Psalm 17

1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.

2 May my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.

3 Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,
though you test me, you will find nothing;
I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

4 As for the deeds of men—
by the word of your lips
I have kept myself
from the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

6 I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.

7 Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.

11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a great lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;
rescue me from the wicked by your sword.

14 O LORD, by your hand save me from such men,
from men of this world whose reward is in this life.
You still the hunger of those you cherish;
their sons have plenty,
and they store up wealth for their children.

15 And I—in righteousness I will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Just like many of the psalms written by David, you could feel the sense of desperation in him. From verses 9 - 12, it's like David was surrounded by his enemies and there was no way out. They were ready to take his life.

David began to pray the words of Psalm 17. At the start of the psalm, David was confident that God would answer his prayer. He was confident that God will find him righteous (indeed he is known to be a man after God's heart).

But I felt that the Holy Spirit ask me to look upon verse 8 deeper, especially its first part.

"Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings"


Apple of the eye generally means someone who is favoured.

He is reminding me that when I truly take God seriously, just like David did, God will favour me in every area of my life.

Is it true? Well, I should think so. Many wealthy people are Christians. I think material wealth is one way of God showing His favour on His people.

Of course, it doesn't mean that if you're not wealthy, then God doesn't favour you. I believe that God will favour those who love Him in many different ways - be it academic results, health, giftings, etc. The response should always be a thankful spirit.

For myself, I really thank God for His favour all this while. For instance, by His grace, I got my first-class honours in NUS. And now, I have good working relationships with my colleagues in school. God also blessed me materially - my salary increased quite a few times within the span of 1 year in 2007! Really thank God for His favour.


Things to ponder
1. Can you think of one or two situations in your life that God has shown you special favour?
2. Are there situations that you would wish that God's favour be upon you right now?
3. Remember that we must first learn to be like David, and be after God's heart. Decide to separate your mind from the world and Delight to saturate your spirit with God's Word. And His favour will surely go with you. Make this prayer now.


Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me favour all this while. I know that one of the reasons is because I take You seriously, since the days in NUS. I pray that I will continue to take you seriously, and learn to take even more delight in spending time with You. I also pray that You will continue to show me favour in the school, by Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

Click here for Pastor YC's reflection on Psalm 17