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“Protection from False Accusations” — Psalm 7

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“Protection from False Accusations” — Psalm 7 “Protection from False Accusations” Sunday, July 14, 2019 — Rev. Douglas J. Kortyna, Pastor Sermon Text: Psalm 7 Worship Theme: “Those who are falsely accused, plead for the Lord’s justice.” Opening (The Central Park Five) I think you all have figured out that Sara and I are huge fans of film. Therefore, to open my sermon this week, I would like to speak about another film Sara and I recently watched through Netflix’s streaming service on our television: the documentary The Central Park Five (2012) by Ken Burns. I think Ken Burns is the premiere documentary director in his generation, even if I find myself disagreeing with some of his conclusions. I would highly recommend his documentaries on Vietnam and baseball. The Central Park Five details the debacle of five teenage boys being falsely accused of raping a jogger in Central Park. The police and prosecution did not do their job properly and coerced false confessions. One of the men, Raymond Santana, reads his confession and states “this is not how a fourteen year old boy talks.” The newspapers throughout the country made the story a big deal and printed what were eventually discovered as falsehoods against these teenagers. As I watched the film, I felt angry and frustrated and realized that false accusations can ruin people’s lives. The boys were not released from prison until several years later when the true perpetrator confessed to the crime. This morning, in Psalm 7, we have a similar story with false accusations and what to do with them in the Christian life. TEXT Psalm 7:2-3 (Opening; False Accusations) David starts this Psalm with a proper setting to whom he is praying. It again is the covenant God of Israel. But, this covenant God is near to David. We know this by the phrase “my God.” It’s personal for David. David declares “in you do I take refuge.” I think the picture is one of the storms of life. God is the refuge whereby believers weather the storm. He protects them and shelters them. So, what is the problem plaguing David this morning? Well, the pursuers - 1 - are those who are making false accusations against David. Therefore, David pleads (imperatives) for the Lord to save and deliver him.1 The picture of how this is being played out is said to be “like a lion they tear my soul apart.” I think this verse demonstrates the great urgency of the text. The picture of the prayers of David is much like Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22-32). Or, it’s like many of the prayers of the women in the Old Testament who were having a hard time conceiving (1 Samuel 1:12-20). The prayer is for God to act within time and space and deliver His covenant people. Psalm 7:4-7 (Wrongdoing) David asks the Lord to judge him more or less by asking the question: “If I have done wrong on my hands.” This is an excellent way to pray during times of conflict. I think David is acknowledging that everyone is guilty of wrongdoing in their life (1 Corinthians 4). But, David wants the Lord to see that he has done no wrong in this specific dispute with his adversaries. They are speaking falsehoods against him. I like the way one commentator translates 7:4 as: “if there has been meanness in my hands.”2 He knows, in the back of his head, that he has done no wrong and thus, his accusers are wrong. But notice that he asks the Lord to judge him if he was done anything wrong. David asks the Lord the judge his enemies. This is a plea for the Lord to deal with people in the here and now. Surely God must be angry with the injustice that is afflicting David. Psalm 7:6-11 (The Lord as Warrior and Judge) We come to a section that casts the Lord as warrior and judge. We have military language, such as arise, lift up, and awake.3 For modern readers of the bible, it seems odd to evoke this language. But, we need to keep in the back of our mind that David has been falsely accused and his life is in jeopardy. Therefore, the language is appropriate. At the EPC’s General Assembly, Andrew Brunson gave a testimony about his experience in jail. His testimony very much fits into the context of Psalm 7. Brunson found himself crying out to God because he had been falsely accused of terrorism against the state of Turkey. Moreover, he had spoken extensively about the judgment of the Lord, both now and future. The idea of judgement was his source and strength through his trial by fire. We need to realize that the Lord is on our side as warrior and judge. This way of speaking about God is littered throughout the Bible. And, I believe we should adopt and use it in the life of the church and our personal lives. 1 Craigie, Peter C. World Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2004. p. 107. 2 Goldingay, John, author, and Temper Longman III, editor. Psalms: Volume 1 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms): Psalms 1-41. Ada, Michigan: Baker Academic Publishing Company, 2006. p. 145. 3 Craigie, Peter C. World Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2004. p. 101. - 2 - 7:12-16 – (Skip due to time. Moreover, it repeats previous Psalms we’ve just covered.) Psalm 7:17 At the end of the Psalm, we have a line dedicated to worshipping the Lord. I believe it is also a declaration of trust in His character. I think the modern commentators gloss over the previous military language and don’t try to get into the psyche of David. The Israelites believe they inhabited a world with several different “gods.” But, there was one God, the Lord, who ruled over all of them. The New Testament calls them demons (see Jesus temptation in the synoptic gospels: Matthew 4:1-17; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:4-13). In this verse of worship and declaration, we have David acknowledging that the Lord sits high and above all others (Psalm 2). Whenever we worship the Lord, we need to learn to realize this and evoke His name for deliverance. In the words of Martin Luther: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” Transition This week, we come to the end of an important section in the Psalter. Chapters 3-7 repeat many of the same themes, such as enemies speaking falsehoods, death being near, and justice appearing to be prolonged. Next week, the Psalter will shift to humanity and particularly to how God has created humans to act within time and space. The week after, Rev. Jim Moelk will conclude our summer in the Psalter with Psalm 9. Since Psalm 8 serves as a hinge within Psalms 1-17, I would like to reveal some themes from Psalms 3-7. These should be our big takeaways from our summer series in the Psalter. I have also labeled these as imperatives in my manuscript because we need to learn to pray with urgency. Application 1) Go to the Lord when wronged, period! Whenever somebody harms or hurts you, go to the Lord. Always remember the saying of Jesus that if you are angry with your brother, you have committed murder in your own heart (Matthew 5:21-22). Many people imagine Jesus is solely about emotional happiness. However, we are instructed by Psalms 3-7 that life is very hard. The Bible is more realistic than it is “everything is awesome.” So, what do we do when somebody has wronged us and we get very frustrated? We go to the Lord right away. The Psalter gives us permission to vent our frustration to the Lord and even use colorful language! Moreover, the Lord—through His grace—will allow the possibility for His covenant community to be reconciled to others. Perhaps, if we have consistently found ourselves being short with others in our Christian walk, we have not learned the discipline of going to the Lord immediately in times of distress. - 3 - 2) Complete justice is future; pray for justice and act with non-violent behavior! As we learn to wrestle with the Lord in prayer, we need to understand that our quest for justice is not always realized. The great hope of Psalms 3-7 is that justice will be provided in the future. Last week we learned that justice was through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Well, one of my biggest takeaways is to learn to trust in the Lord that He will administer justice whenever Christ comes back in the future. This is precisely why the early church would pray: “Come, Lord Jesus!” We should want the Lord to come back and set things right. This does impact our lives in the day to day. If this is true that Christ comes back and administers full justice, I think it demonstrates that His followers should always act in non-violent ways (“Just War Theory” is another topic). Notice how Psalms 3-7 are God-centered in their understanding of justice. Therefore, we need to be patient and learn to long suffer and pray: “Come, Lord Jesus!” just like the early church did. 3) Declare your trust in the Lord! At the end of the Psalms 3-7 are often declarations of trust and praise to the Lord.
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