This week’s Song To Live By is Psalm 7

Tom writes:

Although I’ve read the psalms loads of times, choosing to dwell on them a bit more like we are doing is making me feel quite uncomfortable. I’ve never asked God to show his wrath, or asked God to vindicate me for my righteousness. I’m realising that the shiggaion of David is not much like the shiggaion of Tom. In fact I’m realising that Tom doesn’t even know what a shiggaion is.

The gist of this psalm seems to be an appeal to God as the righteous judge. David seems to believe that prayer is a bit like a mediaeval law court, where a suitor comes and makes his appeal, expecting the King to render a verdict that actually changes what happens in the land. A stolen chicken has to be returned, a thief is flogged to teach them a lesson, or - if the suitor is judged to be wrong - then they are sent away empty handed.

Verses 14-16 seem to outline the various ways that God enforces his verdicts; what might just (to me) seem like natural bad consequences for bad actions are actually the way that David sees God enacting his righteousness. When a liar gets trapped in their lies, or an abuser is finally stripped of power, there is a sense of divine justice coming in response to the prayers of God’s people.

Now, we do have to be careful not to take this idea too far - to suggest that every bad thing that happens is a punishment from God - but we equally will be helped if we begin to pray as if God is a righteous judge who will indeed bring bad consequences upon those who are injuring others with their evil acts. If we start to sing this kind of shiggaion we may find that God acts more often than we expect either to vindicate or to show wrath.

A Prayer

God, I want to come to you as the ruler of our land. I want to come to you like a persistent widow comes to the unjust judge. Please teach me to pray for defined acts of justice, for your verdict to be played out in my day. Please teach me to put before you in heartfelt prayer more of my everyday desires, hopes, frustrations and pains. Would you make yourself my refuge, my judge and my shield.