Justice Will Prevail

I recently purchased a copy of NIV God’s Justice: The Holy Bible. On the back cover, it says, “God’s justice - his plan for ‘setting things right’ - is a foundational principle of the Bible … the backbone of Scripture.”

Flipping through God’s Justice, one quickly realizes from the study notes on every page that the theme of justice is woven throughout the story. Obviously, some passages speak more pertinently to the issues of justice than others. Psalm 7 is one of those passages.

Learning to do what’s right, defending the oppressed, and pursuing justice are matters close to David’s heart. His shiggaion (rambling poem or loud cry) begins with personal justification (verses 1-5), requests judgment (verses 6-16) and concludes with joy (verse 17).

Have you ever been falsely accused of deceitful or dishonest dealings? A Benjamite named Cush accused David of betraying a friend and ripping off an enemy (verse 4). But it’s obviously not true. David assures God that his conscience is clear (verses 3-5) and underlines it with an emphatic Selah as if to say, “So what do you think about that?!”

Having justified himself, David wants God to exercise judgment. He asks him to judge the sinners and the saints (verse 6-8). To defend this request for justice, he appeals to how God’s judgment works in principle (verses 9-10) and practice (verses 11-13). He concludes by explaining how sin is a process that eventually boomerangs on the sinner (verses 14-16).

In a world beset by prejudice, inequality, unfairness, discrimination, exploitation, corruption and the violation of rights, it’s sometimes hard to believe that justice can prevail. But it will. While circumstances may be dire, David uses the term Jehovah Elyon (verse 17), the God of "covenant" and "control," to close out the psalm with an emphatic declaration that God is still on the throne - still sovereign over the affairs of individuals and nations.

Respond in Prayer

Lord, help us see that justice is done, let mercy be our first concern, and may we humbly obey you. Amen.

Lawson Murray

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®).