Psalms 7: God Is Our Defense

You know, it is really easy for us to fall into some kind of “holier than thou” trap. We sometimes think that our righteousness is enough because we try to be generally good people. We don’t murder, we don’t steal and we try not to lie unless we feel it is absolutely necessary. We might not be perfect, but at least we are better than that guy over there.

Needless to say, like we find in Psalms 7, our righteousness is not going to be our ultimate defense.

Psa 7:8  The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

Psa 7:9  Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

Psa 7:10  My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

In verse eight, David, the writer of this Psalm, wants to be judged for his righteousness. However, in verse 10, he mentioned that his defense is of God. In other words, his righteousness comes from God not from himself. He is relying on God as his defense rather than his own actions to justify him.

We still have that same teaching today even under the New Covenant. We are righteous, but that is imparted to us because of our relationship with Jesus. We are not righteous because of our own works.

Isaiah said this about as well as anyone.

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Without God, our righteousness is worthless. We can’t make it any better on our own. However, in the New Testament, we are told that we are righteous because of Jesus Christ.

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

I think that you can see the connection. Everything that David was saying is consistent with what Isaiah said and what Paul said. Our only defense is in God Himself. He gives us righteousness because we cannot get it on our own.