Psalm 7 - Refuge

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. 1 O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, 4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, 5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. 6 Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgement. 7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high. 8 The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. 9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! 10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.  11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; 13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. 14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with malice and gives birth to lies. 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. 16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. 17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Shiggaion is from the verb 'Shagah', 'to reel about' or to 'stagger' suggesting strong emotions.  The plural form also occurs Habakuk 3:1 'concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite' There is no mention of a Benjamite called Cush in the Bible. Cush was Noah's Grandson, through Ham.  He founded the Cushites which is equivalent to Modern Ethiopia. Cush mean's black, so maybe the name is more a reference to the state of the Benjaminite's heart. Some people say that Cush could be referring to Saul who was also a Benjaminite.  I'm not convinced of this one because of David's refusal to harm the Lord's anointed. It is more likely to refer to Shimei the Benjamite 2 Sam 16:5-14 who cursed David to his face before all his men when David was being pursued by his son Absalom.  At the time David, David's friend's wanted to kill Shimei, but David ws in despair and replied,"My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today." But now, after a little spell in depression district he ready to fight back, to be vindicated. This is a Psalm of judgement.  In Christian tradition judgment is often viewed as a negative thing, judgement leading to condemnation.  But in Jewish tradition, judgement a positive and welcomed.  God's judgement sets things right.  In the Psalms, when someone calls for judgement it is to vindicate them. In Part 1 - David sets out his case, asking God to save him. save me from all my pursuers and deliver me He declares his inoccence. O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, 4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, Despite the betrayal David was suffering he had not repaid like with like. David had betrayed a friend once before, when he had Uriah killed to cover up his sin with Bathsheba - but this had been dealt with and David knew God had forgiven him. 2 Samuel 12:13 "Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." David calls on God to hurry to his defence: Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; In Part 2 - David expresses confidence that God is a righteousness judge and he will be vindicated. God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent,  God will whet his sword; He has bent and readied his bow; 13 He has prepared for him his deadly weapons, David states how wicked the man is: Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with malice and gives birth to lies. 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and what will be his punishment. and falls into the hole that he has made. 16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. What then? David will give thanks and praise where it belongs. 17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.