Psalm Seventeen
by Dr. Henry M. Morris
(taken from the Defender's Study Bible)
A Prayer of David.
Prayer of David. Although many of David's psalms include prayers, three of them (Psalm 17, 86, 142) are specifically titled “A Prayer of David.” Like the other two, this psalm is full of heartfelt petitions.
shall not transgress. Like many of David's psalms, this reflects his experiences to some degree, but it can only be fully understood if applied prophetically to the Lord Jesus.
Psalm 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
apple of the eye. This phrase (meaning “pupil of the eye”) is also used in Deuteronomy 32:10 (see note); Proverbs 7:2; Lamentations 2:18; Zechariah 2:8.
shadow of thy wings. This is the first of twelve references in the Bible to God's “shadow” as a type of His guarding presence. The “shadow of thy wings” is also noted in Psalm 36:7; 57:1; 63:7. Isaiah speaks of His presence as “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:2), “the shadow of His hand,” (Isaiah 49:2; 51:16). Note also Isaiah 4:6; 25:4, 5; and Psalm 91:1. The final reference is in Lamentations 4:20, speaking of God's “anointed” (that is, Christ) abiding with His people as prisoners exiled in an alien land, “under His shadow.”
Psalm 17:9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
Psalm 17:10 They are enclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
greedy of his prey. This must refer primarily to Satan (1 Peter 5:8).
Arise, O Lord. See note on Psalm 9:19.
awake, with thy likeness. This is a strong Old Testament testimony to the resurrection and the future life. It anticipates the glorious promise of xTerm 3:2: “We shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”