Psalm 7 Continued…
There are a lot of metaphors in David’s Psalms. This one, Psalm 7, is no exception. There are six metaphors David employs that open up windows for us into the cultural world of David. Four of these metaphors are applied to the Lord as warrior, giving us some insight into the weapons of war in David’s time.
David says that the Lord will “sharpen his sword” and will “bend and string his bow.” (verse 2) These are two of the metaphors David uses. The sword and bow were major weapons of war. David was saying that God is making preparation for war in these actions but the text does not describe him using these weapons. It is enough in David’s mind that God was preparing for battle. This meant his enemies’ defeat was near.
In verse 10 David declares: “My shield is God Most High.” Remember the discussion of the two Hebrew words for shield back from Psalm 5 (January 15th) and verse 12. The word used there was “Tsinnah” (which was the larger shield which could provide full body protection). But the word used here in Psalm 7:10 is “Magen” (which was the smaller shield made of metal, which was particularly helpful blocking blows from a sword). This shield could provide defense for parts of the body that are directly under attack. This metaphor of the shield is the third metaphor used by David.
David says in verse 13 that the Lord “makes ready his flaming arrows.” This next metaphor is referring to arrows that would have been dipped in pitch or oil and then lit before shooting at the enemy.
The final two metaphors in Psalm 7 draw from other areas of life. In verse 15 the subject is not the Lord, but the evil person and the metaphor employed is that of hunting. The hunter would dig a pit and camouflage it with brush, and the animals would fall into the trap. In this instance, the hunter (the enemy) falls into it himself.
And finally, in verse 16, David again speaks about the evildoer having his evil recoil on his head. He is referencing a boomerang that recoils on its thrower. That is, the evildoers will eventually destroy themselves by their own devices.
All of the metaphoric weaponry employed by David in the psalm show us a little bit of the world within which David lived and also was intimately familiar with as a warrior himself.
PRAY
Father help me to remember that You plus one equals a majority. Help me not to rely on my own strength to fight my battles.