Enemies and Gospel Thanksgiving | Psalm 7:14–17
14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is
pregnant with mischief
and gives
birth to lies.
15 He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls
into the hole that he has made.
16 His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his
own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due
to his righteousness,
and I will
sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
Today, we conclude David’s prayer of innocence in Psalm 7. We’ve all been falsely slandered and
maligned, and these words help us gain confidence in the Lord’s control. Here, we consider the true description of sinners,
their fate, and the Lord’s righteous intervention.
The wicked produce
sin. David compares the wicked to a
birthing mother, and we see only more wickedness spawned. We read similar thoughts in Job 15:35—“They conceive trouble and give birth to evil, and
their womb prepares deceit.” As Jesus
said to the Pharisees, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
(Mt 12:34)—they can only produce what is in them. Unfortunately, this is true of all of us
outside of Christ (Rm 3:13–14), which is why David hints here at the need for
repentance (v. 12).
The wicked fall by
their own devices. In reality, God providentially
brings about His judgment. Galatians 6:7
says, “Do not be deceived: God is not
mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” The wicked lay pits, but the Lord makes
Himself known when the wicked are ensnared by their own hands (Ps 9:15–16). Just as Haman hanged from the gallows he
built for Mordecai (Est 7:9–10), the Lord will do what He sees as right.
We might be tempted here to think that David thanks the Lord
for the fall of his adversaries and his personal vindication. However, may we always maintain this focus in
adversity:
The wicked aren’t
David’s aim; it’s the Lord and His righteousness. David might be innocent in this case, but he knows
he has no true righteousness of his own.
All “our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Is 64:6). He looks to the LORD Most High, the one who determines
the nations (Dt 32:8) and rules over the earth (Ps 47:2). Ultimately, he looks forward to the Messiah, to
Whom we also look for justification and imputed righteousness. Therefore, we lift high the Name of Jesus
Christ, the only name that saves (Acts 4:12).
