1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Psalm 17 is a psalm of innocence and a lament from the period before the fall of the northern kingdom in 721 BC. It reveals the writer as one falsely accused of worshiping idols. As a petition, it is like Psalm 7, which is also characterized by a protestation of innocence in 7:4-6. The word “just” frames the psalm, offering a summary of sorts: a just God may not let the just suffer.
Its superscription describes it as a prayer (tefilah, the most general word for a prayer) of David.
Verse 1 is the introduction, which already assumes the innocence of the psalmist. 1 Hear a just (tzedek) cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. The Lord would not hear a deceitful prayer. The poet will demand three times that God hear.
In verses 2-5 we find a protestation of innocence. 2 From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right. Belonging to the community of the godly, wicked adversaries face him and wrongly persecute him. Acknowledging the Lord as judge is a subtle demand that the Lord adjudicate fairly. Verses 3-4 have unyielding and rugged language admitting to diverse interpretation. 3 If you try (nasah) my heart, suggesting the Lord is free to examine him in a way that determines his essential qualities, especially integrity.[1]Sometimes, the translation is “test” (Psalm 139:23-24). The Lord can assay me in a way comparable way as one would test the quality or genuineness of precious metals. The Lord tested Abraham in this way regarding the sacrifice of his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1. The Lord tests Israel to see if they would observe the commandments and rely upon God and to see what was in their hearts (Deuteronomy 8:2). The Lord even tests them with the gift of manna (Exodus 16:4). The LXX translates it as peiraxw. It comes into the New Testament in this way at I Corinthians 10:9-13.[2] If you visit me by night, if you test (tsaraph) me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. This test is in the sense of refining or purifying to remove impurities, as if from silver. The writer is confident of innocence, so he invites the Lord to cross-examine him. 4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. The Lord will find no wickedness or transgression. He has followed the path the Lord has determined. When he says that his feet have not slipped, I am confident many of us who read it as modern persons would wish we could say that. Most of can think of the ways in which we have slipped and not held fast to the paths of the Lord in our lives, and we can point to today as an example. Yet, if adversaries make public accusations against us, and we know they are not true, then we can at some level identify with the psalmist.
The second section of the psalm is introduced by another call for divine justice. This section emphasizes the enemies and their evil activities. In verses 6-9, he offers a supplication, petition, and plea. 6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. Although it would be unwise to over-literalize the imagery — cocking the head to hear better — the stock phrase does seem to mean “pay attention to” or “listen carefully to.” 7 Wondrously show your steadfast, loyal, and faithful covenant love (hesed), O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
In verse 15, we have a theophany, the appearance of the Lord in worship. He pleads in the temple that God would vindicate him. He shall behold the face and likeness of the Lord. He will be in communion with the Lord, which will help him overcome opposition. 15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness. We might take it as the expression of a wish or desire to see the Lord at the temple, or a mystical yearning to see the Lord.
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