Lessons from Psalm 7

Psalm number seven, I'm going to will be the subject for today.

Um, Psalm number seven has a lot of application in it when it comes to dealing with enemies that are surrounding us. Sometimes that enemy can even be ourselves. But our focus really is on our faith and trust in the Lord. Today I'd like to look through Psalm number seven, go through piece by piece. Um, not too indepth. I think that that would take a little bit too long.

And then go through two stories of people in the scripture that have that I feel that really embodied this psalm and understood how it this could be applied in their lives. And we can look and see the lessons learned from Psalm number 7 by reading those two stories. Before I get started, these well I've already started before I get into Psalm number seven.

The stories I'm going to read are with Da David and David will be uh the first story. The second will be of Abigail. Um these two people in scripture in 1st Samuel's uh Samuel chapters 24 and 25 they were godly people and they were had developed character over many many years as we will see we don't roll out of bed with this type of character we learn it we understand it we grow we do the will of God every day and we focus on living that way of life.

Psalm number 7 is part of that character development. Psalm number 7 verse1 it says, "Oh Lord my God, in you I put my trust. In you I put my trust." What? That's a very powerful statement and I think it is one that we should be saying every morning when we get up whenever we are facing the happy days as in a 21st wedding anniversary or struggling days when there are people out there persecuting us.

Verse one, save me from all those who persecute me and deliver me. So David is looking to God. He's putting his trust in him to deliver him from those who persecute him. Verse two, it says, "Lest they tear me like a lion, rending me in pieces while there is none to deliver." They don't believe that God will save us, but God is there for us.

And we need to have our trust in him and our faith needs to be in his protection and his will. Oh Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, or have plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue me and overtake me.

Yes, let him trample my life to the earth and lay my honor in the dust. David is really saying, "Hey, I am innocent of this. I don't recommend necessarily saying, God, strike me down if I'm wrong." That's not something we really want to say. Um but David in this case was very adamant that he was innocent from the the anger that is being shown from this person that is trying to persecute him or tear him up as a lion to devour him and re rending him into pieces saying I didn't do anything.

Right? That was my favorite phrase as a kid. None of it was ever true for me. But for David, it's true. He was innocent. How many of us have been in that position where someone's coming after us? Someone's angry with us because of something they believe we did or they believe we're out for them, but we are innocent. It happens. It happens all the time. Arise, O Lord, in your anger.

David isn't saying my anger. He doesn't want to. He's not showing anger towards this person. He's asking God to arise in his anger. Lift yourself up because of the rage of my enemies. Rise up for me to the judgment you have commanded. So the congregation of the people shall surround you for their sakes. Therefore, return on high.

This is a very important phrase here. The Lord shall judge the people. Judge me, oh Lord, according to my righteousness and according to my ini integrity within me. He's saying God is the judge. God is not just the judge of those who are wicked to where he pours out condemnation or where he pours out judgment. He is also the judge of if we are innocent or if we are not.

He is the righteous judge. He is the one that knows. He is the one that can see inside the heart. So he's saying if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands, you know, then it's on me. But here, arise up in your anger and judge my enemies and judge me according to my own righteousness and my integrity. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to the end.

In verse nine, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end. But establish the just, judge the wicked, judge the just. For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. David isn't looking for isn't looking to judge others. David here is saying God is the judge. God is the one that looks at the heart. He is the one that looks in the mind.

He can see our righteousness and the integrity what within us. And so we need to do the same. We need to let God be the judge of both wickedness and righteousness. My defense verse 10 is of God who saves the upright in heart. Talking about the beginning. Oh Lord my God, in you I put my trust. His defense, his faith, his protection, his life is of God.

His full defenses isn't how he could protect himself. It was about how God would protect him and saves the upright in heart, those who are righteous and that have integrity. Verse 11, God is a just judge. And God is angry with the wicked every day. The wicked, he, if he, the wicked, does not turn back, God will sharpen his sword. He bends his bow and makes it ready.

