Verse 1-2. “O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.”
 
The Hebrew word for “Trust” means “to seek refuge.” God is the only One we can put our trust in and the only One we can seek refuge in. Persecution is normal for the believer in Christ. The Bible says that “and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). The Bible also says that “we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Jesus said that “a servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). The Bible says that we are blessed if we are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matt. 5:10). We ought to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:12).
 
Verse 3-5. “O LORD my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands, If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause, Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah.”
 
Here David defends his integrity. We need to be a people of integrity. The Bible says that “the righteous man walks in his integrity” (Prov. 20:7). David also says that he has not repaid evil to him who was at peace with him. The Bible says:
 
"Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:17-21).
 
Verse 6-16. “Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded! So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high. The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.”
 
In this Psalm, David cries out “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just.” This should be the cry of our hearts as we see the wickedness and the lawlessness abound all around us. The wicked will not get away with it. There is a day coming that God will judge the wicked and find them guilty and cast them into everlasting fire in hell. The Bible talks about The Judgment Day in Revelation 20:
 
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-15).
 
In contrast, the righteous will not be found guilty before God on the last day because they have put their faith in Christ. They have an Advocate and a Mediator who pleads their cause before God. The righteous are found innocent and pure before God because they “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). The Bible says that “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). The righteous are “justified by faith” and “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
 
Verse 17. "I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."
 
Here David praises the Lord for His righteousness and sings praises to His name. The praises of the Lord should be always on our hearts and lips. The Bible says that we should “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15). The Bible exhorts us to speak “to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19).