David narrowly escaped capture in the wilderness of Maon. The providential hand of God had created a distraction by means of the Philistine invasion and David saw his opportunity to escape, (I Sam. 23:25-28). His experience at Ziph had been a bitter lesson and rather than repeat the same mistake he headed eastward to the mountainous region of the Dead Sea.
In a cave at Engedi
Engedi is accessible through some of the most dangerous and precipitous passes on the western shore of the Dead Sea. The description “rocks of the wild goats” (I Sam. 24:2), adequately portrays the mountainous descent, comprised of steep limestone cliffs, full of caverns. This seemed an ideal hideaway for a small, lightly armed band of men, but hardly the place for a heavily equipped army such as Saul’s. However as one writer puts it, “Hate accomplished a task from which military experience would have shrunk.”
Undaunted by the hazardous country and driven by his hatred of David, Saul deploys three thousand handpicked men, scouring the entire region for signs of the outlaw. David had sought refuge inside one of the caves and by a strange twist of fate, Saul lighted on the same cave to rest a while, “And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave” (I Sam. 24:3). Here was an ideal opportunity for David, one which most men would have seized without hesitation. Not so with David, he simply cut off Saul’s skirt (v. 4) and used the evidence to show Saul that he intended him no harm (v. 11).
Psalm 7 — Concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite
We feel certain that Psalm 7 reflects the circumstances of this occasion. The title tells us it was a “Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.” Who this man was is uncertain.
The evidence indicates that there were many who were eager to disparage David in order to gain the king’s favor. “And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?” (I Sam. 24:9). On another occasion, Saul berated his own kinsmen for not helping him, “Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” (I Sam. 22:7-8).
Another suggestion is that Cush is an enigmatic term for Saul himself. Cush, or the Ethiopian, means black, and is used symbolically for those who are black of heart and unchangeable, thus we read, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil” (Jer. 13:23). This, of course, suitably describes the dark moods manifested by Saul during this period. There are a number of comments throughout Psalm 7 which parallel the events recorded in I Samuel 24, as the table on page 367 will illustrate.
The struggle with anger
The incident in the cave presents to David his greatest challenge during this entire period and Psalm 7 expresses his thoughts on this occasion.
It is beneficial to examine David’s attitude toward Saul. Despite Saul’s obsession with destroying David, not once does David display signs of disrespect toward him. Notice how David addresses Saul in I Samuel 24: in verse 6 he calls him “my master;” in verse 10, “my Lord;” in verse 11, “my father;” in verse 14, “the king of Israel.” Every phrase is couched in terms of respect and humility and nowhere do we find David railing upon Saul angrily.
Frustration leads to anger
Anger is a characteristic of the flesh and it manifests itself particularly during periods of severe frustration. Saul is a classic example of this, when, during his violent outbursts he attempted to kill both David and Jonathan. It is not unreasonable to surmise that David, likewise, would experience moments of anger during the fugitive years. His inability to escape from Saul, coupled with his nomadic life and separation from family and friends, would certainly be grounds for frustration.
| Psalm 7 | I Samuel 24 |
| “O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands” (v. 3). | “Know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee” (v.11). |
| “If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me” (v.4). | “Thou hast rewarded me good, where-as I have rewarded thee evil” (v.17). |
| “Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy” (v.4). | “David stayed his servants with these words and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way” (v.7). |
| “The LORD shall judge the people; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness” (v.8). | “The LORD judge between me and thee” (v.12). |
| “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins” (v.9). | “As saith the proverb of the ancients, • Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: hut mine hand shall not be upon thee” (v. 13). |
But anger is not always provoked by the adversary. It can be provoked by our friends also, who agitate about our problems, providing constant reminders about what others have said or done. It could very well be that such conditions were developing in the cave. Believing this day to be providentially arranged — “Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee” — David’s men spurred him on, encouraging David as he moved closer to the unsuspecting Saul.
Human anger usually leads to sin
Yet David withheld his hand and said, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD” (I Sam. 24:6). David’s remorse, however, suggests that he had come close to venting his frustration in a manner he would later regret — “And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt” (1 Sam. 24:5).
Invariably the anger produced on such occasions is vengeful, vindictive and rooted in pride. Because of this, James reminds us “The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Jam. 1:20). It is Yahweh’s work to avenge His enemies and David knew this in his heart as we can tell from his words in the psalm: “Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies; and awake for me…” (Psa. 7:6).
God’s anger is quite different from that displayed by man. While the scriptures clearly show that His anger is severe and final, nevertheless we are reminded that God is neither rash nor hasty in exercising His wrath. The word translated “anger” is the Hebrew aph, and primarily refers to the nose or face. This association is quite understandable when we find the word translated “nostril” in Exodus 15:8 – “The blast of thy nostrils,” referring to God’s anger directed toward the Egyptians. But it also forms part of the word “longsuffering” (Heb. arekaph, literally “long of anger”) in Exodus 34:6. It is as though God takes a long, deep breath as He holds His anger in abeyance, thus the proverb says “By long forbearing (Heb. aph) is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone” (Prov. 25:15). Endowed with this quality, David attempted to win over his enemy.
