Big Problems Come In Small Packages

Psalm 7:1-9

A psalm of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

1I come to you for protection, O LORD my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

2If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,

tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3O LORD my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,

4if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

5then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground.

Let my honor be left in the dust.

Interlude

6Arise, O LORD, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

7Gather the nations before you.

Sit on your throne high above them.

8The LORD passes judgment on the nations.

Declare me righteous, O LORD,

for I am innocent, O Most High!

9End the wickedness of the ungodly,

but help all those who obey you.

For you look deep within the mind and heart,

O righteous God.

Often gigantic problems are created by seemingly small causes. Sometimes it is precisely because the causes go unnoticed that the problems become so huge.

Benjamin, the smallest of the Israelite tribes, caused David some of his biggest problems. To start with, Saul, Israel’s first king, was a Benjaminite, and he pursued David up and down the Judean wilderness trying to kill him. After David became king, the tribe of Benjamin resisted his rule. Years later a Benjaminite named Shimei cursed King David, and still later another Benjaminite, Sheba, revolted against him.

The superscription to Psalm 7 says it was written concerning a Benjaminite named Cush. No one knows for sure who Cush was, but the psalm seems to suggest that he was persecuting David unjustly. So David, helpless to resolve the issue himself, calls on the Lord to act as judge and jury to his persecutors and declare him innocent.

We, too, can allow seemingly small problems to grow into big ones if we do not take care of them. Call upon the Lord for help, for no problem is too insignificant to bring before him, and we need not be embarrassed that we are struggling with such things. The Lord desires to help us overcome our struggles and live triumphantly for him.

He is a Judge who is fair;

He is a Shield that is sure.

His mighty power is everywhere,

And His Word will e’er endure.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER, ADAPTED

Notable Quotable

“To do evil for good is human corruption; to do good for good is civil retribution; but to do good for evil is Christian perfection. Though this be not the grace of nature, it is the nature of grace.”

WILLIAM SECKER