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The seventh of the penitential psalms is a prayer of a man in danger. He acknowledges the punishment he merits and prays that God would not come in judgment(v.2). There is no word for sin here, but the petitioner knows he is not guiltless before God.
Please do not come to judge your servant
for none among the living is guiltless before your eyes.
He is in mortal danger. His enemies pursue him and his life is threatened. He experiences helplessness, "my life lies prostrate on the ground"; he feels like one among the dead. Within him is the fear that makes his heart turn cold (v.4). Only the memory of the saving acts of God previously experienced accompany him:
I remember the days of old
I meditate on the things you've done
I ponder the works of your hands.
In the midst of his troubles, he raises his hands to God. Like one parched of thirst, he raises his dried throat towards the rain that he prays for. (v.7)
Anyone who knows what it is to be in trouble can sympathize with the "I" of the psalm. The images of death he uses to express his fear in vv. 2.3 are repeated in v. 7
Hurry, Lord, answer me
for my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
that I may not become like those who descend into the Pit.
People in trouble are afraid and are often confused. "What will I do? What should I do?" is the song they sing. The petitioner knows whom to ask
Show me the way I should walk...
Teach me how to do your will
Because you are my God
May your good Spirit guide me to wide open spaces (vv. 8.10)
God is a living God; one can entrust one's life to Him. The "I" of the psalm appeals to God's loyalty and justice (v.1) wisdom (v.10) and love (dox v.
and knows that his hope will not fail (v.9). The slave of a loyal, just, wise and devoted master -- will he be left alone?
At the end of the psalm is a prayer against his eenemies. He trusts that his Lord will take his side against those who threated his life. The appeal to God's chesed here, is an appeal to solidarity.