“The Judgment Thou Hast Commanded”
There is an additional comment in verse 6 which says, “Awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.” These words look back to I Samuel 15:28 when God decreed that He would replace Saul as king over Israel. Throughout the fugitive years, David was constantly reminded of this promise. Immediately after the death of Goliath, Jonathan humbly divested himself of his royal apparel and gave it to David (I Sam.18:4). On at least two other occasions, he spoke encouragingly of God’s intention — “But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies” (I Sam. 20:15-16); and again, “And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth” (I Sam. 23:17).
How would the promise be fulfilled
Evidently David had not forgotten this promise. The question now facing David, however, was whose responsibility it was to remove Saul from office. David’s hesitation on this occasion provides us with another insight into his spiritual qualities. How many of us would interpret his circumstances the way David’s men did? How many of us, having prayerfully approached God to remove some difficulty, would be guilty of grasping at what appeared to be the obvious, without giving any thought as to whether the “way out” conformed to the overall purpose of God? David had longed for this day. It was an ideal opportunity to once and for all rid himself of this thorn in the side, but David remembered that it was “the judgment that (God) hast commanded.”
It is evident throughout this psalm that David was conscious of conforming to the principles taught in God’s word. In verses 8 and 12, David is actually quoting from Deuteronomy 32. Note the table on page 369.
The context of both verses in Deuteronomy speaks of judgment as being God’s prerogative: verse 35, “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense;” verse 43, “…For he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries.”
It is not an easy principle to endorse since we fear the consequences of our own inaction. Because of this we take charge of the situation, only to find that we stand not only as judge, but also as the jury and prosecutor. For David the repercussions which may have resulted from acting in a faithful manner didn’t matter, “Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honor in the dust” (Psa. 7:5); David knew that the Judge of all the earth shall do right and committing his life to God would prove beneficial in the long term.
| Psalm 7 | Deuteronomy 32 |
| “The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me” (v.8). | “For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left” (v. 36). |
| “If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready” (v.12). | “If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me” (v.41). |
Continued concern for others
It is remarkable that despite David’s desperate situation he shows tremendous concern for others. David’s actions were not motivated by selfishness, for we read, “For their sakes therefore return thou on high” (Psa. 7:7).
Brother was fighting against brother; Saul was obsessed with doing his own will rather than Yahweh’s; civil war was destroying Israel and David realized that any wrong action on his part would only contribute further to the problem.
If only we could adopt David’s attitude. In our ecclesial conflicts, if only we could make sure that our actions were intended to benefit the whole rather than to increase our own personal standing before the brethren and sisters.
It is sobering to reflect upon the words of the apostle Paul, where he links together the ideas of strife, lowliness of mind and actions performed for the benefit of others, when he says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).
God trieth the hearts and reins
When Samuel visited the house of Jesse to anoint a new king, he was told that outward appearances were of no consequence; what really mattered was the quality of a person’s heart. “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). David’s experiences developed in him such a sensitivity to the hand of God that the scriptures would later record, “…I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will” (Acts 13:22).
Toward the close of his life David could say in retrospect, “I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness” (I Chron. 29:17). This conviction was developed during the fugitive years; we read in Psalm 7, “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins” (v. 9).
An allusion to priestly work
These words allude to the work of the High Priest when he inspected the sacrifices, looking for blemishes. The animal may have been perfectly acceptable externally, but God wasn’t concerned with mere externals, He required to know what was on the inside.
Scripture describes the heart as the seat of the intellect. Thus God could speak of the days of Noah, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).
The word “reins” is also translated “kidney” and describes part of the fat which was dedicated to Yahweh — “all the fat is the LORD’s” (Lev. 3:16). This portion of the animal was of some significance in that it covered the “inwards” or the inner parts of the animal, (Lev. 4:8). The significance lies in its spiritual application to the inner man, for the word “inwards” is translated “within” in the following verses: “Create in me a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psa. 51:10); “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psa. 103:1).
God was examining David daily to determine if the inner man was being renewed after the image of God. David’s warfare was not simply with Saul; it was with himself. His circumstances provided challenges which were essential in determining the quality of his faith. The law of sin which was in his members was warring against the law of his mind, and because his mind was correctly focused, he could say with the apostle Paul, “I delight in the law of God after the inward man” (Rom. 7:22).
The righteousness of faith
Throughout the psalm David is portrayed as sinless: “O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands” (v. 3); “I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy” (v. 4); “…judge me, 0 LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me” (v. 8); “My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart” (v. 10).
This does not suggest that David had not sinned; rather it speaks of imputed righteousness. Faith had triumphed over the flesh, not by any merit on David’s part, but because of the good hand of God, under which David had learned to trust. Despite his misfortunes, David’s faith never diminished. As a result he could exclaim, “I will give thanks unto the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high” (Psa. 7:17 RV).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One