Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 7:8

The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity [that is] in me.

8. Render as R.V.:

The lord ministereth judgement to the peoples.

Jehovah has taken His seat and opened the assize (cp. the exactly similar sequence of ideas in Psa 9:7-8: and see Isa 3:13-14, R.V.): and the Psalmist comes forward with a plea to have justice done him.

judge me ] Here as elsewhere, of a judgement favourable to the petitioner (Psa 26:1, Psa 35:24, Psa 43:1, Psa 82:3): ‘do me justice.’ David challenges a decision according to his righteousness and his integrity; not that he would claim to be perfect and sinless, but he has “a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men,” and protests his innocence of the charges of treachery which have been brought against him. See Introduction, p. lxxxvii ff. Comp. 1Sa 26:23 (R.V.).

that is in me ] The marg. alternative of R.V., be it unto me, is suggested to meet a difficulty in the usage of the preposition, which commonly means upon. But the rendering of the text can be defended as a well established idiom, of which examples will be found in Psa 42:6; Psa 42:11; or we may render upon me, and regard righteousness and integrity as a cloak which envelopes the Psalmist. Cp. Job 29:14.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The Lord shall judge the people – Expressing his confident belief that God would interpose, and that his judgment would not much longer be delayed. The proposition is a general one – that God would see that justice would be done to all people; and on this ground the psalmist pleads that He would now interpose and defend him from his enemies.

Judge me, O Lord – That is, in my present circumstances. Interpose to do justice to my cause, and to vindicate me from these false accusations.

According to my righteousness – In this particular case, for to that the proper laws of interpretation require us to confine this. He does not say that he wished his own righteousness to be made the basis of judgment in determining his eternal welfare, or that he depended on his own righteousness for salvation – for that is not the point in question; but he felt that his was, in this case, a righteous cause; that he was not guilty of the charge alleged against him; that he was an injured, wronged, and calumniated man; and he prayed that God would vindicate him from these charges, and defend him from those who were unjustly persecuting him. With all our sense of personal unworthiness in the matter of salvation, it is not improper, when we are wronged, to pray that God would interpose and vindicate us in that particular case, according to our innocence of the charges alleged against us.

And according to mine integrity that is in me – Hebrew, my perfection. That is, his perfection in this case; his entire freedom from the charges brought against him; his absolute innocence in respect to the points under consideration. A man may be conscious of perfect innocence in respect to a particular matter, and yet have a deep sense of his general unworthiness, and of the fact that he is a sinner against God. That I am innocent of a particular act charged on me does not prove that I am guiltless altogether; that I should allege that, and insist on that, and pray to God to vindicate me in that, does not prove that I depend on that for the salvation of my soul, or that I claim absolute perfection before him.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Psa 7:8

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

Integrity and peace

A truly noble confidence! and yet many of our time would call the language very dangerous, if it were spoken by any but one of the Scripture saints. Some, on the other hand, charge it as a fault in our doctrine of salvation by grace, that it lets down even the standards of our morality itself; because it is a part of our merit, under grace, to have no merit. Let us see if we can find the true place for integrity under the Christian salvation by noting–

I. How the Scriptures speak of integrity. The text cited does not stand alone. David says again, Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity. Good men are called upright, just, righteous, and right. It is even declared that they shall deliver their own souls by their righteousness. The Christian disciples of the New Testament dare to say that they have a conscience void of offence. They exhort others to walk so as they have them for examples. Making the strongest confessions of ill-desert, and resting their salvation on the justifying grace of God, they are still able to be free in professing their own conscious integrity in their discipleship. The explanation is not difficult if we consider–

II. What integrity means. As an integer is a whole, in distinction from a fraction, which is only a part, so a man of integrity is a man whose aim in the right is a whole aim, in distinction from one whose aim is divided, partial, or unstable. It does not mean that he has never been a sinner, or that he is not now, but simply that the intent of his soul is to do and be wholly right with God and man. Distinguish between commercial integrity and the higher integrity of religion. What does it signify that a man gives men their due, and will not give God His? God is a person as truly as men are, more closely related to us, a better friend, one who has claims of right more sacred. Does it entitle one to the name of a just man that he is honest with men of one colour and not with those of another? What, then, shall we think of mere commercial integrity taken, by itself? Real integrity, ready to do right to God as to men, to men as to God, must be the condition of Christian character itself. Let us inquire–

