Choosing How to Respond

Psalm 17

The poet begins here with an expression of innocence that is not simply self-righteousness before God but an honest plea of innocence in the face of slanderous attack from others. His language intensifies and accelerates in pace as he is caught up in the emotion of this, through a description of his enemies, to the point of rashly calling on God to strike them down. But then he seems to get himself together at verse 14, and seeks to identify his cause with that of the Lord himself, who upholds the right and brings justice that rectifies imbalances (verse 14b).

Whatever has happened, God’s purpose through the poet’s circumstances perhaps emerges in the very last verse. The psalmist seeks God’s “face” – the experience of his presence. This is no momentary devotional time, but we leave him at the end of the psalm as he is about to enter into a night of presence with God – either by entrusting the night to him to work in his heart, having spilled everything out to him – or, more likely and more precisely, by spending the night in the temple in anticipation of some special experience of divine presence, a theophany, a vision if you like. This means, further, that he has got past only blaming external factors for his condition, but taking ownership (as we say now) of that experience, and seeing it as a matter to be dealt with in his heart.

Great wisdom is brought out at the end: It is not necessary, or wise, for him simply to bury the external issues and internalize everything; but there is also the recognition that he can never have peace unless he chooses how to respond to the crap (as also we would say now) in his life, with God’s help.

Prayer:
Lord, there are always things beyond our direct control that weigh on us and on how things go for us. Help us deal with them responsibly and without recrimination against those we may see as part of that. Even more, may we deal with the stuff of life after your own pattern, taking it all and shaping it for your purposes. Through it all may we recognize that you are seeking to grow us and make us more truly yours. Through Christ. Amen.