A Refuge from False Accusations

Well, good morning, Church. It’s good to be with you this morning. If you have your Bibles, let’s open up the Psalm chapter 7. Psalm chapter 7. I have to apologize. The verses aren’t going to be on the screen. So if you don’t have a Bible, there’s Bibles in the seat in front of you. Feel free to take those. And if you don’t own a Bible, you can even take that home. It’s our gift to you. But we’ll be in Psalm Chapter 7 for the entirety of our time together this morning. Psalm Chapter 7.

Let me start it off with prayer. Father. It’s so good to be with my brothers and sisters in the house of the Lord, worshiping and singing praise to You, for You alone are worthy of all praise, all adoration. God, I pray for our hearts that you’d soften them this morning. That you give us wisdom and your spirit, that You give us understanding into what is spiritual. The word of God make it clear, but also pray, God, for our minds that we would ask to be able to not just know it, but obey, live it out, apply it in our live, even today. That we give you permission to change and transform our hearts. God, ongoing. We don’t want to become stagnant. We don’t want our love to grow cold. So, Father, would you rekindle if we are weary? Would you give us strength if we feel weak? Would Your Grace be sufficient for our needs. Loving You, in Jesus name. Amen.

The Book of Psalm is the largest book in the entirety of the Bible. It’s a collection of prayers, of poems, and hymns that focus the worshipers thoughts on God through praise and adoration. Many of the Psalms were sung, including Psalm 7 which are reading today, was sung by no other than King David himself. Music has an uncanny ability to connect us with the deeper emotional levels. We just we just sung worship. And I was appreciative of taking communion and singing that song afterwards as a response to all that God has done for us. You may have seen if you read through the Psalms, you may see these different words. These are Hebrew transliterated words. And a lot of these meetings are lost to us, but we believe that these are musical terms, liturgy terms. If if anybody here is musical (I’m not), I’ve practiced with the youth band on occasion and they have these charts and they make these notations and they have all these different signs and symbols. I have no clue. That’s kind of what these are. They give us kind of a semblance of setting the mood. We know, for example, some of these, like the one that top left corner Alamoth has been suggested to refer to the pitch of the music. That would be a high or a soprano would sing it, since its Hebrew root word means a young woman or a virgin. And so, like, we’ve done this in church where the ladies will sing a song and the guys will respond, kind of isolates certain parts of the song. Or maybe there would be a term there that would say, hey, slow down, create a somber mood, maybe in a minor key at a lower tempo. Another one of those words, SHANINA, is a term that refers to a lyre or a musical harp. And we know that because in 1 Chronicles 15:21, David was commanding those people to sing with the lyre or the harp. And so music plays a big role in connecting us with God. And there’s this word, Shiggaion, that you see in the heading of Psalm 7, Really funny sounding word. What does that mean? Only appears here, in Habakkuk 3. Shiggaion. Many scholars believe that this word carries with it strong emotion. Erratic wandering. Or wild tumult. And so David’s singing this song, right? And if you know David King, David doesn’t do anything half speed. He danced pretty wildly. He worshipped God fervently. And this song matches what I believe is a backdrop of Psalm 7, which is his running away from King Saul. It’s very tumultuous. He wandered in the wilderness. He felt isolated. He was crying out, singing this song to God. Accused falsely of things he never did or committed. And so this word, Shiggaion, matches the turmoil that David was facing in his life. I believe that this is the backdrop because Psalm 57, you can make a notation, is a contemporary of this psalm that when we know for sure that David was being chased by assault and there’s a lot of overlapping of words and tone and melody there. And so the backdrop of the psalm is David struggles running away from King Saul. And then it mentions this character, Cush, a Benjamite, which also fits into the backdrop. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, so he had the most support from that tribe. Nowhere else in Scripture is Cush mentioned. It could be a collaborator with Saul. It could be just a David acquaintance. But Cush, the Benjamite is the one who’s slandering, bringing these false accusations to David. David in 1 Samuel 24:8 says this or verse 9 says He’s crying out is Saul. Why do you listen to the words of men who say, Behold, David seeks you harm? So there’s these lies, accusations that David is after King saw Saul grew jealous of David’s accolades from defeating the life and the praises he got, he thought his throne was in jeopardy. And so Saul began to persecute and turn on King David.

