience any form of harassment or discrimination at all in Western nations. Students in post-secondary institutions, for instance, can face ridicule for believing the Bible or applying biblical ethics. In many cases it can be difficult for Christians to find employment due to the requirement to work Sundays—for example, jobs in the restaurant or retail industries. Christians can find themselves taunted at work for not taking part in unchristian activities. Certainly this doesn’t compare to the death threats Christians elsewhere endure, but it is a form of discrimination. And it can easily escalate.
Psalm 7 is a prayer that persecuted Christians everywhere could use each day: “Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.” Notice, though, that David doesn’t begin the psalm with this plea. Instead, he starts with a confession of trust, “O LORD my God, in you I take refuge” (v. 1). It’s in that trust that he pleads with God to save him from those who are pursuing him. He believes with all his heart that God is a righteous judge (v. 11). God will not let the injustice done to his people go unpunished. In fact, even as the wicked afflict his people the LORD is sharpening his sword and bending his bow (vv. 12–13). And that is why David can end Psalm 7 with praise to God. He hasn’t been delivered yet, but he knows that the time of reckoning for those who are pursuing him will certainly come.
What a comfort for all who are being persecuted! When pursued, David laid his case in the hands of God, the righteous Judge. In this David shows the Spirit of his son Jesus, who did precisely this (1 Peter 2:23). He relied on his Father to vindicate him, to deliver him from death, and on the third day all his hopes were confirmed. With full confidence in Christ, the coming Judge of all the earth, we may do the same. Our bodies they may kill but our life is safe with Jesus.
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