LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands— - Psalm 7:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 1, 2025): Psalm 7

Have you ever been accused of something that you didn't do? Unfortunately, it has happened a few times in my life, and I suspect that few of us have lived a life safe from false accusations. For me, I would rather have an accusation about which I know than be accused of something by the secret gossip of people. At the very least, if I am aware of an accusation, I can attempt to mount a defense. In my life, there have been times when I thought I might have been accused of something, but no one was willing to tell me what I was guilty of. Those are times when it is hard to mount a defense because we are unsure of what we are supposed to have done, and that can be frustrating. 

David has been accused of doing something wrong. What it is that he is supposed to be guilty of is unknown, as is the identity of his accuser, Cush the Benjamite. Psalm 7 is the only mention we have of this person. Theories have been developed that suggest he was possibly a supporter of Saul, who was also a Benjamite. Others believe that Cush might be a pseudonym for another critic of David. It is possible that Cush was a group of people, similar to the international hacker group Anonymous, ready to stir up dissent in any situation. However, whoever this Cush is, he is making accusations about David, for which David feels he is innocent.

But another reading might be that the accusations themselves are somewhat nebulous. Not only is Cush unknown to us, and probably to most of the early readers of the Psalm, but the allegations themselves are also unclear. David has done something wrong, but even he is unsure exactly what the crime is. And so, this Psalm is a meditation on the possibilities that exist in the unclear accusation, even if David can only guess at the crime at hand.

So, David feels that he is guilty of nothing and everything at the same time. And other than crying out to God, he doesn't know what action to take. It is an uncomfortable place to be, but one that most of us will find ourselves in at some point in our lives. At those times, like David, all we can do is carry these accusations to God, and place ourselves at the feet of his throne, and ask for mercy and the strength to do what is right in his sight, and not in the sight of the Cush's of our lives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 8