That’s the backdrop of this Shiggaion, this song that David was singing in very dire circumstances. Read verse 1 and 2 of Psalm 7. Oh, Lord, my God, in you do I take refuge. Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me. Less like a lion, they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces with none to deliver. You see, David has been running from Saul, hiding in caves, trekking out into the wilderness, even taking refuge with the Philistines, their common enemy in order to escape Saul’s grasp. David lost so much in this. His first wife, Michal, was daughter of Saul. She was given to another man. His best friend, Jonathan, whom he said his souls were, like, mingled. Lost that friendship. They had to split up, never to see or talk to each other. And ultimately learning that Jonathan was killed in battle. Protecting Saul. He lost so much in this process. And by the way, this was over a period of many years. We know for a fact that he was in the Philistine camp for a year and a half. If you do some math and some educated guessing, we think it’s anywhere from 2 to 7 years, David is on the run, a refuge. And knowing he wants to be a king, running from the very father-in-law, David once called that. A friend. Celebrating the victory of Goliath with. Now chasing him with his spear, trying to take his very life. This is the backdrop of this very sad Psalm 7. The hurt that we see in David originates from the false accusations levied against him from ush, the Benjamite. We know David believes that these are false accusations because in the next verse he says this: Oh, Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, he says, let these curses fall upon me. David’s calling out the false accusation levied against him from this Benjamite. And so this first point that we find in digging through this song is others will judge you falsely. Others will judge you falsely, but find refuge in Him. In the midst of David’s troubled, this first thing he does, he doesn’t call up an army and fight against Saul. He doesn’t get lawyers to make his claim. He goes to God himself, as a refuge amidst false accusations. He goes to God continually throughout that 2 to 7 year period of running and being a refuge, living in the wilderness, living outside of his home. He goes to God continually. He’s got to seek You. And then You I find strength. Our sanctuary in our time of need is the Lord himself. So I was pursued by David for some time and has continually sought God day in and day out. Not just for physical safety, but against the lies and the slandered levied against him. And so people misjudge you. It’s a given. We’ve all have experienced that here. Every one of us has been mislabeled, accused, misunderstood, or downright lied to. Lied about. We need to find refuge in Him.

My kids – middle school years can be tough. High school years can be tough as well. They can be rough. And there’s a lot of peer – I’ll call them, interactions. Maybe you can call them bullying. There could be a lot of making fun of. And I remember my kids would come home and I’d ask them how their day was, and I could tell they were off. And he’d say, Dad, I really don’t like math. Oh, I get it. Yeah, that’s hard. No, no, no, Dad, it’s not math. It’s the people in the class. There’s this one person, and they sit next to me, and they just they say things all the time. And I don’t know what to do. And I listen and let them share. And I ask them a couple of questions. Hey. Who knows you the best? Who loves you the most. Who’s there for you, and will be there for you when you need them. Good people care for you. I know these people that don’t know you then, don’t you? well, they’re saying things are not true. You need people you can trust, your inner circle. This is your closest friends and your family. What do we tell you? What is the truth that you hear from them? Yeah, Dad, I know it’s still hard. Then I go one level deeper. Who loves you the most and who knows you the most. And they sit and they think. And they say God. And is it interesting that God who knows more about you than you know yourself, is more committed to being in a relationship with you than anyone else in this world? And He’s faithful. What does He say about you? What does He tell you? Because that’s truth. And if you can learn that because people will continue to falsely misjudge you, not just in middle school and high school throughout the rest of your lives, you can find refuge in Him and go to Him. That’s a great life skill to have. And so in some ways, I’m glad you experienced that now because that will set you up for the future.

May I ask you guys? Who are you taking refuge in today? Where are you running to when you’re in trouble? Where are you hiding in, instead of hiding from. Some of us sitting in this very room today may feel like as if we can’t go to Him. You may be sitting here feeling all alone. No one understands me. They’ve been wandering for several years, probably felt very lonely and isolated. Maybe, I would say struggled with depression at times. Lost people he loved for, running from the king he once served. Some of you here feel like your struggle is a burden. Too big to carry the share. Maybe you’re too scared to share because you won’t know if somebody will stick with you. May I encourage you to follow David’s example? To take refuge in the Lord. I know that’s hard. I know that’s really challenging. It sounds easier because it’s a place of vulnerability. It’s a place of walking in faith. Once again, going back to my kids, there was this day where I could tell they were really struggling. And they just were hiding, isolation, running away, didn’t want to be upstairs with the family and just kind of going down, doing their own thing and not being themselves. And so me being stubborn, I follow them, right? And I try to give space. It’s like a dance. Hey, that’s good. Just being there. Just letting you know I’m not looking for anything in particular, but just want to know that my presence is there for them. And if they want to share it, they can. It’s a patient exercise. And I just ask, how you doing? I won’t tell you, Dad. What? Now I’m getting even more stubborn. I want to know when to help. I just want you to know I love you. You don’t have to tell me, but I’m there for you. And all of a sudden I don’t know what it is, but the dam broke in and Dad, I struggle, I go, we all do. That’s okay. No, Dad, you don’t get it. I want to tell you. But I feel like I can’t. What do you mean? Dad, you’re so busy. You’ve got all these other people you’re caring for. I see you come home and I see you sometimes carrying stress, and I see it play out in your life. And I wouldn’t want you to add anything more to your already busy schedule, or not busy schedule but any more to your heart? Am I’m going, sweetheart. I have a special relationship with you that I would gladly put aside and prioritize you. And make you known. I want you to come to me with anything. And I would gladly walk alongside and carry your burden with you. Now, me being a man who has limitations galore, who loves his daughter, how much more is the God who has limitless knowledge, is everywhere, and his love is unending, can handle what you are wrestling through today. What you’ve been wrestling for years, which you’ve been against, what you’ve been ignoring or burying for a long time. You come to Him like David came to Him. And you take refuge because He loves and He cares and He is so much stronger and can take care of whatever burdens you want to lay at His feet and He’ll walk with you. Step one. Others will judge you falsely. Find refuge in the Lord.

