6 Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
The School Text (Plain Message)
This is a prime example of praying the scriptures. David asks the Lord to “arise, in your anger,” but only because “you have appointed a judgement.” (v. 6) He prays that the Lord would lift Himself up “against the fury of my enemies,” but he asks this so that God would “Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered to you.”(v. 7) By this he makes reference to the promise given to Abraham that all the nations would be blessed because of him. So David here anticipates that God might use him in his position as king to fulfill that promise.
He recognizes that God alone is the judge over all creation, over all nations, over all individuals. And God is a righteous judge, whose judgements are always good. So David invites God to judge him, confident in his own character and heart before God. He knows that the God who “tests the minds and hearts” will be pleased by his own mind and heart.
For this reason he has full confidence in God’s protection of him. He proclaims that God is his shield, because he saves the upright in heart, of which David knows himself to be.
David closes this section by saying that the great, righteous Judge over all creation “feels indignation every day.” This has also been translated “anger.” On one hand this statement highlights the perfect righteous standard by which God judges, that not a day goes by in which his indignation or anger is not kindled against his continuously rebellious creations.
But this closing statement also, in a round about way, illustrates the patience and mercy of God. Because if the Lord feels indignation and anger every day, then why does he not bring judgement down upon his creation every day? Why does David need to beseech God to rise up in judgement? Apparently, despite His daily anger or indignance, God has not executed his judgment! This is because the Lord’s patience and mercy are as unmatched as His righteousness and justice.
The Praise Text (Thanksgiving)
Praise God that he is the perfectly righteous judge, whose judgements are always perfect and right. There is comfort in knowing that all the things he does and all judgements he makes are good. We do not have to worry that he may make a mistake, or that he may deal with us unjustly. That is impossible.
But also praise be to God that, when we have found ourselves on the wrong side of God’s justice, He is also a God of great patience and mercy. He does not bring wrath upon us the instant we deserve it, but gives us every opportunity to turn and repent, that his punishment might be set aside.
And finally, thanks to God that we can be doubly sure that he will confirm our prayers, when our prayers are first conformed to His will revealed in scripture.
The Confessional Text (Penitence)
Whenever possible, I try to be careful to pray in conformity to God’s word and His will. So to that degree, I can have confidence in my requests. But the thing I lack, in looking at this passage, is David’s confidence in the purity of his own heart and mind.
How pure must David have kept himself to be so confident that the One “who test hearts and minds” would be pleased with what He saw in David! I do not think I could invite God’s searching eye with such confidence in the result. I see much within me that is not pleasing to God, and God can see even deeper than I can.
But I hope that I might grow closer toward the purity and the confidence that David enjoyed before the Lord. How freeing it must feel to stand before God in that way.
The Prayer Text (Petition)
Lord,
Thank you for your incredible patience and mercy toward me. Thank you that you do not give me the judgement that I deserve. And thank you that everything you walk me through, whether it is discipline or delight, it is good. I can have confidence in the rightness of your provision.
If I walk through judgement, I know because of your patience that I have doubly earned it. If I walk through blessing, I know that your grace upon me also has a purpose accomplish. Help me to walk with you through all circumstances with the trust and confidence that comes from knowing your character.
And finally, give me the grace and strength to walk in faithfulness with your Spirit. Purify my heart and mind so that I can boldly approach your throne as David did. Model my inward self after your Son. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me, to the glory of your name, the increase of your pleasure with me, and the increase of my enjoyment in You.
Amen.
Steps On The Water 