III. In what manner? If Christ saves men, not by their merit, or on terms of justice or reward, but by purely gratuitous favour, what place have we for insisting on the need of integrity at all? It seems to be the comfort of what some call their piety, that God is going to dispense with all merit in them, which they take to mean all sound reality of character,–all exactness of principle and conduct. Integrity is wholeness of aim or intent; but mere intent does not make a character. Yet it is just that by which all evil will be vanquished, under Christ and by grace, because it puts a man at the very gate of faith, where all Gods helps are waiting for Him. His new and better aim is his way of coming into the righteousness of God. The Scripture conditions all help on the integrity of the soul. Ye shall seek and find Me, if ye search for Me with all your heart. Let us note, in conclusion–

1. What it is that gives such peace and loftiness of bearing to the life of a truly righteous man. Storms of detraction and malignant conspiracies against his character may drive their clouds about Him, but he sits above with his God, and they all sail under. The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effects of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Here, too–

2. Is the ground of all failures, and all highest successes in the Christian life. Only to be an honest man, in this genuinely Christian sense, signifies a great deal more than most of us ever conceive. Little do we realise how honest a man must be to pray, how heartily, simply, totally he must mean what he prays for. Perhaps he prays much, and has it for a continual wonder that God does not answer his prayers. Perhaps he has conceived a higher standing in religion, and has tried long to reach it, and finds it not. Strange as it may seem, here is the root of the difficulty–that his projected attainments are dear ahead of his integrity. Some traitor is hid in his souls chambers, that is kept there, and carefully fed. Success is the fixed destiny of any soul that has once reached the point of whole intent. I note–

3. A very important deduction, namely,–that every man who comes into a state of right intent will forthwith also be a Christian. Whoever is willing to be carried just where it will carry him, cost him what it may, in that man the spirit of all sin is broken, and his mind is in a state to lay hold of Christ and be laid hold of by Him. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him. God is on the look-out always for an honest man–him to help and with him, and for him, to be strong. And if there be one, God will not miss him; for His desiring, all-searching eyes are running the world through always to find him. (Horace Bushnell, D. D.)

Self-respect and self- righteousness

Is this speech self-righteous? If so it is a bad speech: for self-righteousness is a bad temper of mind; few are worse. But there is another temper of mind which looks like it at first, but is not so, and which is right in its way. I mean the temper of Job when his friends tried to make him out a bad man. He declared he would tell no lies about himself. Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. I have, on the whole, tried to be a good man, and I will not make myself out a bad one. St. John said, If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

I. But we may misuse that doctrine. Many do.

1. Some people try to confess as many sins as possible. They do not go and commit them, but they fancy themselves guilty of them. This is all too common. It is ruinous oftentimes to the body; I have seen people kill their own bodies and die early by this folly. And they kill their souls too, and enter into strong delusions and believe lies. And yet one pities them more than we can be angry with them, and all the more because they are generally the most innocent, and who have least to confess. We should pray for them.

2. But there is a worse misuse of St. Johns doctrine than this. A man may be proud of calling himself a miserable sinner, and of confessing his sins. But if he really knew the misery of sin he would not talk so much about it. His talk is only another way of saying, I am a better man than you. I confess my sins, and you do not.

II. But what is the right use of the doctrine? If you refuse, like Job, to own yourself guilty of what you know you are not guilty of, such a man will tell you that you are ignorant of the first principles of the gospel. You are building integrity and morality. Now, he is partly right, and so are you. St. Paul will help us, for he said, I judge not mine own self; for I know nothing against myself, yet am I not hereby justified; but He that judgeth me is the Lord. Now, no man was ever less self-righteous than Paul, and yet he says, I know nothing against myself. Then, here is the rule. If you have done wrong, confess that; if you have done right, be not afraid to say you have. And to keep up self-respect, go on trying to do right. Wrong no man, least of all, a woman, But, mind, your right-doing will not justify you, for we all have sinned.

III. Remember the Lord will judge you. Be glad of this, as David was, for he knew that the Lord would bring him out of his sin. You must not think of God as hard, or you will fret and not fight. But if you believe Him good you will fight and not fret. And you will be able to leave yourself in His hands. (Charles Kingsley.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 8. The Lord shall judge the people] He will execute justice and maintain truth among them. They shall not be as sheep without a shepherd.

