True Hearted and Loyal

Series on the Psalms

Text: Psalm 17

Title: True Hearted and Loyal

Introduction

This Psalm emphasizes a recurrent theme in this section of the Psalter, namely, David’s sufferings and persecutions from his enemies. Especially during the time of Saul’s animosity these sufferings were extreme, which is why there are so many prayers and pleas for deliverance. But this Psalm also brings another theme to a new level of expression. That theme is the distinction between the righteous and the wicked and the accompanying pleas for justice on the basis of the righteousness of the plaintiff. In other words David is praying for God to bless his own and judge the wicked, but his prayer assumes that he is one of God’s own and this is expressed in very practical terms. We are not accustomed to expressing ourselves this way. In fact we would probably become suspicious of someone who did. We are more likely to focus on God’s grace and our sinfulness when we approach him in prayer. This makes a careful examination of David’s approach very important. If we are to appreciate these Psalms and use them properly we must understand where David is coming from. In fact if we do not understand this, we will end up in some kind of Dispensationalism which relegates the Psalms to another period of redemptive history which is so different from ours that the utterances of David have no relevance for us. We shall look at three things then, a pledge of sincerity, a plea for sanctuary, and a promise of salvation.

I. A Pledge of Sincerity

By my very title for this first section of the Psalm I imply an explanation of David’s approach. There are some hi fluting claims that David makes here in verses 1-5, Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer; it does not rise from deceitful lips. May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. As for the deeds of men-by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. Let us understand, first of all, what David is doing, and secondly, how that applies to us. The key to understanding David’s claims is found first of all in verse 1. Commentators point out that David is not pleading that he is sinless, but only that he is not guilty of specific charges that have been made against him. This is true, but there is more. David is pleading sincerity. His is not a hollow profession of allegiance to the Lord. He means what he says and he has made a sincere effort to back it up with his life. This is what may be referred to at other times as single mindedness. It is a genuine following of the Lord. Peter who is the one who writes that we should be holy as God is holy and we should be diligent to make our calling and election sure, talks about suffering for doing good in both of his letters. In I Peter 3: 8-12 he is very forthright in connecting the blessing of the Lord to our conduct, Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, ‘“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” I would further remark that David in Psalm 17:3 submits his claim to the Lord. He is fully aware that God sees all and that God knows his heart. Now how does this apply to us? I believe with all my heart that there is nothing more important than Salvation by grace alone through faith. There is no single thing more important to our survival as Christians than understanding that God in his mercy has provided full forgiveness through Christ and that he is the one who gives this to us by His Spirit. However in modern evangelical Christianity, the emphasis on grace has been carried to the place where it is in danger of eliminating the issue of sincerity. People need to be told that they must make their calling and election sure, and Christians ought to be able to come before God and say my life shows that I really trust you and really follow you. Otherwise we make a mockery of our faith and we reduce our profession to a hollow intellectual assent to some propositions. So we can really use the emphasis of this Psalm.

II. A Plea for Sanctuary

But David proceeds on the basis of his righteous plea to ask for God’s protection. He pleads for sanctuary in verses 6-9, I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. The translation in the New International Version is not wrong but it tends to obscure an important point. David says he is calling on God who will hear him in verse six and then in verse seven he says in the NIV show the wonder of your love. The Hebrew word translated “show” is found in Psalm 4:3 and there it is translated set apart. The Lord has set apart the godly for himself and notice it then says The Lord will hear him. Which is exactly what David says in Psalm 17:6. Thus the meaning of verse seven is that the Lord should distinguish between the righteous and the ungodly by his mercy. David desires that God not just show his love. but show it with distinction. Thus God becomes a refuge for the believer. This is expressed in two metaphors.. The second is familiar to us, hide me under the shadow of your wings Psalm 91:1-4 extends this metaphor. But, the first metaphor is interesting. The “apple” of the eye is the pupil, but the Hebrew is very idiomatic and literally says “guard me as the little man, the daughter of the eye.” This is a reference to the reflection of an image in the pupil which is, in Semitic idiom, designated as a daughter or child meaning it belongs to the viewer. So what David is saying is that when God looks upon his own they are reflected in his eye and they are his possession. Thus David emphasizes how God will care for him in the face of his enemies whom he then describes vividly in verses 10-12, They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover. And he ends by calling upon God to rescue him by rising up against the wicked in verse 13, Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword. I will only mention briefly again that David’s assurance of the Lord’s protection is grounded in God’s mercy, but that assurance would be greatly diminished if he were not sincerely endeavoring to follow the Lord. His confidence is connected to his own faithfulness as well as to God’s faithfulness.

III. A Promise of Salvation

The Psalm concludes in verse 14 and 15 with A contrast between the righteous and the wicked in the future, O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children. And I in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. The Psalmist is still pleading for deliverance but he also affirms that he will get it. He contrasts the reward of the righteous with that of the wicked. The wicked get their reward in this life. That is the substance of verse 14. I will have to say that I prefer the King James Version at this point which make the whole verse apply to the wicked, and says, “whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure. They are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.” The point of contrast is found at the beginning of verse 15 in which the Psalmist declares that his reward is the Lord himself. This may be referring to waking up the next morning but believers cannot avoid the implication that we awake not only to a new tomorrow but to an eternal tomorrow. This blessing is ours in Christ, our Savior.

Summary of Psalm 17

In Psalm 17, David prays out of a sincere and wholehearted commitment to the Lord, in which he affirms his faithfulness. David pleads for God to show his distinguishing mercy by guarding him with intimate concern and hiding him beneath his wings. He asks that his enemies who hound and surround him would be confronted by the Lord’s sword of judgment. While the enemies’ reward is only in this life and their happiness is merely temporal, David’s reward is the Lord. He sees the face of the Lord turned towards him in blessing and he sees his reflection in the pupil of God’s eye both now and forevermore. David’s confidence in God’s blessing is the fruit of his diligence in following the Lord.