Psalm 17

In the sub-script of one Dutch translation this psalm is called: "The prayer of an innocent man."¹ No details are given as to the historical background of the psalm. There is, however, a strong suggestion that it dates from the period before David's ascent to the throne, that is during the time Saul pursued him.

The theme of the psalm more or less parallels that of Psalm seven. In vs. 1-5 David appeals to his innocence; in vs. 6-12 he prays for protection against his enemies, and in vs. 13-15 he makes a comparison between his persecutors and himself. This comparison puts the theme of the psalm in the right perspective.

In making his "righteous plea," David does not appeal to a righteousness outside himself, as he did in Psalm Four. This does not mean, however, that he, necessarily, boasts concerning his own righteousness. Our right relationship with God will give us, eventually, an integrity that will become self-evident and that does not have to be analyzed daily.

In the first two verses David pleads a righteous cause at which he looks from a distance. He does not state exactly what the problem is. Evidently, he was being accused of things that he had not done, and because he is convinced of his innocence, he feels completely free to address himself to God in prayer. There is always a close connection between our conduct and our prayers. Prayer can be hindered by what we do. Peter warns husbands that their prayers can be hindered if their relationship with their wives is not what it should be. We read: "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."² The apostle John also speaks about conditions in which "our hearts do not condemn us." He says: "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him."³ These New Testament quotes are, probably, the best illustration of what David is saying here.

There is some value in what is professionally called, "psychological feelings of guilt," because they may be the means by which we are drawn to God. What John says is that there comes a point at which we have to cast our burdens upon God, regardless of what our heart says. But David does not speak of guilt feeling, but rather about concrete acts. The rendering of TLB is therefore quite appropriate: "Publicly acquit me, Lord, for you are always fair."

It is an overwhelming experience to be cleared of all guilt by God Himself; it is awful when a man thinks himself to be innocent and he does not realize what his position before God actually is. There is in the background of David's argument the assurance that there is for him "no condemnation in Jesus Christ."⁴ There is no other basis for David's conviction, even though nothing more is being said about it here. The legal side of David's case is closely connected with his inner sanctification. That is the theme of vs. 2 and 3. There is no consciousness of sin in David's heart; he has no bad conscience, and he feels himself clean. We read in the epistle to the Hebrews: "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-- not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"⁵ David must have had some insight in the real meaning of justification, as expounded in the above quote from Hebrews, although he only knew the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament.

It is interesting to see that David invites God to probe his heart and examine him at night, because that is the time when man is most vulnerable, and his defenses are weakest. It is the time when our subconscious comes to the surface in strange dreams and fantasies. The Holy Spirit penetrates so deeply in our lives that God finds nothing objectionable in us, even at night.

The more we ponder this point, the more it becomes obvious that we are looking at a prophecy about the man, Jesus Christ. This portion of Scripture, together with many others must have helped and encouraged our Lord in His youth; they must have given Him a growing awareness of His call to be the Messiah. We can only apply these verses to ourselves, as we understand that "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."⁶ If we understand what is said here, we cannot but be amazed at the miracle of grace God performs in our lives. On the basis of a righteousness that comes to us from the outside our prayers come before God and are heard by Him. Our consciences are cleansed from acts that lead to death, and the Word of God keeps us from a misuse of power, which is a trap for many people who have power.

The sanctification of our daily walk, which is the application of Christ's righteousness in our lives, is not only the ministry of the Holy Spirit within us, but it is also a matter of our obedience to the Word of God. There is always a danger of subjectivity if we lean exclusively upon the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our heart is capable of deceiving us, but the objectivity of the written Word of God keeps us in balance. It is through the Word and the Spirit that we keep our lives on the right track. We hardly understand sufficiently how much we need such a balance in this dark world in which we live.

In vs. 7-13 we see how the pressure on David's life increases, and how he becomes more and more conscious of the need to take refuge in God in order to stand against the foe. It becomes again obvious that the only possibility of victory over the Evil One lies in our standing upon the righteousness of Christ. We can only resist the devil if he finds no foothold on the inside of our heart and mind. It is clear from vs. 12 that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."⁷ David's words, "They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover," are an Old Testament parallel to what Peter says in his first Epistle: "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."⁸

The confidence in God which David demonstrates in vs. 6-8 is touching. We often lose our balance when difficulties arise because we forget who God really is. David goes back over his previous answers to prayer, which strengthens his faith. "I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer" is not only an expression of faith in the future but, in the first place, a remembering of things past. How good it is for a man to keep on remembering what God has done. Previous experiences with God serve us to continue to believe in Him for the present.

David expects a miracle on the basis of God's great love. If we find ourselves in circumstances in which we need a miracle in order to pull us through, our situation is not rosy. In such situations, however, God often shows Himself closest to us. David calls God by the name of "Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at thy right hand."⁹ What a glorious title! The names given to God in the Old Testament are a rich topic of study; they are the colors of God's infinitely beautiful character. One of God's characteristics is that He saves people who seek refuge at His right hand! David could only come up with such a name because he knew God intimately and had obtained insight into God's character.

The expression "apple of your eye" occurs several times in the Old Testament. We read: "He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye."¹⁰ "Whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye."¹¹ In those verses the phrase is used for the nation of Israel. In Old English there is a word "mannikin" which describes two people who are so close together that they can see themselves in the retina of the other person. The Hebrew word is 'iyshown which literally means "the little man of the eye." In any language the apple of the eye is one of the most precious parts of the human body. Damage to the apple of the eye can cause blindness, that is why we protect our eyes more than any other part of our body, which is the point of the comparison of vs. 8; God protects us as we protect our eyes, as a bird protects her young ones by covering them with her wings.

