Psalm 7: Spurgeon's Insights

Spurgeon emphasizes that integrity offers no protection against the slander of the wicked—David’s careful avoidance of rebellion against Saul could not shield him from false accusations, since envy naturally pursues goodness like a shadow follows substance, and only fruitful trees attract stones.[1] Rather than viewing this as cause for despair, Spurgeon finds encouragement in recognizing that one must wait until heaven to escape slander entirely[1], and he calls believers to resist spreading rumors about the godly.

The preacher’s most developed insight concerns the balance between God’s mercy and justice. Spurgeon observes that his generation labored to strip God of the sword of justice, attempting to convince themselves that God will not punish iniquity, transgression, and sin.[2] He critiques this theological drift by contrasting it with earlier Puritan preaching, which emphasized divine wrath, though he acknowledges that some Puritan fathers may have overemphasized judgment. Spurgeon insists that God is “severely and inflexibly just,” and that punishment of the wicked is actually demanded by the highest mercy toward the rest of humanity.[2]

Most significantly, Spurgeon celebrates the triumph of uprightness: the crooked schemer is foiled by honest spirits, God defends the right, and filth thrown upon the saints’ garments will be brushed away by divine providence, to the vexation of those who threw it.[1] The believer need not fear enemies, since the tree God plants cannot be uprooted—God judges the righteous and has not abandoned them to their persecutors.[1]

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1964), 259.

[2] Spurgeon, The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 696.

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Good News †

Christ's death on a cross paid the debt we owe God for our sins (Colossians 2:14). God raised Him from the dead to prove this (Romans 1:4). This means God can now remain right, while forgiving our sins (Romans 3:26) and delivering us from His coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). It's a free gift for those who believe in Christ (Romans 6:23).If you believe, call on the Lord to save you (Romans 10:9-13): 

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