My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
Psalm 10, in the heading of the ESV, is attributed to King David. In the opening lines of the song, David is asking for God to intervene in his life. He is being “pursued” and needs an intervention. Someone(s) are out to destroy him and he appeals to God for refuge and vindication. He is willing to admit that he might have done something wrong, and if so, he asked God to consider that variable in his plight. This song is not the song of an arrogant man who believes he can do no wrong. This is the the song of a man who knows, he too, his human. But, he needs deliverance. After pleading and outlining his case to God, in the above passage he turns to his “claim.” He might not, yet, have a change in circumstances, but he does have a change in perspective. He is going to “claim” what he knows to be true. Note these four truths David “claims” despite feeling like he might be torn apart like a lion by this situation.
1. He claims that God is his shield. What a marvelous truth for us to embrace. God is there before us to deflect, ward off, and cover us from the attacks of the spiritual and physical world. We, alone, can not handle the darts fired at us each day. Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, in order to quench the fiery darts of the Evil One (Ephesians 6)
2. He claims that God saves the righteous. David knew he could not be righteous. In fact in Psalm 51 we read how wicked he is. But, he does know that by faith in God, God will declare him righteous and, as a result, be covered by God’s care for those He declares so.
3. He claims that God is a righteous judge. That means that David believes God can do no evil in His judgments. Remember, in this song he is pleading for vindication, but also admits his own failures. He is being attacked and wants protection, but also knows only God can judge between he and his attacker with righteous judgment.
4. He claims God’s empathy. David “feels” under attack. He appeals to God because he knows that God, too, knows the feeling of “indignation” (wickedness). Every day God rages against the injustice and corruption of the world. Yes, God could stop it all today. But, His plan was to provide a Savior to redeem us from the corruption vs removing the corruption. God wants us to recognize and claim Him. David had to look forward to Jesus coming. We look back on that coming. But, in the coming, Jesus will experience all the same emotions and pain of David. In this phrase, David is claiming what will happen in Jesus’ life. He will “feel indignation.”
David claims God’s righteous character to enable him to survive this moment and time in his life. Some of what he claims he was indeed experiencing and feeling. Some of what he was claiming was still yet to come. Never-the-less, David claims the character and plan of God to encourage him in a time of deep despair. Claim it!!
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