Psalm 17 – God’s Right Hand
I’m continuing on with the next Psalm in order that I haven’t previously posted, and that is Psalm 17, the first 9 verses of which I’ve posted here. As first blush, the Psalmist, in this case King David, seems a bit arrogant in calling himself righteous. But this Psalm may well have been written at the point in King David’s life that he had been through the wringer of sin and repentance with God and had finally come out knowing what was right and doing it.
My favorite verse of this Psalm is verse 7 because King David recognizes that it is only God’s right hand that can save him, or any of us. We all face the evil one as our foe, but if we take refuge in Jesus, who sits at the right hand of the Father, then we will be saved.
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
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 that my mouth will not sin.
4 As for the deeds of men—
by the word of your lips
I have kept myself
from the 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;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
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I agree that seeing ourselves as righteous is in direct proportion to how horribly we’ve been treated. Been there…
When I first read this Psalm, it made me feel like it was okay to turn to God and beg. That’s so comforting in a way…
Thanks for a good reminder. Hugs… : )
Thanks, Linda
Here’s the line that’s in my head: ” I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.”
That’s a toughie on it’s own but I can choose to allow Him to help me keep my vows. I am going to keep that at the front, back and center of my mind this week as I trust Him to “hide me in the shadow of (His) wings”
Blessings,
ann
Ann, That is a good one to remember. We need to always rely on Him to help us maintain our resolve, and when we do He is faithful. Peace, Linda
What an amazing thing to be kept as the apple of His eye and hidden in the shadow of His wings. 🙂 Thank you, Linda. I love the Psalms!
God bless you this day and cover You with His loving care.
Deb, It is pretty amazing that He care so much for us, that He is our refuge. 🙂 Peace, Linda