Under Attack

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹ Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.
² Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.

³ Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.
⁴ Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.
⁵ My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

⁶ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
⁷ Show me the wonders 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;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the wicked who are out to destroy 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, Lord, confront them, bring them down;
    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
¹⁴ By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
    may their children gorge themselves on it,
    and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

¹⁵ As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
    when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

INTRODUCTION

David had to deal with opposition all his life. As a boy, his brothers excluded him; they scolded him, made fun of him and did nothing to encourage him. David cut his teeth on adversity. After Samuel anointed him, Saul became his arch enemy. After he became king, he was surrounded by enemies: they were without and within.

David was not a perfect man but he was a passionate man and he has a lot to teach us about worship, praise, prayer and dealing with adversity. PSALM 17 tells us what David did when he was UNDER ATTACK.

I. He Sought The LORD in Prayer {He looked up}

Anytime I get in trouble; I pray and that is exactly what David did, He sought the LORD in prayer. There are a dozen Hebrew words for ‘Prayer’ and four of them are used in Psalm 17… Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips.

• Prayer {tĕphillah} intercession or supplication
• Hear {shâmaʻ}
• Heed {kä·shav’} give heed, incline, attend
• Hear {‘azan} to hear, to listen, to give ear

David was not a perfect man but he was a praying man. He prayed with passion. He has a lot to teach us about prayer. I tell folks every time I get the opt, do not try to develop a prayer life without using the Psalms. I use them every day.

In a sense, we are all under attack. Paul said in the Ephesian letter… ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For 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.… And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Count them with me, one, two three four, five times Paul uses the word pray or prayer. PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE. [Also verses 6-9 are about prayer]

II. He Searched His Own Heart {He looked in}

Note verse 3-5… ³ Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed. ⁴ Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. ⁵ My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.

I did attend one session of the SBC yesterday and I listened attentively to the Presidential address. I was convicted. There is no doubt, I have failed miserably as a witness. I do agree that soul winning should be a priority and it has not been with me. It is difficult to keep the main thing the main thing. When I am under attack, I invariably search my own soul. GOD USES OUR ENEMIES…to humble us, drive us to Jesus, but also to teach us. We can actually learn from those who want to destroy us.

III. He Surrendered His Enemies to the LORD {He looked out}

Note verse 2… Let my vindication come from You; may your eyes see what is right. Also 13-14… ¹³ Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked. ¹⁴ By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

There is a pitfall we must avoid: we cannot take revenge on those who do us wrong. “Vengeance is mine, says the LORD, I will repay.” It is never up to us to make people pay. A get even mentality will destroy you. There are several things to consider when someone attacks you or your character. Their motive is one of them and who knows there motive other than God. HURTING PEOPLE ARE HURTFUL. Helping the hurting can be dangerous. An injured dog will bit. When all is said and done, only the LORD knows all the details. Just give them over to the LORD. He will do any settling up that needs to be done.

III. He Set His Hope On The Future {He looked ahead}

The heart of this Psalm is about the vicious nature of David’s enemies {9-12}. David’s enemies are vicious, “Out to destroy him.” They are not playing games, they are going for the jugular. They have no compassion and they show no mercy [v.10]. They are cold and callous. They are like vicious lions, ready to rip you apart.

David prays in verse 14… By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. But the key is verse ¹⁵ As for me, I will be vindicated and I will see your face;  when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

David is looking to a future time when God’s presence will overshadow all David’s enemies.