Psalms 17:1

PSALM 17

A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION AGAINST ENEMIES (A PRAYER OF DAVID)

The customary arguments among scholars as to the date and authorship of this psalm are of little interest and of no value at all. As Maclaren said of such discussions, "The deepest and most precious elements in the Psalms are very slightly affected by the answers to such questions."[1]

However, we find no fault whatever with the ancient inscription here which ascribes the psalm to David. As to the particular time of David's life when such a psalm was written, it may very well have been during that time when he was hunted like a wild animal in the wilderness of Engedi by King Saul and his followers. The psalm has many intimations in it that harmonize with the opinion that it was written by David. We shall notice some of these in the text below. This psalm along with Numbers 86,142 is, "Entitled `A Psalm of David' in the superscription."[2]

Psalms 17:1-5

"Hear the right, O Jehovah, attend unto my cry;

Give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips.

Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;

Let thine eyes look upon equity.

Thou hast proved my heart, thou hast visited me in the night;

Thou hast tried me, and findest nothing;

I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips

I have kept me from the ways of the violent.

My steps have held fast to thy paths,

My feet have not slipped."

In our paragraph divisions of this psalm, we have followed that of Rawlinson which he attributed to a Dr. Kay.[3]

A glance at the different versions and translations of this psalm reveals some remarkable variations in what is actually the meaning of the text; and some scholars have registered rather bold claims of damaged or corrupt passages. "Psalms 17:4 is hopelessly corrupt,"[4] according to Addis; and Maclaren's comment on Psalms 17:3-5 was that:

"The general drift is clear, but the precise meaning and connection are extremely obscure. Probably the text is faulty. It has been twisted in all sorts of ways; the Masoretic accents have been discarded, the division of verses set aside; and still no proposed rendering of verses 3,4 is wholly satisfactory."[5]

We like what Leupold said regarding this problem. "The difficulties of interpretation are numerous; but all of this does not warrant manifold textual changes as though the state of the text were quite corrupt. The compact utterances are part of the problem."[6]

This writer claims no ability whatever to judge the questions regarding damaged or faulty texts; and we shall be content to interpret the passages as they stand in our version.

There are no less than five appeals to God in these two verses. Such repetitions suggest an unusual urgency in the psalmist's mind which prompted such vigorous appeals.

Christians cannot fail to be somewhat shocked by such bold assertions of the psalmist's innocence, purity, righteousness, and faithfulness in observing the will of God as we find in this paragraph. These claims of integrity are certainly unlike the petitions of most Christians today, which Maclaren described as follows:

"The modern type of religion recoils from such professions (of innocence and purity), and contents itself with always confessing sins which it has given up hope of overcoming, would be all the better for listening to the psalmist and aiming a little more vigorously and hopefully at being able to say, "I know nothing against myself" (1 Corinthians 4:4).[7]

Leupold approvingly quoted this same passage by Maclaren,[8] adding that it was very true and appropriate for our times.

Regarding the claims made by David here regarding his truth, integrity, and righteousness, and even the claim that God himself had found no fault in him, we should remember that this psalm was very likely written in the early part of David's life, during his flight from the murderous vengeance of King Saul, and that it came from a period in David's life long before his shameful actions with regard to Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, sins which David tearfully repented of and openly confessed. We may not, therefore, find any fault with such vigorous protestations of innocence as we find here. Rhodes pointed out that, "These declarations are not what we would today call self-righteousness, but an oath of clearance as commanded in 1 Kings 8:31-32."[9]

"By the word of thy lips" (Psalms 17:4). David here identified the source of his strength, namely, "God's Word"; and, as Ash said: "God's revelation implies grace, so he is not suggesting his merit alone as the ground of his pleading."[10] A remarkable example of how David was restrained from evil by a timely remembrance of God's Word brought to him by Abigail was recorded in 1 Samuel 25:25-42; and Kidner thought that, "David could have had that in mind here."[11]

"As for the works of men" (Psalms 17:4). "The literal words here are `the works of Adam,' the works of the natural man."[12] This is primarily a reference to deeds of vengeful violence, of the very kind that David contemplated, but did not do, in the event mentioned above. (1 Samuel 25:22).

Barnes stated that, "No prayer could be more appropriate."[13] When we are hated and pursued by cruel and powerful enemies, against whom we have done no wrong, when our most violent passions are aroused and we are sorely tempted to take bloody vengeance against them, then nothing can be more proper than to lift our hearts to God in prayer, entreating him to keep us from evil and enable us to restrain our passions.