He also prepares for himself instruments of death, and he makes his arrows into fiery shafts. Not one of those instruments is ours. Not one of those instruments was David's. And David was a man of war. David was strong. He had mighty men. He had many men that would follow him. But God is looking But David is looking to God's sword and his bow and his instruments and his arrows. He's not looking to save himself.

He's looking for God to save. Verse 14, behold the wicked brings forth iniquity. Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. We know this. We see this in the world today that those who are wicked bear forth the fruits of those who are wicked. The wicked brings forth iniquity, and he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

He made a pit and dug it out which has fallen into the ditch which he made. And has fallen into the ditch which he made. How many of you have dug your own graves? H glad I haven't. Um but I've heard of it. There was uh several stories I could tell but I won't. But we find ourselves in a bad position, don't we? We can dig ourselves into a hole and we jump right into it.

And how do we get out of it? We don't want to be in that position, but we can. It's easy. It really is easy to do this, right? We we say, "Oh, how could the children of Israel uh complain all the time? Complain, complain, complain. They get back, they they uh they get everything taken care of, and then they start complaining again.

" Boy, I wish um I knew why I complained a lot as a kid. My parents would take care of things. I'd complain. Take care of things, I'd complain. I had it pretty easy growing up. But we still complain. It's human nature. We find ourselves We find ourselves in a pit sometimes trying to dig it out. We just need to stop digging the pit. His trouble in verse 16, his trouble shall return upon his own head.

We've had that happen to ourselves. We grow. We develop to where we don't have we don't make trouble and it doesn't come back on us. And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. In verse 17, he ends it, I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

In verse one, he starts, "Oh Lord, my God, in you I put my trust." He has faith throughout knowing that God is a righteous, fair, and just judge. His defense is completely in God. that God would take vengeance and destroy the wicked, knowing that the wicked will get their comeuppants. And because of his faith, he praises the Lord according to his righteousness and sings praise to the name of the Lord most high.

I wanted to look at the stories of David and Abigail to see this psalm and app and see how it is applied to each of these two stories. I might refer to this psalm a few times and come back and forth to it, but um let's look at these two stories and really digest the people that David was, the people that David was and Abigail was. I think that these are two very powerful examples of what it means to put our faith in God and to allow God to fight our battles to see that he is a just God and that they believed it as well.

and see that what how they handled it. Now, our lives are not going to be uh are not yet in the same type of situations that David and Abigail's were. David and Abigail here were under threat of death, right? We're not there yet. But they handled themselves very, very well. because they had developed character over time.

They probably had well David for sure had very smaller situations, smaller situations, bigger, bigger, bigger, more more dire, more dire, right? Protecting sheep, fighting bears and lions up to facing Goliath and then facing uh lots of situations. But he developed his character and strength and faith in God over long periods of time. And I see quite a few people here that have developed character for a long long period of time.

There are Abigail which we don't have a a book books books of but we will be able to see this woman of faith and strength and character that cannot be developed overnight. We know through one chapter that she was a woman that had strong faith in God. Chapter 24 and verse one of 1st Samuel. So now it happened when Saul had returned from the following from following the Philistines and was told him saying take note David is in the wilderness of Engeti.

Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all of Israel and seek went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. And so he came to the sheepfolds by the road and there was a cave. And Saul went in to attend his needs. And David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. So Saul picked the wrong cave. The men of Israel, the men of David said to him, "This is the day which the Lord said to you, behold, I will deliver your enemy to into your hand that you may do to him as it seems good to you.

" We'll see later on what it seemed good to David to do at the time, even though he felt a little off-put by it. But David in this time in this time, we'll see that did not just go in and kill Saul, right? But he had the opportunity. He had the ability. He chose not to. But David, it says, "And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

But it troubled afterward that da David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." David respected Saul because he honored, loved, and respected God. He was troubled because he had just cut the corner off the robe of the Lord's anointed.

But so David said to and restrained his servants with these words. He said, "This is God's anointed. This is not my place to take vengeance. It's not my place to attack." He said, "He restrained his servants with these words and did not allow them to rise against Saul." And Saul got up from that cave and went on his way.

