God’s Faithful Love Endures Forever

Meditations on the Psalms 

July 12, 2022

God’s Faithful Love Endures Forever

I come to you for protection, O LORD my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

Psalm 7:1

King David is given credit for writing seventy-three of the one hundred fifty psalms, and he is mentioned in an additional thirteen psalms. I believe understanding King David’s relationship to God is essential to experiencing the spiritual depth of the psalms.

David began Psalm 7 with, “O LORD my God.” When the word LORD in the Old Testament is spelled with all capital letters it is a translation of God’s name. When God called Moses to lead the exodus, God revealed His name to Moses. However, in the following generations the Hebrews so revered God they would not speak or write God’s name. When writing God’s name, they used four consonants: YHWH, which is rendered LORD in English translations of the Old Testament. Over time, other people inserted vowels to pronounce the name of God, YAHWEH. This word was later rendered into Jehovah. So David begins this psalm with a very personal and intimate calling to God, by name, and in confession that the LORD is David’s God.

David then asks the LORD for vindication. He opens himself before God and seeks God’s perspective by saying, in effect, “If I have done anything wrong then let your judgment fall on me.” As David continues with this lament, he asks God to deal with his adversaries. David wants his enemies defeated, and he wants the land to be at peace; however, he is asking God to both render His judgment against the enemy and to also execute the judgment. David trusted God with his life and thus ends the psalm with worship: “I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (Psalm 7:17). (In a similar setting, recorded in 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat went to God in prayer. In God’s response, the nature of the LORD is revealed. See 2 Chronicles 20: 15-21)

In response to his trust in God, King Jehoshaphat led his people in singing, “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!” In response to his trust in God, King David led his people in worshipping, “I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

My Takeaway: I believe David and Jehoshaphat’s responses are appropriate models for our response to any issues we are confronting in our lives.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.