The enemy against whom we need to be protected is pictured in vivid colors. David superimposes two pictures in his projection of the enemy: one is of men who have hostile intentions, and the other one is of Satan himself. Satan is the lion that attacks. This suggests a group of people who are under demonic influence. We see the portrait by an artist who draws a scene of hostile human activity against the background of a roaring lion with open jaws, which covers the whole of the canvas. It shows that every murder humans commit is inspired by the great murderer from the beginning.¹² In verses 9-12 David proves that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."¹³ We are surrounded by people who surrendered to those evil forces. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but the devil uses flesh and blood to put pressure upon our lives. A classic example is Jesus' rebuke of Peter when He said: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."¹⁴ Jesus recognized the reality of the attack upon Him by Satan, who used Peter. Very few people are able to see through the tactics of the enemy when he attacks their lives. Even David had a hard time recognizing the real enemy behind his human foes, although in vs. 12 we find an indication that there is one single power which waits in the background, but which manipulates human beings. People whose hearts have become callous, and whose hearts are closed to the influence of the Holy Spirit become instruments of the devil. The devil uses prosperity to dull people's spiritual sensitivity. The false security which abundance of material things provides can make a person immune to the desire for real riches. Affluence is a heavy burden to carry, and few people are able to stand the lure of it. Abundance and arrogance often go together. The devil uses tasty baits.

In the NIV vs. 13 and 14 do not sound as revengeful as in some other versions. We read: "Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword. 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," but the RSV reads: "Arise, O LORD! confront them, overthrow them! Deliver my life from the wicked by thy sword, from men by thy hand, O LORD, from men whose portion in life is of the world. May their belly be filled with what thou hast stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their babes." And even TLB makes the wicked the brunt of God's wrath, by saying: "Lord, arise and stand against them. Push them back! Come and save me from these men of the world whose only concern is earthly gain-- these men whom you have filled with your treasures so that their children and grandchildren are rich and prosperous." Evidently the Hebrew is open for different interpretations. In those renderings where the wicked are filled with something that destroys both them and their children it seems as if David wants to take revenge upon innocent babes. But a closer look reveals that David has a spiritual issue in mind. The sword he calls upon for intervention is the sword of the Lord, not a human weapon of slaughter. The writer to the Hebrews uses the image of a sword for the Word of God. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."¹⁵ And when John describes his vision of the risen Christ, he says: "Out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword."¹⁶ In the story of Gideon's victory over the Midianites, the sword of the Lord turns out to consist of trumpets, jars and torches.¹⁷ The Midianites were conquered because of the utter confusion in their own ranks through which they killed off one another. The sword of the Lord is the instrument by which God judges people's moral and spiritual behavior. For some people the outcome of this judgment is salvation, if they confess their sins and receive pardon. For others it means perishing because no confession of sin is made. By calling upon the sword in the hand of YHWH David chooses the most pacifistic defense possible. David asks the Lord to save him, by causing the conversion of his enemies. After all, the purpose of God's judgment, of His analysis-in-depth of people's acts and motives, is the revelation of His forgiveness and His saving grace. In the tenth century the inhabitants of the Netherlands were saved from the invasions of the Nordics in that the Norwegians were converted to Christianity.

In vs. 13 and 14, again, we see how the image of a single enemy, Satan, overlaps the plural one of the human foes, who are his instruments. The sword of the Lord has, of course, no value for the salvation of Satan himself, but it can mean salvation for those who are in his power.

What the NIV calls "their callous hearts" in vs. 10 is rendered by the KJV as: "They are inclosed in their own fat." We conclude from this that affluence is unhealthy for man's spiritual well-being. This thought is further elaborated upon in vs. 14. The people who are out after David's life have no spiritual interests. Their reward is in this life; they are only interested in material wealth and their punishment consists in the fact that God gives them what they want. Their children are born in rich families and they begin their lives with a large heritage. In his book Fairy Tales, the Scottish writer George MacDonald says that God can punish people by making them rich. This is the point David illustrates here; the affluence a man seeks becomes his undoing. That which God has "stored up" for those people is, in David's eyes, garbage and dirt. In reality, it is a life of ease and enjoyment which those people seek for themselves in this life, and which makes them immune to the grace of God that could save them for all eternity.

Over against this attitude towards life, David makes the statement of his own faith in beautifully moving words: "And I-- in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." When his life on earth ends, he expects to be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and to behold the face of God; seeing God's face is an experience no one on earth would be able to survive. For us, New Testament Christians, this being clothed with Jesus' righteousness is an experience in the present, which is the equivalent of the beholding of God's face, and which will lead to the metamorphosis of our mortal bodies; this is our hope for the future. David expects an awakening and the complete fulfillment of his life in fellowship with Jesus Christ, who is the image of God.

The contrast between David and his adversaries was not the gap between rich and poor; David was rather affluent himself. When we read what he contributed to the building of the temple¹⁸, we get an idea of his considerable wealth. The difference is in their philosophy of life. Their portion was in this life; David lived in the expectation of "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for [him].¹⁹

² I Pet. 3:7

³ I John 3:19-22

⁴ See Rom. 8:1

⁵ Heb. 10:1-4; 9:13,14

⁶ II Cor. 5:21

⁷ Eph. 6:12

⁸ I Pet. 5:8

⁹ RSV

¹⁰ Deut. 32:10

¹¹ Zech. 2:8

¹² See John 8:44

¹³ Eph. 6:12

¹⁴ Matt. 16:23

¹⁵ Heb. 4:12,13

¹⁶ Rev. 1:16

¹⁷ Judg. 7:20

¹⁸ See I Chr. 29:3-5

¹⁹ I Pet. 1:4

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