So, I'm wondering how those guys were feeling, right? Saul had been delivered into their h to their hands. How many men were with David? I don't know how many of them were trying to tell him, "What are you doing? Why not kill him? He's trying to persecute you. He's trying to kill you. He wants to end your line. Get it rid of it." Why? Because David was anointed to be king at this time. And Saul knew it.

But David said no and restrained his men. Verse eight, David arose also arose afterward and went out of the cave and called out to Saul saying, "My Lord and uh my lord the king." And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed down. He humbled himself before Saul.

And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say indeed David seeks your harm?" Remember Psalm 7. I didn't do this. I am innocent. If I have done this, then take it out on me. But David is firm in his innocence. And he was innocent.

And he's telling Saul and pleading with Saul saying, "Don't listen to these men who have lied." and saying indeed see David seeks your harm. Look this day in your your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today in my hand in the cave and someone urged me to kill you but my eyes spared you and I said I will not stretch out my hand against my lord for he is the Lord's anointed David would not kill him he was not out to kill him and even though urged would not do it moreover my father see yes see the corner of your robe in my hand.

For in that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you. Know and see that there is neither evil nor a rebellion in my hand and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. What does David start to say here? Let the Lord judge between you and me. Let God be the judge.

Let God be the one that determines each person's fate. What's David is saying is, "Judge me according to my righteousness and to my integrity, and judge Saul according to his wickedness." He's letting God be the judge. When we are persecuted, when we someone is after us and then little things in life that we have up into the big things as we get older and even bigger things as the world turns its head and the church will be persecuted.

We will look to God to be the judge of us and those who are after us. We will put our life into God's hands and into his righteous judgment. Let the Lord be uh let the Lord judge between you and me and let the Lord avenge me against let the Lord avenge me on you. David would not take vengeance. He knew that that was God's place. but my hand shall not be against you.

As the proverb of the ancient says, wickedness proceeds from the wicked. Saw that in Psalm 7. That's what's on s uh David's mind here. Wickedness proceeds from the wicked. But David was not wicked. He was righteous. But my hand shall not be against you.

After whom has the king of Israel come out? Now whom do you pursue? A dead dog? a flee. Therefore, let the Lord be judge and judge between you and me and see and plead my case and deliver me out of your hand. We see that's exactly what David was looking for in Psalm 7 verse one. David has now been on his knees and has his head bowed to the ground towards Saul telling him these words in humility and putting his complete faith in God because in oh my Lord in you I put my trust.

He's looking to be saved and delivered from the person who is persecuting him. So we see that application here in this story in 1st Samuel 24. And God did just he delivered David. So it was when David had finished speaking these words that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted his voice and wept.

And he said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown me this day how you have dealt with me. For when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me? For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely?" What man would do this? What person would actually do this? A man of God would do this.

A woman of God would do this because their faith and their trust is in the Lord. And they know that God will deliver them. They know that God will take vengeance. Therefore, may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king.

So Saul knew that David was anointed to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore, swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." And so David swore to Saul, and Saul went home. But David and his men went up to the stronghold.

So David did what was righteous, put his faith in God, stayed his hand when he could have on his own uh valition, ended the person that was persecuting him and then taken the kingdom, but rather but rather he gave Saul into God's hands. He knew that God would one deliver him, two take care of Saul in his own time, and three lift him up, raise him up to be king.

And Saul now knew that, too. That's one story of David. We'll move into another story of David, but now with Abigail. Interesting situation. The lessons that David obviously sees here He acts like sometimes we act sometime uh where we just forget what we're taught and we do something uh a little rash and we dig ourselves our our own little holes which goes to show that David's just human.

David wasn't perfect and we know that David did committed other sins, big ones. But he was a man after God's own heart and he repented and he asked for forgiveness. But we can still make mistakes. Abigail was a blessing to David in this in this time. And her story is all the way in chapter 25. When Samuel died, the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him and buried him at his home in Rama.

And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Piran. So now there was a man in Moan whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich. He had 3,000 sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. And the man name of the man was Nabal. The name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance.

