How does it feel to be falsely accused of something? Certainly, it seems unfair. It also carries a certain amount of desperation. It can be painful and embarrassing knowing that people think you are guilty of a crime that you didn’t commit. In Psalm 7, David compares the pain of a false accusation to a lion attack (v. 2-5). His soul is torn apart, and his life is trampled to the ground.
The book of 1 Samuel contains numerous events that could serve as the background for this Psalm. Even though Saul isn’t named, his tribe – the Benjamites, is mentioned in the heading. The most obvious are the events that happen in 1 Samuel 24 – 26. David has two opportunities to take Saul’s life but refuses to do so. In between, David is about to take the life of the “harsh” and “evil” Nabal (the Bible’s words, not mine), but is stopped by his gracious wife, Abigail. In all three situations, similar Hebrew words are used to describe God’s actions as He “repaid” men for their righteousness or “returned” a man’s wickedness back upon his own head (24:19, 25:39, 26:23). This same terminology shows up in the last section of Psalm 7, in verses 15 and 16.
So, how do we respond to a false accusation, once we’ve gotten over our feelings of desperation and pain? Following David’s example in this Psalm, we are to call out to God asking that our accuser fall into his own trap. If our conscience is clear, then we are to cry out for retribution for the Righteous Judge, who tries the heart and minds of all people. We are encouraged to fight lions with our own lion, the Lion of Judah, who stands up for His people.
Very good! Thank you!