Summary
The troubles of life often compel us to seek refuge. We may try and find refuge in work, in hobbies, in family and friends, in substances (alcohol, drugs, etc), in nature, or a variety of other things. We instinctively understand refuge; children seek it in their parents, many games involve some sort of refuge (behind your crease in cricket or on a base in softball). Refuge is where we find rest and comfort from trouble.
Psalm 17 encourages us to find refuge in God. King David wrote this psalm to express his own need for refuge, and his trust in God to provide it. This is expressed through a prayer from a trusting heart, an appeal in the face of danger, and a prayer for deliverance and blessing.
Our passage explained
v1-5
In the first five verses of Psalm 17, David expresses a prayer from a trusting heart. David asks God to “hear … attend … give ear” to his request (v.1). David uses absolute terms of innocence to describe his approach, as he describes his cause as “just” and from lips “free of deceit” (v.1). He asks God to vindicate him and to “behold the right” (v.2) of his situation. This does not refer to a claim of sinlessness, but innocence of accusations from enemies and a trust in God as the rightful judge.
We see this described in verses three to five, where David expresses confidence that God’s testing of his heart will “find nothing” (v.3). David has resolved that he will not sin in his speech, as he knows the effect of sinful false accusations. He has sought to follow God’s will as revealed by “the word of your lips” (v.4) in God’s Word, and he has sought to walk according to God’s commands from which he has “not slipped” (v.4) unlike the “ways of the violent” (v.4).
v6-12
In verses six to twelve we see David’s appeal in the face of danger. David again calls upon God to “hear my words” and trusts that God will answer him. He trusts because of God’s covenant love, which he asks God to demonstrate as God has done in the past with those who have sought refuge in him (v.7). Here, David is demonstrating trust based on God’s prior saving deeds, such as the Exodus.
Like God’s acts of the past, David seeks God’s protection. He asks to be treated as “the apple of God’s eye” (a term of endearment) and to be hidden in the “shadow of your wings” like a mother bird protecting its chicks. (v.8). He seeks protection from wicked who surround and attack him (v.9), pitilessly attack to crush him and his followers (vv.10-11), like lions who attack a zebra on a wildlife documentary (v.12).
v13-15
David’s appeal in the face of danger is followed by a prayer for deliverance and blessing. David has sought refuge in God because of his prowling enemies. In verse thirteen, he asks God to “arise … confront him, subdue him!” Like David confronted lions in his shepherding days, he seeks God’s intervention on his behalf. He asks for God to deliver him from the wicked “men of the world whose portion is in this life” (v.14). They have children, whose children inherit their abundance, but they do not remain to enjoy it (v.14). Wicked men receive their due in this life, God’s people find their portion in God.
David then expresses his anticipation of blessing. David declares he “shall behold [God’s] face in righteousness”. That is, he will know God’s presence. David hints at everlasting dwelling with God by stating “when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (v.15). Unlike the wicked who receive their due in this life only, those who trust in God and take refuge in him receive an inheritance in both this life and forever.
Our passage applied
David’s psalm encourages us to find our true refuge in God. While family, work, hobbies, food and drink, or nature around us provide moments of relief and distraction, they do not provide refuge for the weary soul. Instead, true refuge and protection from the trials of this life is found in trusting God, and sheltering in him. We will still be buffeted by the winds of life, but beneath God’s wings we will know his love, care, and protection.
That care and protection is for those who come to God with a trusting heart. We must come to God as David did, willing to place ourselves under the all-wise and all-knowing judgment of God. We can do so, because God has promised to treat us with mercy and forgive us of our sins and trespasses in Jesus Christ, who serves as our covenant head; giving us his righteousness and having borne the penalty of sin for us on the cross.
The deliverance that God offers extends beyond the present day to eternity. The wicked enjoy today, but not eternity. Only those who trust God will find eternal refuge, satisfied in enjoying God’s presence and his blessings.
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