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1 Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer –
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 May my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
and examine me at night
though you test me, you will find nothing;
I have resolved my mouth will not sin.
4 As for the deeds of men- by the word of your lips
I have kept myself from ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer
me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
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hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked me down, they now
surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to
the ground.
12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13 ,Rise up, O Lord, confront them, bring them down;
rescue me from the wicked.by your sword
14 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
15 And I - in righteousness I shall see your
face; When I awake, I shall be satisfied with
seeing your likeness.
(NIV)
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Psalm 17:- A prayer of David. The structure of the psalm is clear, because of problems with the text in certain places has made the meaning doubtful. Like Job, this is a plea from David to God, he protests his innocence, and his enemies are against him.
Verses 1-15: This “prayer” of David brims with petitions, as many as seventeen of them depending upon the translation of certain Hebrew verb forms. There are many literary parallels (with Psalm 16). Although the psalm shows indications of mixed forms, it is essentially a prayer for protection. David is fond of using themes and phrases from the Exodus narrative (compare Exodus chapter 15; Deut. Chapter 32). A logical repetition pattern development is detected in its verses, with the focus shifting from the psalmist (verses 1-8) to his enemies (verses 9-12), remaining on his enemies in (verses 13-14), then shifting back to David (verse 15). Or viewing its development from another angle, David approaches the divine court with 3 clusters of appeals in seeking justice
(1) Appeals Dealing with Response and Recognition (17:1-5).
(2) Appeals Dealing with Rescue and Relief (17:6-12).
(3) Appeals Dealing with Retribution and Rest (17:13-15).
David says, that heaven is good enough for him. He knows that someday he will stand before the righteous Judge of all the earth. He also knows that he will have taken on the likeness of God. This is also expressed in Galatians and Titus.
The question for us is are we ready to stand before the Judge of this world and accept the sentence He will give? Remember what is said in Galatians and Titus.
Galatians 3:29 " if you belong to Christ Jesus, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Titus 3:7" so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
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