What does Psalm 7:8 mean?
The theme of this psalm can be found in verse 1, “O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.” David declares his faith in the Lord and pleads his cause before Him. He is under persecution and desires to be relieved from it.
In verses 3-5, David declares that he is suffering from unjust persecution. He could understand why he was being persecuted if he had treated others unjustly, but he is innocent of such behavior.
In verses 6-9, David petitions the Lord to act in anger to avenge him. That says, “Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.”
Now let’s look particularly at verse 8, “The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.” David expresses his confidence that the Lord would indeed interpose, and that his judgment would not be delayed much longer. Although the word ‘judge’ is used twice in this verse, they are not the same word.
“The LORD shall judge the people…” The Hebrew word for judge here is ‘diyn’ and literally means to pass judgment upon.
“Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness…” The Hebrew word for judge here is ‘shaphat’ and literally means to vindicate or to justify.
The meaning of this verse is made clearer by reading the New American Standard Version, which shows the difference between these two words. That says, “The LORD judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.”
David prayed that God would vindicate him from the persecutions and charges and defend him from those who were unjustly persecuting him. This is not an improper thing to ask from the Lord. When we are unjustly wronged, it is good to ask the Lord to intercede and vindicate us against any charges against us that are false. This, of course, is not to justify ourselves before others, but that the glory of the Lord will not be disputed because of false charges against us.
We have the Lord Jesus as our example in 1 Peter 2:23. It is said of Him, “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” When the Lord suffered from injustice, He did not threaten with revenge, but simply “committed himself” to His Father who would certainly “judge righteously.” We see the Lord’s ways being carried out by King David in Psalm 7. (326.2)