I'm guessing that's an understatement from what we will read in the scripture. But the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was the house. He was of the house of Caleb. When I think of God's blessings poured out through generations, there's little doubt to why this man was very rich. That was because of the righteousness of Caleb. I was think how is a guy like this rich? He could be shrewd businessman, but pretty sure it was because he was a descendant of Caleb and God had blessed Caleb and his people.

So, just little side note, um when David heard in verse four, David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing a sheep, David sent 10 young men. And David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity, peace be to you, peace to your house and peace to all that you have.

Now I have heard that you have shears. Your shepherds were with us and we did not hurt them. Nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you we were good to them there. Therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes. For we come on a feast day.

Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David. David's coming into this very humbly. He's coming in as an anointed, the soontobe king. Whenever Saul is gone, he will be king. But he's saying, "Peace be to you. We have spent time with your men. We have protected them. We did not abuse them.

And give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David." Right? He's giving difference to Nabal. Verse nine. When so when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David and waited. Then Nabal answered David's servant and said,"Who is David? And who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master.

Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that that I have killed for my shears and give it to men who I when I do not know where they are from." So it looks like David Nabal doesn't really know who David is. Doubtful. We'll see. But Nabal is acting very very very very bad.

Um especially knowing uh David's capabilities but he acted wickedly towards David. From the wickedness wicked proceeds wickedness. So David's young men in verse 12 turned on their heels and went back and they came and told him all these words. Then David said to his men, "Every man girded on his sword." So every man girded on his sword and David also girded on his sword.

And about 400 men went with David and 200 stayed with the supplies. So David had 600 men. How many How many were around there in the caves? Right, urging him to kill Saul. And he and he restrained himself then because that was the Lord's anointed. Don't strike out against the Lord's anointed. This Nabal guy, David can take care of this guy.

And he's going to 400 guys he's taken. We see he's going to kill every male in the household. Destroy that house. David's a little worked up. Verse 14. Now one of the young men told Abigail Nabal's wife, saying, "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness, to greet our master, and he reviled them. But the men were very good to us. They were innocent.

" Innocents. We were they were very good to us. And we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both night and day all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what you will do for harm is determined against our master and against all his household for he is such a scoundrel that no one can speak to him.

So who was the person that they knew could take care of the situation? Abigail. They knew and went to her immediately. They didn't have trust in Nabal. They needed someone of godly character, a strength of character and ability and authority to take care of what needed to be taken care of. And she was not slack. She didn't wait.

She didn't take a nap. She didn't say, "I'll deal with it in the morning." She didn't do that. Now, remember verse 18. Then Abigail made haste. She made haste and took 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five ses of roasted grain, and a 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. She wanted to take care of David.

And notice there were no turnups. She only got the good stuff. Raisins, figs, bread, sheep. She made haste. This reminds me of the the Proverbs 31 wife without the Proverbs 31 husband. Imagine that character development and this the presence of mind, the respect of the household that they gave her, all with a man who was a scoundrel and that no one could speak to him.

That's not something that has grown overnight. That is something we have to develop every day of our lives. And we see that in her that she was a woman of God. She said to her servants, "Go on before me. See, I am coming after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

And so it was as she rode on the donkey that she went down under the cover of the hill. And there were David and his men. This is 401 men of war girded with swords and she went to him. They were all coming to down to her toward her and she met them. Now David's had said this is in his I'm guessing in his heart or in out loud he said surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed out of all that belongs to him and he has repaid me evil for good.

May God do so and more also to the enemies of David if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light. So David had made like he had said this is going to happen and if it's not going to happen then it needs to happen to me later on. So David was focused.

He was upset and he was going to take it out on Nabal and every man, every male in the household. But David, what now Abigail in verse 23, when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey and fell on her face before David and bowed down to the ground. Who's that remind you of? David in 1st Samuel 24 previous chapter got down in front of David kneelled before him and bowed her head to the ground showing humility.

It's a lesson for us, isn't it? How many times when someone says uh is coming after us and we show humility does it shake them up shake them up a little bit like what wait someone like Saul were to come to me and says you did this what's the first thing that comes out of my mouth no I didn't I didn't do it you did it wasn't me I did this this Is this what happens if I were to show humility and say, "Look, this is who I am. Let's talk this out.

