Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart. (Psalm 7:9-10)

In concert with issues we discussed in the previous devotion, notice that David prays that the “wickedness of the wicked” would disappear, not necessarily the wicked themselves. In other words, it is inferred that David’s prayer is that those who were engaged in wickedness would be brought to repentance. Pairing this with his previous words, he desires God to act, even angrily toward those who were committing evil against him, but with the hope that God’s anger would be sufficient to bring them to their senses. At the same time, that God would establish the just in such a way that even the wicked of the world would have to take note of those God marks as His.

That thought leads to the next: God searches the hearts and minds of both the righteous and the wicked to determine who will stand and who will not. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated as minds is actually the word for kidneys. So what did David mean to say here? According to Jewish understanding, when discussing intellect and contemplation etc, this word is to be understood as the mind instead of the kidney because the mind functions somewhat like a kidney. The kidney is more or less a filter that cleanses the body of waste matter allowing only pure liquids to remain. Similarly, the mind is where thoughts and ideas appear and thus, in the lives of the righteous, impure and unclean imaginations and schemes should be eliminated leaving only thoughts and ideas that please the Almighty.

As David says, because God searches the hearts and minds of men, He knows who are His and who are opposed to His will and purpose. Consequently, the righteous — those who meditate upon His Word night and day, and who strive to walk upright before Him — can be assured that He will establish and save us. The wicked may plot and scheme, and the Adversary may accuse and attack but the Almighty God is well aware of what goes on in the hearts and minds of the wicked; and He knows the sincerity of those who seek to obey Him. In the end, we do not have to defend ourselves, for He is our Defense.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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