3. God Judges Sinners Righteously (vv. 6-13). David didn’t take the situation into his own hands; rather, he turned Saul and his scheming men over to the Lord. Only God’s holy anger could truly vindicate David (Rom. 12:17-21). “Arise, O Lord” reminds us of the words of Moses when the camp of Israel began their march with the ark leading the way (Num. 10:35; see also 2 Chron. 6:40-42). David knew that danger was near, and he wanted the Lord to move into action. (See 3:7; 9:19; 10:12; 17:13; 44:26; 68:1.) It’s during those times when God seems inactive that we get impatient and want to see things happen immediately. But God is more long-suffering than we are, and we must wait for Him to work in His time. “Let God convene the court! Ascend Your throne on high! Let all the people gather together to witness the trial! Let the Lord try me and prove to all that I am innocent!” David knew that almighty God could test the minds and the hearts (v. 9; see Rev. 2:23), and he wanted to see the wickedness of his enemies exposed and stopped. David’s defense was with the Lord.

How can God both love the world (John 3:16) and hate the wicked? (On God’s hatred of evil, see 5:5.) The King James Version puts “with the wicked” (v. 11) in italics, which means the phrase was added by the translators, but both the New International Version and the New American Standard Bible translate the text without it. Their emphasis is that God expresses His anger at sin every day, so He doesn’t have to summon a special court to judge sinners. He allows sinners to reap the sad consequences of their sins day by day (v. 16; see Rom. 1:24, 26-27, 32), but sometimes their persistent rebellion causes Him to send special judgment when His long-suffering has run its course (Gen. 6:5ff.). God’s love is a holy love, and if God loves righteousness, He must also hate wickedness.

Note that God is called “God Most High,” which is El Elyon in the Hebrew. This divine name is used twenty-three times in the Psalms and goes back to Genesis 14:18-22. (See also Deut. 32:8; 2 Sam. 22:14.) Jesus was called “Son of the Most High” (Mark 5:7; Luke 1:32, 35; 8:28).