True justice is sometimes hard to find. Sometimes the guilty go free, or the innocent end up being punished. Or, even when the guilty is punished, the punishment doesn't fit the crime and is either too severe or too lenient. Of course, perfect justice can only come from the perfect knowledge of a perfect judge. In Psalm 64, David cries out to God for this kind of justice.

The psalm begins with David begging God to ″hear me″ and ″hide me″ (Psalm 64:1-2). He is the victim of a conspiracy by some enemies. He's outnumbered by those who want to do him harm. He wants God to hear his cry for help and to protect him.

In vv. 3-6, David tells us three things about his enemies. First, their weapons are words. Though many of us may go through life without ever being the victims of physical violence, few of us will ever escape the pain of verbal violence. People gossip, tell lies, or bring false accusations against us. These ″cruel words [are] like deadly arrows″ (v. 3). Second, David's enemies are sneaky. ″They shoot from ambush . . . hiding their snares″ (vv. 4-5). They plot their schemes in secret. Those whom we think are friends suddenly attack us. Third, his enemies are arrogant, thinking they've concocted ″a perfect plan″ (v. 6).

David knew such schemers, and so did our Lord Jesus. The Gospels describe the repeated plots of the Jewish leaders against Jesus. On a number of occasions, they asked Him questions that appeared genuine but were, in fact, intended ″to catch him in his words″ (Mark 12:13). Matthew tells us that while Jesus was in Jerusalem, the chief priests, the elders of the people, and the high priest conspired ″to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him″ (Matthew 26:3-4). Jesus would be convicted on the basis of false testimony and rumour.

What will God do to such people? David tells us that He will treat them justly. To those who fire arrows at God's innocent servant, God will shoot arrows at them. Those who try to suddenly strike down David will now suddenly be struck down by God (Psalm 64:7). God is a God of justice; in the same way that people treat others, God will treat them.

How will people respond to such a just God? How should we respond? Psalm 64 gives us six ways in vv. 9-10. Fear the God who will always judge with perfect justice. Proclaim His mighty salvation. Ponder what He has done. Rejoice in the Lord. Take refuge in Him. Glory in Him. Take some time to do that now.