Briefing: Have you ever heard the saying, “If you talk the talk, you must walk the walk”? How about, “Your mouth is writing checks your “back side” can’t cash”? Can you think of other examples?

Dispatch (Assignment): Read Psalm 7.

On the Street: We have all known people who were “big talkers”. People who say they are going to do this or that and never do what they say. These people make big threats and big promises. They are a lot of hot air.

David was not that guy. He was a man of great integrity and righteousness. David was not perfect. He made mistakes like we all do. Unfortunately for David, he was a public figure. When public figures get caught making mistakes, their dirty laundry gets aired out for all to see. But when God calls David, “A man after My own heart”, you know he is a righteous guy. This Psalm is not about David’s mistakes. This was written during a season of his life where he was following God with his whole heart. In verse eight David appeals to God’s judgment, asking to be judged by his integrity and righteousness. David was in a good place spiritually. His relationship with God was rock solid. It was his relationship with the world around him that was crumbling.

David knows his protector is God. These are not just flowery words that are part of a poem. David lives this! David has once again found himself being attacked by his enemies. The question for us is how often do you feel like you are being bombarded by the enemy? Finances, relationships, health or work; you seem to be getting ambushed by them all. Who do you turn to?

The beginning of the Psalm reminds us who to turn to during these difficult times in our life. The second half is a great warning. David shows evil thoughts and plans backfire on the person who thinks and plans them. The Bible often uses the Biblical principal called ?the law of the harvest’ to teach us this lesson. The law of the harvest says we will reap what we sow. If we are planting tomatoes, we expect to harvest a crop of tomatoes. We don’t plant corn and expect watermelons to come up. If we are negative and ugly to others, we should expect to get negative attitudes coming back at us. If we are kind and pleasant, people are usually kind and pleasant back to us. Have you noticed if you smile at someone they usually smile back? Law enforcement officers are trained to be calm in stressful situations. If they get panicked then the people around them tend to get panicked. If they stay calm and under control, people around them will usually follow their example. This is a simplistic way of explaining the law of the harvest.

Imagine a line in the sand. David is standing on the side of righteousness and integrity. He is looking across the line at the people who are plotting evil. His words are, “He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.” This is a great warning to us who have evil, vengeful thoughts. We can either take those thought captive to the obedience of Christ or we can give birth to the evil which leads to trouble. This trouble can overwhelm us to the point of not being able to see the truth. This is disillusionment. Do you find yourself mad at God or disillusioned with church and religion? Maybe you should find the incident that brought you to the first moment of anger. If you can pinpoint it, how can you fix it? Prayers and forgiveness are usually the cure to the issue.

David was in trouble with the world. Being a man of integrity who claimed to be righteous, he does the only thing a righteous man should do. Like a real man, David hits his knees and prays to God. This is real integrity. David has talked the talk and walked the walk.

Investigational Resources:This will be a thread that runs through the Psalms, trouble and tragedy followed by trust and praise to God.

Officer Safety Principle: If you are a Christian and find yourself in troubled times, there is only one correct response. A man or woman who says they trust God will pray and believe God will save them. This is integrity.

from Psalms Through the Eyes of a Cop, Volume 1
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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