Psalm 17
I’m surrounded
I didn’t do it
A prayer of David [1]
1LORD, I’m coming to you for justice.Please listen. I won’t be dishonest.
2I need you to clear my name.
You’ll see that I’m totally innocent.
3You know me inside and out.
You’ve seen me in the dark of night.
You know I did nothing wrong.
I’ve made a promise to myself.
I forbid my mouth to sin.
4I’m not like all the others.
I do whatever you say.
I avoid violence and violent people. [2]
5I’m walking on the path you showed me
I haven’t wandered off trail.
6Now here I am, calling on you
Because I know you’ll answer.
You’ll listen and hear what I say.
Show me some love
7Let me see your wonderfully relentless love.When people come to you for protection,
Their enemies have to get past you, the Savior.
8Protect me, the apple of your eye.
Shield me in the shadow of your wings.
9Protect me from bad people who want to hurt me,
From enemies all around who want to see me dead.
10These people show no pity.
What they show is arrogance.
11They’ve chased me down and surrounded me.
Now they want me dead.
12They’re like lions ready to rip me apart,
Like a fierce young lion waiting in ambush.
God, get after it!
13Now, LORD! Go get them. Overpower them.Use your strength to save me from these bad people.
14They’re just humans. So, stop them with your strength.
All they can hope for is in this life alone.
But the people you treasure get more.
You satisfy their needs—and their generations to come.
15And me? I’ll see your face when you vindicate me.
When that time comes, [3] I’ll be happy in your presence.
Footnotes
The subtitle wasn’t part of the original psalm. And the possible byline “of David,” isn’t necessarily a byline. The vague phrase could mean the song was written by David, about David, or was inspired by David. Almost half of the psalms are attributed to David in this way, 73 of 150. Ancient Jewish history tells of David playing a lyre and writing songs. For one, he wrote a song of mourning at the battlefield death of King Saul and his sons: “How have the mighty fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19-27 New American Standard Bible). An ancient Jewish scroll from about the time of Jesus, discovered among the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, reports that David wrote 3,600 songs.
Goliath comes to mind. But when King Saul wanted to hunt David down and kill him, David and his men evaded Saul and his army. That’s at least partly because David didn’t want to kill the king that God told the prophet Samuel to anoint as Israel’s first king.
Literally, “when I wake up.” Many scholars see in this an early hint of a Jewish belief in resurrection from the dead. Others say that David didn’t write this prayer expecting to die and rise from the dead. He was asking God to save him and kill his enemies.
Discussion Questions
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