The Final Verdict Is In Text: Psalm 7:17
Introduction: The Courtroom of Reality
We live in a world that is obsessed with justice, but has no coherent definition for it. Our culture is a cacophony of competing accusations, grievances, and demands for vindication. Everyone feels wronged, everyone is a victim, and everyone is pointing a finger. But when you press them, when you ask for the standard by which they are judging, the foundation crumbles into the dust of personal feelings, group identity, or the shifting sands of political expediency. They want justice, but they have rejected the only possible Judge. They want a verdict, but they have burned the law book.
Psalm 7 is a psalm for a time just like this. The superscription tells us it is a "Shiggaion of David, which he sang to Yahweh concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite." A shiggaion is likely a wild, passionate song, full of intense emotion. David is being slandered. Cush, a man from Saul's tribe, is spreading lies about him, likely accusing him of treason or treachery. David's reputation is being dragged through the mud. He is the victim of a vicious smear campaign. And in this situation, what does he do? He does not start a counter-campaign on social media. He does not hire a PR firm. He takes his case to the high court of heaven.
The entire psalm is a legal appeal to God. David pleads his innocence, not on the basis of some abstract personal perfection, but according to his actions in this specific case. He then calls upon God, the righteous Judge, to act. He asks God to rise up in His anger, to execute justice, and to let the evil of the wicked come to an end. David is not interested in a flimsy, therapeutic "truce." He is interested in a verdict. He wants righteousness to be upheld and wickedness to be judged. And the psalm concludes not with a question mark, but with a resounding, worshipful exclamation point. David ends with the settled confidence that the verdict is not in doubt. This brings us to our text.
The Text
I will give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.
(Psalm 7:17 LSB)
Gratitude According to the Standard (v. 17a)
We begin with the first part of the verse:
"I will give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness" (Psalm 7:17a)
Notice the precision of the language. David does not simply say, "I will give thanks to Yahweh because He got me off the hook." He does not say, "I will thank Him for being on my side." He says he will give thanks "according to His righteousness." This is a crucial distinction. David's gratitude is not based on a favorable outcome alone, but on the very character and standard of God by which that outcome is determined. He is thankful that there is a fixed, objective, unchangeable standard of right and wrong in the universe. That standard is not a free-floating principle; it is the very nature of God Himself.
God's righteousness is His unwavering commitment to what is right. It is His perfect justice. When we thank God according to His righteousness, we are thanking Him that He is not like a corrupt human judge who can be bribed, swayed by public opinion, or have a bad day. We are thanking Him that He does not grade on a curve. We are thanking Him that He will, in the final analysis, call a thing what it is. He will call good, good, and evil, evil. He will call truth, truth, and lies, lies. In a world drowning in relativism, this is our anchor. The universe is not a cosmic accident governed by chance; it is a courtroom presided over by a perfectly righteous Judge.
Now, for the sinner, this should be terrifying. If God is perfectly righteous, and we are manifestly not, then our only expectation should be condemnation. And this is where the gospel bursts in with glorious light. At the cross of Jesus Christ, God demonstrated His righteousness in the most profound way possible. He did not simply wave away our sin. He did not compromise His own law. Rather, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). God poured out the full measure of His righteous wrath against sin upon His own Son, in order to righteously forgive sinners who trust in Him. His justice was satisfied. Therefore, God can be both "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26). Our thanksgiving, then, is not just for a general concept of justice, but for the very specific, historical act of God's righteousness displayed at Calvary, where our case was settled for all time.
Singing to the Sovereign (v. 17b)
The second half of the verse flows directly from the first. A right understanding of God's righteousness must result in worship.
"And will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High." (Psalm 7:17b LSB)
The response to God's righteous verdict is not quiet, respectable applause. It is song. We must recover the biblical understanding of singing. Singing is not an emotional warm-up for the sermon. It is not an optional extra for the musically inclined. Singing is spiritual warfare. It is a declaration. When we sing praise, we are publicly and joyfully proclaiming the truth about who God is in the face of a world that hates Him. David says he "will sing praise." This is a resolute commitment. No matter what Cush is saying, no matter what the polls indicate, David is nailing his colors to the mast. He is going to sing.
And what is he singing to? "To the name of Yahweh Most High." In Scripture, the "name" of God is not a mere label. It is the summation of His character, His reputation, His authority, and His power. To praise His name is to praise Him for all that He is. But David adds a specific title here: "Most High." This is the Hebrew name Elyon. It means exactly what it says: God is the highest authority in the universe. There is no one above Him. There is no court of appeal beyond Him.
This is a direct polemical shot across the bow of every earthly power. Cush may have the ear of some powerful people. The kingdom of Saul may seem formidable. The pagan empires surrounding Israel may have their pantheons of so-called gods. But Yahweh is Elyon. He is the Most High. All other authorities are derivative, temporary, and accountable to Him. Nebuchadnezzar had to learn this the hard way, eating grass like an ox until he acknowledged "that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men" (Daniel 4:32). When we sing praise to Yahweh Most High, we are declaring that our ultimate allegiance is not to a president, a court, a boss, or a mob. Our allegiance is to the King of kings, who sits enthroned above the heavens. This is a profoundly political act. It is a declaration of independence from all earthly tyrannies and a declaration of absolute dependence on the true Sovereign.
Conclusion: From the Courtroom to the Choir
This verse provides the pattern for every Christian navigating a world of injustice. Like David, you will be slandered. You will be falsely accused. Your motives will be impugned. The world, the flesh, and the devil will conspire to bring charges against you. And in those moments, you have two choices.
You can despair, trusting in the world's flimsy and corrupt judicial system. You can become bitter, replaying the offense over and over. You can fight back with the world's carnal weapons of gossip, slander, and manipulation. Or, you can do what David did. You can take your case to the high court of heaven.
You can appeal to the righteous Judge, not on the basis of your own performance, but on the basis of the finished work of Christ, who is your righteousness. You can rest in the knowledge that the final verdict has already been rendered in your favor because of Him. And having done that, you can move from the courtroom to the choir. You can resolve, in the face of all accusations, to "give thanks to Yahweh according to His righteousness." You can decide, in the midst of the noise and confusion, to "sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High."
This is not escapism. It is the highest form of realism. It is acknowledging that the ultimate reality is not the lie being told about you, but the truth of who God is. His righteousness is the foundation of the world, and His sovereignty is the final word. Therefore, we can face any earthly trial with a settled confidence, and with a song in our hearts and on our lips.