”O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. Declare me innocent, for you see those who do right. You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies. Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. Protect me from wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround me. They are without pity. Listen to their boasting! They track me down and surround me, watching for the chance to throw me to the ground. They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart— like young lions hiding in ambush. Arise, O Lord! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword! By the power of your hand, O Lord, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.“
Psalms 17:1-15 NLT
David has a curious relationship with God that is often hard to reconcile with theology. On one hand, he acknowledges all that theology states about God. Indeed, much of our theology actually comes from his insights. On the other hand, he often goes beyond the paper to paint a picture of God that is ultimately relational. God is not facts to David. He is more than just a supreme being under whom David serves. David sees God as loving him. He sees a tangible friendship with him that is even akin to something familial. For David, God is not a an ethereal other. He is an ever present father. He never denies the facts of who God is, but he also trusts God to reconcile those facts against David’s plight. Beyond this, he is also unashamed to stand before him at the peak of his capacity. He calls this righteousness the way a child would stand before his parent and call himself strong. It isn’t a denial that God is larger than him in all imaginable capacities, but David doesn’t see it as blasphemous either. Instead he views it as a source of praise for God’s grace and handiwork in his creation. It is from this framework that he declares his own salvation. Not because he has earned it, but because he is confident that God will bestow it. This is tacitly different than the prosperity preachers of the day who teach us that we can access God’s graces by manipulating the math of his being. David would be appalled by such an approach to relationship with God.
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