David is an obvious turmoil here to the point he feels as his life is being torn apart. Referring to his false accusers as a lion, rendering his soul in pieces. What’s fascinating to me is the next step that David takes after talking about how he’s being shredded with all these lies. He does something that I didn’t think he’d do. Let’s read verses 3-5. He says this, Oh, Lord, my God, if I have done these things, if there is wrong in my hands, if I’ve repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it and let him trample my life to the ground, and lay my glory in the dust. Selah. David takes a moment and asks God to judge his own heart.

The next step I see in Psalms is we need to judge ourselves honestly. Yes, others may judge you falsely, but we should be judging ourselves honestly. The pause and check your own heart. David is so convinced of his innocence that he makes this oath. God, if these things are true, if I’ve acted in impurely, if my motives are selfish, not concerned for other people and their perspective, then let these things come upon me. He takes his oath of innocence very seriously because he’s claiming he is. He’s not claiming he’s not sinless. He’s claiming that he’s his heart, his motivation is pure. But his intent wasn’t to harm but to help; to be true, not false. If indeed he was guilty, he was even willing to receive God’s discipline. How important is it that we are open and honest? Well, not just God, but also ourselves. And I’d like to make a little notation here. And in this passage, which you just read, verse 4, it says if I have paid my friend with evil … there’s a little number next to ‘friend’, it means there’s a footnote. If you go down the bottom of your Bible, the number there corresponds with the Hebrew word says ‘who is at peace with me’. I think this is a key indication of how deep David’s pain is here, because it’s not just a friend. A better, more accurate translation would be a close friend. Sometimes the people that we least expect to be slandered or hurt by, are the ones we’re closest to. Some may believe that actually Cush the Benjamite is an alias for Saul himself. Saul, who married his daughter. Saul, who celebrated with David the victories. Saul once called him son. I think David’s pain here and this this song as he’s singing, I could just hear in my head the lament at this part in the song. And so this word here, Selah, is a word that is once again a musical term, that this one appears more than any other musical term in Psalms 71 different times. And most scholars believe it refers to a pause or a silence. It’d be like if David was singing on stage and he’s it’s erratic, it’s tumultuous. It’s this up and down, reflective of his journey through this time in his life, where he’s being persecuted. And all sudden it’s silent, stopped. Nothing can be heard. I think as humans, we struggle with dealing with silence sometimes. We struggle with dealing with what’s going on in our hearts and not letting the world drown out what we need attention to, what’s going on inside. And Selah was meant to be not just a pause, but a reflection of what was being sung about, shared in.

And so we’re going to do a Selah. It’s going to be a short one. I’m going to do a prayer, but I’m going to ask you actually put this scripture into practice right now. Are there people you think of when you are quiet and you paused, are there people that you’ve had a recent confrontation with? Where you need to check your own heart. We need to ask yourself, what did I do? Well, my motive is pure. Is there a relationship that you haven’t talked to in a while because you’re too scared to, or because you said something you shouldn’t? Maybe you need to go and ask for forgiveness. Maybe you need to apologize. If you’re like me, sometimes we get fights on the way to church. It’s this morning. As a dad, I’ve said some things I wish I could take back. As a husband and acted in ways that are just stupid. There’s a time where we need a pause and put into practice what we’re learning here, that we need to check our own hearts. So I’m going to pray and I’ll be quiet for a very short, brief moment asking God to reveal in our hearts, or we need to check our hearts and our motivation and see if there’s any actions we need to take place. We don’t mean a quick prayer.