" I don't know what they would do if I got down on my face and kneel myself before the I think that they might think that I'm strange. But in this case, Abigail and David, both cases were showing great humility towards who? The enemy. David was there to kill every male in the household. And Abigail made haste and said, "Oh Lord, in you I put my trust.

" She didn't show up with swords. She showed up with food. And she showed up with humility and strength. David did the same. Now David's on the opposite side and he's about to realize his mistake. Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.

So she fell at his feet and said, "On me, my Lord, on me let this iniquity be." So she's taking the blame even though she was innocent. and clear. Let me bring this iniquity on me. And please let your maid servant speak in your ears and hear the words of your maidervants. Please let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal.

For as his name is, so he is Nabal in his name and folly is with him. But I, your maidervant, did not see the young men of my lord. So she is innocent. She didn't do anything. But here she is taking it upon herself. I did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand. David's sitting there going, "Ah, vengeance is whose? It's God's." And David's sitting there going, I almost came to bloodshed and avenged myself. Was it Abigail that stopped him? The Lord, she is giving who the praise, who the glory.

Therefore, my Lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from committing sin, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my Lord, be his nabl. And now this present which your maid servant has brought to my lord. All of the things that she brought, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord, please forgive the trespass of your servants maidervant.

For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house. Wait a minute. Because my lord fights for the battles of the Lord and evil is not found in you throughout your days. Abigail knew who David was and she knew that the Lord would make him an enduring house. My guess is Nabal knew exactly who David was and still rejected him, treated him very poorly.

But here she is saying, "Look, look, you haven't committed sin yet." says, "Because my lord fights for the battles fights the battles of the Lord." Right? David takes appropriate action. But yet evil has not found in you throughout your days.

Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the Lord but the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God. Right? Is she talking about Saul here? Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life. Saul rose up to pursue him. Now David was the man who is seeking to pursue and destroy. But where is she saying? But the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God.

and the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the pocket of a sling. She's saying God will take care of it. God will take care of it. You are in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God. And it shall come to pass when the Lord has done for my Lord according to the good that he has spoken concerning you. He's saying God will do it. That time will come.

It shall come to pass in due time. Right? Saul Saul was confronted and then he lived on and be remain king. She's saying in time God will take care of it. It shall come to pass according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you ruler over Israel. She knew he was going to be king.

that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my Lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my Lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt with my Lord, then remember your maidervant." She's saying, "When God takes care of Nabal for you, remember me." How many times has ba David been struck with a ton of bricks? I'm counting at least two this time and with Nathan, right? What did he say with Nathan when Nathan said, "It's you. You're the man.

" David acknowledged right away that he had sinned. And he does this again now. And then David said to Abigail in verse 32, "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel." Praise goes to God. David understood that God had sent Abigail who sent you this day to meet me.

And blessed is your advice and blessed are you because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. For indeed, as the Lord a God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you? Unless you had hurried to come meet me, surely by morning light, no males would have been left to Nabal. So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.

" Not only did she have the respect of the household, she now had the respect of the the future king of Israel. God fights our battles for us. In him, we have trust. He will deliver us. We are innocent most of the time. Sometimes we do things wrong, but God will still deliver us.

God delivered David from his enemy in Saul and he delivered David from his enemy himself. God delivered Abigail and the entire household of Nabal because of one godly woman. That was kind of the end of Psalm chapter 7 for Abigail here. But I want to take the time to look a little bit further into the character of Abigail. Continue. Verse 36 says, "Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king.

And Nabal's heart was very was merry within him, and for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing, little or much until morning light." So it was in the morning when the wine had gone from Nabal. So she waited. But maybe one of two reasons. One, he could have gone into a fit of rage. But I think with Abigail, she wanted him to clearly understand what she had done without his permission to face him as she had faced David.

To say this is what I did. This is how I saved the house. She he wanted she wanted him clearminded, not filled with wine. So she told him little or no nothing until the morning light. And so it was in the morning when the wine had gone from Nabal and his wife had told him these things that his heart died within him and he became like a stone.

