Hear Me, Lord (Psalm 17:1-7)

¹ Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
² Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.

³ Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
⁴ Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
⁵ My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.

⁶ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
⁷ Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.

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What strikes me in this Psalm is David’s dependence on the Lord when faced with injustice.

David is relying on the Lord for vindication against some kind of false attack, probably during his struggles with Saul, but we really don’t know for sure. The point is that David is being slandered.  His defense in verses 3-5 should not be taken as a statement of his moral perfection, but rather David’s case that what he is being accused of is false.  He speaks specifically to the slander being raised by “deceitful lips.”  So David turns to the Lord, confident that the Lord will answer, and will show David His great love and give Him refuge from his foes.

David provides an important example for us.  When faced with false accusations, we rely on the Lord above all for our vindication.   I have experienced the helpfulness of David’s example.  I have experienced the frustration of having false stories circulate about what I’ve supposedly done or said, or about my motivations.  I know that my experience is far from unique. Unfortunately, dealing with such slander is part of living in a broken world.

What can we do in such times?  Above all, like David, we turn to the Lord. He knows our hearts, our actions, our motivations, and on Him we rely for refuge.

So my prayer is for those who among you who are reading this who are dealing right now with false accusations and rumors.  I pray that you may rely on the Lord as your vindication and strength in this and every struggle.

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