Father. Here we are. So it is even David said another psalm. Search my heart oh God. And see if there’s a wicked way in me. Sometimes so prideful they even admit that we’re wrong. That we have blind spots, that maybe we said the truth, but we said it in a very unloving way. But maybe we were right. But we were ungracious. And maybe Lord, we actually lack gentleness. And we overlook that through the spirit. Father we’re impatient, and God, we know that the list can go on, but we also appreciative, Lord, of your example of love that your long suffering and steadfast, faithful and true. So God, this is not meant to be a condemnation, but a conviction to reveal in us areas of growth so that we can reconcile and love those in our lives we have been loving to. So in these next brief moments, God, there’s a face if there’s a name. Would you bring that up to our attention? And we would be able to graciously reach out and love them. And even try to reconcile. So let’s take a moment of silence now. Father, would you help us to pause? And reflect and put into prac1tice what we’re learning. So that we could be loving to those. Be merciful as you are merciful. We want to be transformed, not just here is the word, but also doers. Thank you for your spirit gives us strength and guidance in Jesus name. Amen.

If there was a name or a face that came up. I encourage you to write it down. I encourage you to reach out to that person this week and let them know what the Lord shared with you or find ways to bless and encourage them. Let’s read verses 6-11. “Arise oh Lord in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies”. I could see that after the pause. Now David’s going high. He’s singing more in a higher tempo. And there’s more emotions. It’s more of a stronger emotion, particularly awake for me; You have appointed a judgment. Verse 7-11:  “Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you over it return on high. The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, oh, Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous – you who test the mind and hearts or righteous God! My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.” David didn’t take the matter that he was smuggling with into his own hands. He left it in the hands of God. In some ways, he was powerless. It’s always king. King Saul held all the cards. There’ll be times when people falsely accuse you and there’s nothing much you can do. But you can give it to God and trust and that he will judge rightly. You notice there is actually no judgment currently taking place against Saul, as David is asking, beseeching God, arise, wake up, do something, call him into account. But Saul is still getting – I wouldn’t say he’s getting away – he hasn’t been judged yet, more accurately. And so that brings us to our next point. God judges rightly. That doesn’t mean he will judge according to your timeline. God judges rightly, but does not mean he’ll judge, according to time. If all these things that I read through here, this is the one I wish I could change. How about you guys? But when you ask God to check my heart, and you realize that you’ve been operating in the most pure motives that you can, you call people to hold you accountable. You’ve double checked things. And yet. The false accusations. The slander still exists. I really want God to judge much sooner. I really want God as David is calling out right now, arise awaken, let’s go. But God is more long-suffering than you and I, and praise God for that. Because it’s only a matter of time when the script is flipped, and you and I find ourselves on the wrong side of the equation. And we’re the ones lying. We’re the ones gossiping. We’re the ones slandering. We’re the ones bringing somebody else down, whether intentional or unintentional. But don’t count the Lord’s long-suffering as slackness. It’s not a matter of if God will judge, but really, when. In verse 8, David asks the Lord to judge or vindicate him. He’s not talking about how he’s blameless without sin. He’s talking about how, God, I had pure heart, a pure motive here. I was trying to do right. And he’s asking it vindicate him, once again pointing out that he is confident that he’s operating with integrity, with the right motives. Verse 9 we see the accurate perfection of God’s judgment as he’s the only one that tests the minds and hearts. He knows our thoughts. He knows our motives. And therefore, God is the only true judge. You and I, we can miss things at times. We don’t have all the information, we don’t see behind closed doors, but nothing escapes God’s vision. And then admittedly, this verse 11 was one that draw my attention to Psalm 7 to teach. It says verse 11 again, God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day. As a pastor, I kind of relate to this. Not that I’m always angry, although that can be sometimes, but I’ve had students share with me what’s going on in their lives. I had one student come in through our doors and she didn’t she looked like it was easy to judge her. It was easy to look at her outfit and say she’s not a believer. It was easy to be very dismissive. And when I heard her story, guys, I got angry. The things that happened to her, the things that were done to her, the things that people said to her. I cared less about he external and I cared more about the heart. And there’s a level of anger that is righteous and good when we see unjust things happen in this world and we see injustices. When you see people getting taken advantage of, when you see war and you see death. Jesus. When he saw that Lazarus was dead quaked with anger, he said. David here is singing this this song. Remember, he’s emotionally invested in this. And he is angered by the wrong false accusations that he’s had to personally endure and now experienced persecution for. And God is angry every day because he sees rightly and he judges. But he’s not judging right now. But he will judge.