And then it happened after about 10 days that the Lord struck Nabal and he died. So it's almost instantaneous but very quick action upon from God in bringing the calamity of Nabal onto his own head. He took vengeance for David and David didn't need to and nor should he have tried. Verse 39.

And so when David heard that Nabal was dead he said blessed be the Lord who has what? pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept his servant from evil. For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal back onto his own head. We see that in Psalm chapter 7. But the Lord pleaded the cause of my reproach. God is the judge. He is a righteous judge filled with mercy thankfully for us.

But also he is a judge that punishes. David sees that in in God and so do we. And David then sent and proposed to Abigail to take her as his wife. And when the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, "David sent us to you to ask you to become his wife." Then she rose and bowed her face again to the earth and said, "Here is your maid servant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord.

" A servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord. So she not only was humble in the way that we are normally humble, but then she humbled herself below the servants of the Lord David. And we know this with footwashing how important that is. We study it every year. She was willing to do that. That is the type of woman that Abigail was.

I wish I had an entire book on Abigail. There's so much that we can learn just in one chapter. I think if I had half the character that she had, I would be doing pretty well. So we see here two people and what they understood. Both of them trusted in God and both of them were delivered. They knew that God would take vengeance.

They knew that because God himself tells us ver Deuteronomy chapter 32. Turn there. We'll see the uh I think where David got some of his lyrics for Psalm number 7. We see this in Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 35. It's something that we have to learn and understand. Says, "Vengeance is mine and recompense. Their foot shall slip in due time.

" Abigail said, "It shall come to pass that God will take care of Nabal." Their foot shall slip in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them. For the Lord will judge his people and he will have compassion on his servants. When he sees that their power is gone and there's no one remaining bond or free, he will say, "Where are their gods? They could not deliver them, but my people I can deliver.

Where are their gods? The rock which they sought refuge who ate the fat of their sacrifice and drank the wine of their drink offering. Let them rise up and help you and be your refuge. Now see that I even I am he and there is no other god besides me. I kill and I make alive. Nor is there any who can deliver from my hand.

For I will raise my hand to heaven as I and say as I live forever. If I wet my glittering sword and my hand takes hold on judgment. I will render vengeance to my enemies and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood and my sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives from the heads of the leaders of the enemy.

Rejoice, oh Gentiles, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. God will take care of things. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. It's quoted several times in the New Testament. Our wrath in Samuel chapter 25, David's wrath, James 1 verse 20, it says, "Our wrath does not produce the righteousness of God. God's wrath produces the righteousness of God because he is a righteous, just, fair, merciful and vengeful God.

So we have these two people who said, "In you, oh Lord, I put my trust. Deliver me. I am innocent. Judge me according to my innocence and judge the wicked according to their wickedness. Be my defense. Take care of the situation. And I praise and worship and honor you. Let's read ch Psalm chapter 7. Thinking about the application of this psalm that we read in those two stories with David and with Abigail.

And internally think about how this will apply to yourself and your own lives as we face those who might persecute us. and how we should act accordingly. Not doing nothing, Abigail made haste and did something to take appropriate and necessary action. Let's read Psalm number seven. Oh Lord my God, in you I put my trust.

Save me from all those who persecute me and deliver me, lest they tear me like a lion, rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver. Oh Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, or have plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue me and overtake me.

Yes, let him trample my life to the earth and lay my honor in the dust. A rise, O Lord, in your anger. Lift yourself up because of the rage of my enemies. Rise up for me to the judgment you have commanded. So the congregation of the peoples shall surround you. For their sakes, therefore, return on high. The Lord shall judge the peoples.

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just. For the righteous God tests the hearts and the minds. My defense is of God who saves the upright in heart.

God is a just God and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, he will sharpen his sword. He bends his bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for himself instruments of death. He makes his arrows into fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked bring forth iniquity. Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He makes he made a pit and dug it out and has fallen into the ditch which he had made.

He his trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.