Psalm 17 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 17 Short Summary:

Psalm 17 is another plea from David to God for vindication and protection from enemies. David was trying to live an upright and righteous life, but he was surrounded by evil men who didn’t fear God. David asked God to confront them and subdue them. They only cared about the physical world. In contrast, David’s eyes were focused on life with God.

Psalm 17 Summary

AUTHOR:

• According to Psalm 17:1, Psalm 17 is a prayer of King David.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No known New Testament References

THEMES:

• Although wicked men are abundant, God is a protection for those who walk in the paths of righteousness.

• This psalm contrasts those who are entirely focused on earthly physical life and those who are focused on spiritual life and the resurrection.

DEFINTIONS:

• Vindication (17:2) – When a person is shown to be right after someone has accused them of being wrong.

• Incline (17:6) – Being willing and receptive to doing something.

OUTLINE:

• KEEP ME AS THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE (17:1-15):

  • David called out to God to hear his prayer, a prayer of vindication.

  • David believed himself to be an upright man with a pure and honest heart.

  • He believed his enemies persecuted him unjustly.

  • He began the psalm telling God he was trying to live a moral life.

  • His eyes were focused on righteousness, his lips didn’t produce deceit, he avoided the way of the violent, and his feet walked on God’s paths.

  • His conscience was clear as he wrote, “You have tried my heart, You have visited me by night, You have tested me, and You will find nothing” (17:3).

  • He asked God to show His steadfast love to those who looked for refuge in Him.

  • “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (17:8).

  • Like a mother hen protects her chicks under her wings, David asked God to protect him from wicked and violent men.

  • These men prowled like lions waiting to ambush people without pity.

  • They did not fear God and they did not fear judgement. Their interests were entirely fixed on this world, in physical life, so they accumulated wealth for themselves without regard for God or other men.

  • The final verse of the Psalm reads, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (17:15).

  • In contrast to the evil men, David woke up every morning satisfied to walk in righteousness, to walk in the likeness of his God.

  • Some people, including myself, believe verse 15 refers to life after death.

  • The worldly men were only focused on the physical world, but David looked forward to a day when he could wake up in a new world, in God’s presence, in the resurrection, and look on the face of God in righteousness.

  • His focus was on the spiritual world, where the righteous will live with God after death.
    

APPLICATION:

• We generally want to think of ourselves as strong self-sufficient beings, not as weak helpless creatures that need protection, but that is the way the psalmist portrays himself.

• Keep in mind that King David is the author. If anyone could have boasted in self-sufficiency David certainly could have.

• David slew giants, he led numerous armies to victory, he fought in battle and killed thousands of warriors.

• Or did he…?

• One of the remarkable things about David’s faith is that he credited God with all those victories, and he was right to do it because those battled were won by God’s strength.

• David saw himself as a small baby chicken running to God for protection under His wings.

• If David saw himself this way, we certainly shouldn’t think too much of ourselves.

• We are baby chickens and sheep clumsily stumbling around the pasture. The Lord is the lion and the shepherd who protects the flock.