Judge me, O Lord] Let my innocence be brought to the light, and my just dealing made clear as the noonday.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

It belongs to thee to judge all persons and people, and to give sentence between them, especially when they appeal unto thee; which I now do. If I be guilty of those evil designs towards him, wherewith Cush and others charge me, do thou give sentence against me; but if I be just and innocent towards him, as thou knowest I am and have been. do thou plead my right.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

8. Though not claiming innocencein general, he can confidently do so in this case, and in demandingfrom the Judge of all the earth a judgment, he virtually asksacquittal.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The Lord shall judge the people,…. The inhabitants of the world in general; for God is the Judge of all the earth, and he judges the world in righteousness daily, and ministers judgment in uprightness, though it is not always manifest; or his own people in particular, whose cause he pleads, whose injuries and wrongs he avenges, whose persons he protects and defends; this the psalmist expresses with confidence, and therefore, suitable to his character as a Judge, he entreats him as follows:

judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness; he speaks not of his justification before God, in whose sight he well knew no flesh living could be justified by their own righteousness, Ps 143:2; nor of the righteousness of his person, either imputed or inherent; but of the righteousness of his cause, Ps 35:27; not of his righteousness God-ward, for he knew that he was a sinner with respect to him; but of his righteousness towards Saul, against whom he had not sinned, but had acted towards him in the most righteous and faithful manner,

1Sa 24:11; and therefore desired to be judged, and was content to stand or fall according to his conduct and behaviour towards him;

and according to mine integrity [that is] in me; who had always acted the sincere and upright part towards Saul, though he had pursued him with so much fury and violence; the psalmist’s prayer was heard and answered, Ps 18:20.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

8 Jehovah shall judge the nations This sentence is closely connected with the preceding verse. David had prayed God to show himself as judge to the nations; and now he takes it for a certain and admitted truth, that it is the peculiar office of God to judge the nations: for the word put in the future tense, and rendered shall judge, denotes here a continued act; and this is the signification of the future tense in general sentences. Besides, he does not here speak of one nation only, but comprehends all nations. As he acknowledges God to be the judge of the whole world, he concludes a little after from this, that he will maintain his cause and right. And as often as we seem to be forsaken and oppressed, we should recall this truth to our remembrance, that as God is the governor of the world, it is as utterly impossible for him to abdicate his office as to deny himself. From this source there will flow a continual stream of comfort, although a long succession of calamities may press upon us: for from this truth we may assuredly conclude, that he will take care to defend our innocence. It would be contrary to every principle of just reasoning to supposes that he who governs many nations neglects even one man. What happens with respect to the judges of this world can never take place with respect to him; he cannot, as may be the case with them, be so occupied about great and public affairs as to neglect, because unable to attend to them, the concerns of individuals. He again brings into new his integrity that he may not seem, after the example of hypocrites to make the name of God a mere pretext for the better furthering of his own purposes. Since God is no respecter of persons, we cannot expect him to be on our side, and to favour us, if our cause is not good. But it is asked, how can David here boast of his own integrity before God, when in other places he deprecates God entering into judgment with him? The answer is easy, and it is this: The subject here treated of is not how he could answer if God should demand from him an account of his whole life; but, comparing himself with his enemies, he maintains and not without cause, that, in respect of them, he was righteous. But when each saint passes under the review of God’s judgment, and his own character is tried upon its own merits, the matter is very different, for then the only sanctuary to which he can betake himself for safety, is the mercy of God.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(8) The Lord shall.Better, Jehovah judgeth the nations. Everything is complete, and the work of judgment begins. The poet prays that his sentence may be according to his own consciousness of righteousness and integrity. Of this plea of innocence Jerome says, David could not say this; this properly belongs to the Saviour, who was sinless. Others think it is the ideal Israel, which stands before Jehovahs tribunal. But we may compare Jobs protestations of innocence, and his persistent demand for a trial. David (if he is the author) refers naturally to his innocence of the charge calumniously brought against him. As between Saul and himself, his conduct had been blameless.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

8. The Lord shall judge the people The peoples, or nations, as in Psa 7:7.

Judge me Again David urges his special judgment in connexion with the universal and ultimate right. “The final judgment is only the finale of that judgment which is in constant execution in the world itself.” Delitzsch.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments