Psalms Reading – 1.10.2022
Psalm 9
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
1 I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7 The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12 For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
13 LORD, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The LORD is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19 Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror, LORD;
let the nations know they are only mortal.
This psalm begins with a joyful prayer of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord as it builds upon the content of the preceding psalms. David had asked God to deliver him from his enemies and from many other hardships. Now, he thanks God for hearing his prayers and taking care of his enemies. David makes many faith declarations of who God is and what God has done. For the first time in the Psalms, David shows a concern for others who are oppressed and afflicted.
The psalm acclaims God’s everlasting kingship and power. David quickly calls upon God to help him once again so that he can declare the Lord’s praises and celebrate his salvation.
He contrasts the Lord who rules with justice with the wicked who become trapped by their own works of evil and go to the realm of the dead for their just punishment.
God never forgets the needy so that hope is always available for the afflicted.
David reminds us not to forget to give thanks for answered prayer. In fact, the purpose of all of God’s great acts is that we might declare his praise to others so they might know the one true great God.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 9:1, I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Question(s) to Consider:
What can you give wholehearted thanks for what the Lord has done today? Who else will you tell?