Psalm 9

(Guest Post from Austin Wynn)

Psalm 9

Focus: The justice of the Lord

On thinking of the justice of the Lord, David is driven to thank the Lord and tell of His wonderful deeds. God’s justice drives David to be glad and exult in Him and sing praises to Him thanking Him. Though it may seem that there is no true justice in the world at times when wicked men experience great pleasures in this life, we like David, need to acknowledge that the Lord sits enthroned forever and praise Him for His justice. David then turns his attention to his enemies. He says they turn back, stumble, and perish before God’s presence because He has maintained David’s just cause and judged rightly. It appears that David is seeing God’s justice being acted out in helping David and in destroying those trying to kill David, a man of God. We can learn from this that the Lord will not pervert justice. He will fight for a just cause if He so desires to bring glory to Himself in that way. David then expresses how God punishes the wicked, a true sign of His righteous judgments. He expresses that God will be on the throne for all eternity judging justly. God is just in that He does not abandon those who call on His name, but is a stronghold for them in their troubles. Though those who trust in Him may be oppressed, this does not change the truth that God is judging rightly and is there refuge in the trials of life. It would be unjust if God were to forget the cry of the afflicted, but He never does and so David calls the reader to worship God the just Judge for His righteousness. David then, just after expressing how God hears the cry of the afflicted and judges rightly, calls upon God to see his own current affliction and give him grace in order that David might tell others of God’s justice and rejoice in God’s saving him. David doesn’t begin this Psalm by expressing his needs, but first acknowledges God’s justice and then calls upon God the just Judge to be just in dealing with his concerns. It is wise to first tell God of His just dealings and just nature before calling upon Him to deal justly in one’s life matters. David focuses then on the enemies of God and how the Lord has executed judgment in causing them to sink in the pit they made and catch their feet in the nets they have hid and be snared in the work of their own hands and also in how God will put them to death who forget God. God’s enemies are those who forget Him. Though they forget God, God never forgets the needy and the poor, for David says their hope will not perish forever though it may seem to perish in this life temporarily. David says there is a future hope for the children of God that the wicked do not have. David then calls upon God to rise up and judge the nations who are wicked in order that they may know they are but men. Acknowledging we are but men allows us to see that God is God and draws us to live humbly before Him.