Let’s continue on verse 12. If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword he has bent and readied his bow. He has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to life. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head and on his own skull his violence descends. 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.”

David portrays the Lord as a righteous warrior. I love this picture. God standing, sword, sharp, bow, ready, flaming arrows to protect the upright in heart, to defend. This holy warrior is the one that we can take refuge in because he fights our battles. I mean, who’s going to mess with God, right? Like who’s going to, when he’s the warrior, when we see him in his full, you know, not just the lamb, but also like when we see him arrayed and ready to take judgment. Who can stand against him. The sharp sword, the deadly weapons, the flaming arrows are all metaphors for inescapable judgment. God encompasses the perfect balance of righteous warrior, ready to save the upright, and merciful Savior, designed to all would come to repentance. He truly is both the lion and the lamb. And we get to experience the both of the best of him. My wife loves the Chronicles of Narnia. Only because there’s a lion in there. And she’s always wanted to hug a lion. Right? Like, literally go to zoos and, like, you can’t do that. But it’s a great portrayal of how Jesus is this powerful, otherworldly wild. And yet he’s safe. He’s a refuge. Nothing can stand against him. David himself felt like he was in a deadly predicament. Verse 2, he says, My soul was being ripped apart. I feel like he was dying. But the situation has not been turned around. The trouble that the wicked cause they come back on their own head. The pit that they were digging-they fall in. The violence they were planning-they descend on their own head. I call this boomerang justice. We read that in the second Thessalonians 1:5-10.

This is the last point, is that divine retribution is the Lord’s. Divine retribution in this world comes in and nobody can escape it. God abandoned Saul. It says in 1 Samuel 15 that he abandoned him and eventually his own sins caught up to Saul. You see, Saul wanted to kill David with his sword. In the end, it was Saul sort of took his own life. Pharoah wanted to drown all the Israelite children in the Nile. In the end, it was his army that was overtaken by the waves. Haman built a gallows to hang Mordecai. Only to find himself at the end of that rope. Divine retribution is the Lord’s and no one can escape it. The song closes with David extolling the Lord not for the fact that sinners are judged because the righteousness of God has been magnified. The fact that people are caught in their own sins and ultimately judge brings God no joy. And the believers shouldn’t either. We praise him because he makes all things right. His divine retribution is just, deserving, holy, good. For the unrepentant because that was the verse or the description of his fall for the unrepentant man. God stands ready. Bow bent. Sword sharp for judgment. It’s not repentance, divine retribution. The Praise God for the repentant. It’s divine substitution. And that God gave you a son to die for you and me, for the sins of this world. So that he might uphold his holy law and at the same time extend unmerited grace and mercy to us, for we all have sin. Well, we all have been the slander. We all can relate both to David and to Cush, the Benjamite. In this Shiggaion, this tumultuous song, it ends on a good note. I imagine that as David was singing through this, all the emotions flared. He’s praising God in this last verse for his righteousness. It ends in such a sweet note as we seek refuge and we find that the Lord God is not just our temporary but our eternal refuge. Jesus our heavenly warrior, battled against our ultimate enemy, which was sin in death. And He defeated it. And won a victory for us all at the price of his life. We can praise God because he makes all things right. If you don’t know Jesus as savior. And right now, you don’t find refuge from this world that we live in. If you’re struggling. I encourage you to seek him out. Come talk with me or another pastor on staff or the person who brought you today, or if you’re here by yourself. I would love to meet you and become your new friend. And learn more about the refuge that we have in God, amidst the false accusations. The enemy levies against us and the world we live in. Let’s pray.

Father. We want to know you because you’re the truth embodied. It’s what you do. It’s who you are. You always speak the truth, even if it hurts, even if it wounds, it’s for our benefit. Even when you discipline us, it’s because you love us. You call us back, you draw us in. You know exactly where we’re at and what we struggle with. Father, would you ingrain in us and my brothers and sisters here that we would run to you first and foremost, before anything else? For nothing satisfies, nothing protects, nothing is faithful, nothing is as true as you. And God, that we would do that time and time again. Then we’d follow the examples of our forebears. David. Esther. All these men and women in the Bible that you set out as an examples is they ran to you. And when things got really, really dire, even then they trusted God. Help us to trust in you. Help us to fix our eyes on you. How about that? To be distracted by the waves and the winds. But the context we find ourselves in God because you are alone, sovereign, you alone are the Heavenly Warrior. You alone who can stand against you. No one can maybe find peace and refuge, and you make all things right in the end. Loving you. Thank you, Jesus. We pray.