The Lodestar

This is the prayer of an innocent person for God's protection, a "prayer from lips free of deceit" (Psa 17:1). He is confident that even God would not find any fault in him. "You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress" (Psa 17:3). He continues to protest his innocence, saying that his life was faultless (Psa 17:4—5).

However, the purpose of the Psalm is not to prove his innocence but to seek protection from his enemies persecuting him. He asserts that since he is innocent in God’s eyes, God should protect him from the attacks of his adversaries.

Since the enemy is strong and ferocious, "like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush" (Psa 17:12), the psalmist cannot withstand him unless God comes to his help.

He pleads for protection in poetically rich language using metaphors drawn from anatomy and farming. As a person guards their eye from harm, the psalmist wants God to protect them, considering them the apple of God's eye. We instinctively close our eyes or cover them with our hands to protect them from harmful objects. The psalmist pleads to consider him the apple of God's eyes, that God would protect him from harm. He also invokes the imagery of a hen guarding her chicks from predatory birds.

These metaphors reflect the psalmist's faith and his relationship with God. Though surrounded by enemies, he knows that he is as intimate and precious to God as the eyes are to a person. As a child of God, he knows he has a wing to hide under.

All followers of Christ must be confident that our lives are safe in God's hands despite life's harshness.

Take a moment right now to pray this Psalm for yourself, asking God to guard your heart and uphold your innocence. Step forward in faith, knowing God is your shield, and share this confidence with others who need to be reminded of God’s loving protection.

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