Bruce’s Bible
Open Your Bible
The Treasury of David
Psalm 7
Title. “Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the Lord, concerning the word of Cush the Benjamite.”—”Shiggaion of David.” As far as we can gather from the observations of learned men, and from a comparison of this Psalm with the only other Shiggaion in the Word of God, (Habakkuk 3:1), this title seems to mean “variable songs,” with which also the idea of solace and pleasure is associated. Truly our life-psalm is composed of variable verses; one stanza rolls along with the sublime metre of triumph, but another limps with the broken rhythm of complaint. There is much bass in the saint’s music here below. Our experience is as variable as the weather in England.
From the title we learn the occasion of the composition of this song. It appears probable that Cush the Benjamite had accused David to Saul of treasonable conspiracy against his royal authority. This the king would be ready enough to credit, both from his jealousy of David, and from the relation which most probably existed between himself, the son of Kish, and this Cush, or Kish, the Benjamite. He who is near the throne can do more injury to a subject than an ordinary slanderer.
Psalm 7:15
Exposition
He made a pit, and digged it. He was cunning in his plans, and industrious in his labours. He stooped to the dirty work of digging. He did not fear to soil his own hands, he was willing to work in a ditch if others might fall therein. What mean things men will do to wreak revenge on the godly. They hunt for good men, as if they were brute beasts; nay, they will not give them the fair chase afforded to the hare or the fox, but must secretly entrap them, because they can neither run them down nor shoot them down. Our enemies will not meet us to the face, for they fear us as much as they pretend to despise us. But let us look on to the end of the scene. The verse says, he is fallen into the ditch which he made. Ah! there he is, let us laugh at his disappointment. Lo! he is himself the beast, he has hunted his own soul, and the chase has brought him a goodly victim. Aha, aha, so should it ever be. Come hither and make merry with this entrapped hunter, this biter who has bitten himself. Give him no pity, for it will be wasted on such a wretch. He is but rightly and richly rewarded by being paid in his own coin. He cast forth evil from his mouth, and it has fallen into his bosom. He has set his own house on fire with the torch which he lit to burn a neighbour. He sent forth a foul bird, and it has come back to its nest.
Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings
Ver. 14-15. They have digged a pit for us—and that low, unto hell—and are fallen into it themselves. “No juster law can be devised or made, Than that sin’s agents fall by their own trade.” The order of hell proceeds with the same degrees; though it give a greater portion, yet still a just proportion, of torment. These wretched guests were too busy with the waters of sin; behold, now they are in the depth of a pit, “where no water is.” Dives, that wasted so many tuns of wine, cannot now procure water, not a pot of water, not a handful of water, not a drop of water, to cool his tongue. Desideravit guttam, qui non dedit micam. (Augustine Hom. 7) A just recompense! He would not give a crumb; he shall not have a drop. Bread hath no smaller fragment than a crumb, water no less fraction than a drop. As he denied the least comfort to Lazarus living, so Lazarus shall not bring him the least comfort dead. Thus the pain for sin answers the pleasure of sin… Thus damnable sins shall have semblable punishments; and as Augustine of the tongue, so we may say of any member… If it will not serve God in action, it shall serve him in passion.—Thomas Adams.
He made a pit, and digged it. The practice of making pitfalls was anciently not only employed for ensnaring wild beasts, but was also a stratagem used against men by the enemy, in time of war. The idea, therefore, refers to a man who, having made such a pit, whether for man or beast, and covered it over so as completely to disguise the danger, did himself inadvertently tread on his own trap, and fall into the pit he had prepared for another. Pictorial Bible.
Hints to the Village Preacher
Ver. 14-16. Illustrate by three figures the devices and defeat of persecutors.
The Treasury of David.
#Outreach: That the world may know
#Prayer Focus: Pray for Our Prodigals
#Praise the Lord
Please follow my blogs Guam Christian Blog
Bruce’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bruce.dinsman
Bruce’s Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Dinsman/e/B07KDKLGPZ?ref=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/93009114
Bruce’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/@bad671
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinsmanbruce/
Younow: https://www.younow.com/BruceDinsman
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bdinsman/pins/