The First of the Imprecatory Psalms
Joseph Hammond. Psalm 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger, lift up yourself because of the rage of my enemies… Comminations are present in vers. 11-17, and imprecations upon the writer himself (under certain contingencies) in ver. 5. I. THE PSALM IS NOT VINDICTIVE. 1. It is certainly David's composition, and by his twice sparing Saul we know this was not his character. Cush the Benjamite was some follower of Saul who had plotted against David. It is probable that in 1 Samuel 24. we have the historic setting of the Psalm. The points of contact between the two are many. 2. And Cush was flagrantly an evil-doer (vers. 2, 3, 4, 14, 15). Hence these denunciations are uttered. II. SEE WHAT HE PRAYS FOR. It is simply that God will awake. III. WHAT HE PREDICTS. That the Lord will whet His sword, etc. Neither in prayer nor prediction is there any disproportion between the sin and its punishment. It is less than what God had Himself said He would do (Deuteronomy 32:23, 42). IV. WHY HE THUS DENOUNCES. Not because although he had spared his enemy, yet in his heart he was thirsting for revenge. If he had wanted revenge he could have taken it. But — 1. From the instinct of self-preservation. 2. Desire for the repression of crime. 3. For the glory of God. We deny, therefore, that the Psalm is vindictive. (Joseph Hammond.) Parallel Verses KJV: Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. WEB: Arise, Yahweh, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.