If — Then
O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands, if I have done evil to my friend, or have plundered ]my enemy for no reason, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah Psalm 7:3-5 NASB
Injustice – Hey, I’m not a lawyer or a judge. I’m not a policeman or an adjudicator. I’m just an ordinary guy. Not like David. He was king. Maybe he had to worry about injustice, but me? Nope. I just worry about paying the bills and getting along with my family and friends. What does this psalm have to say to me?
Injustice—the Hebrew term is ʿāwel. It’s not an exclusively legal term. “ . . . in Hebrew the basic meaning of this root means to deviate from a right standard, to act contrary to what is right.”[1] The word could be translated “unrighteousness” because it is used to “denote an act or deed that is against what is right.”[2] Have you ever acted contrary to what is right? Have you at some time or another done the wrong thing? Ah, then you know first-hand what David is writing about. But now we have a problem. You see, I suspect (I could be wrong) that all of us have at one point or another (perhaps even recently) done the wrong thing. It didn’t have to be a big deal. Just a wrong word meant to hurt. Something left undone that should have been done. An intentional ego-driven decision. A deliberate, but feigned of course, ignorance. What we call a “white lie” (really?). We’ve all done these deeds on the miniscule stage. As Gandolf once said, “It’s the little things.” And yes, it certainly is.
But David? His lyrics are rhetorical. He anticipates, and expects, the answer to be, “No, I don’t have injustice on my hands.” How is that possible? Is he so blinded by his status as king that he either doesn’t see his mistakes or chooses to ignore them? Not likely. Who could forget an encounter with a prophet? So, what is it about ʿāwel that allows David to utter such an assumption? How can he intend God to not allow the enemy to trample him? I couldn’t make this claim. I am pretty sure you couldn’t either. What are we missing here?
Notice that David limits the scope of ʿāwel. Injustice to my friend. Plunder without cause. He doesn’t say “doing the wrong thing for everyone,” or “plunder the enemy for good reason.” His view of ʿāwel limits the action to those who are outside his circle or who deserve harsh action. That changes a few things. But not everything. Because even in this smaller circle, David still did things that were not right. So did I. So did you (?). In fact, no matter how small I draw the circle, even if it only includes me, I still did things that weren’t right—to myself. As Paul reminds us, “All have sinned and come short.” The real power of this verse in Psalms is not to provide us with an excuse but rather to give us a true assessment. We deserve to be pursued and overtaken. We deserve to be trampled and lose our public status. These verses start with what looks like a perfect way out. They look like we’re justified. But upon reflection, this is really the strongest possible reminder that we need grace. Without it, we’re finished.
Topical Index: ʿāwel, injustice, wrong, unrighteousness, grace, Psalm 7:3-5
[1] Livingston, G. H. (1999). 1580 עוּל. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 652). Moody Press.
[2] Ibid.
