Stand up, Lord; O God, lift up your hand. Do not forget the afflicted (cf. Psalm 3:7). First, the Lord must wake up, then rise and act—acting decisively. There is a parallel in Psalm 9:19. There are interpreters who, with the lifting of the hand, think of the once-given oath of the Lord who promised to protect the afflicted. That seems contrived to us: first waking up and then again swearing the oath? It is about actually taking on the enemy. He prays to his God who must act.
In Psalm 7:13 he makes his call stronger by calling the Lord who he is. Isn’t he a God who is awake and watchful? Does God not see the brutality, the pride of the attacker? Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, You will not call to account?
See Psalm 10:4 and compare that with Psalm 10:11. So the author asks, How can you, Lord, let it pass you that these wicked make such brutal statements? His appeal is powerful: God is the living One, the Judge. Isn’t it about his name, his honour?
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.