Psalm 17
Pastor David Groendyk

David prays in this psalm for vindication. As the ESV Study Bible says, this appears to be occasioned by suffering from an unjust accusation of wrongdoing by a worldly enemy. Although we may not all experience that exact situation, this psalm is quite instructive for how all of us can pray to God for rescue. Meshing together a couple of different commentaries, there is a striking pattern in this prayer, consisting of three different appeals.

An appeal to truth (vv. 1–5). David pleads with God to vindicate him in his just cause (vv. 1–2). His reason for this plea is that he has done nothing wrong (vv. 3–5). If we are to pray in good conscience to the Lord for help, we must examine our hearts for any inconsistencies, hypocrisies, or insincerity. We must strive to live a life, as the New Testament puts it, above reproach. If we can truly say with integrity that we are doing all we can to pursue holiness, we should be all the more encouraged and emboldened to pray. In other words, David has a just cause to pray for, and he can back it up with his own just heart. And the Lord loves to do what is right.

An appeal to love (vv. 6–12). David pleads with God to show his tender mercy (vv. 6–9). His reason for this plea is that his wicked enemies are powerful, merciless, and ruthless (vv. 10–12). What a stark contrast between God’s character and the enemy’s character. God’s love is warm, sweet, and soothing; the enemy’s hatred is nasty, vicious, and chilling. Clearly David’s situation is urgent and life-threatening, a true emergency, but when God’s children are backed into a corner, God cannot help but rise to action. This good news of God’s character is a balm to the soul, and it should make us eager and enthusiastic in prayer. The Lord surrounds his people with his steadfast love.

An appeal to the future (vv. 13–15). Well, ‘appeal’ may not be the right word exactly. Perhaps it’s more like David is appealing to himself to keep everything in perspective. As David pleads with God to rise to action, he very firmly pronounces that his wicked enemy will succeed in this temporal, earthly life only (vv. 13–14), whereas David himself has a future filled with blessing after death (v. 15). And it certainly does seem as though David is talking about “waking up” after death—just one of many hints that the Old Testament saints knew about the resurrection. The enemies of God only care about this life, but the children of God know about the next life. Therefore, we are able to pray with a certain measure of peace and joy and with a proper perspective of what’s most important.

Psalm 17 is both a helpful paradigm for prayer in times of trouble, and also a great encouragement to our hearts to pray when we need it.