12/27/2011 9:03:09 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Psalm 9
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 9
Message of the verses: “1 ¶ «For the choir director; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.» I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. 2 I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish before You. 4 For You have maintained my just cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously. 5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins, And You have uprooted the cities; The very memory of them has perished. 7 But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, 8 And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. 9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
“11 ¶ Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds. 12 For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O LORD; See my affliction from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell of all Your praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah. 17 The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God. 18 For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever. 19 Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before You. 20 Put them in fear, O LORD; Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.”
Dr. Wiersbe points out that the word “Muth-labben” means the death of a son, but does not know exactly why it is in this psalm. John MacArthur writes “The new element of this title lit. reads ‘Death of a Son.’ Many conjectures have arisen about this puzzling phrase, but it is safest to regard these words as designating a particular tune.”
We see praise and prayer in this psalm and now we will look at it in the same way that we have been looking at it in the other psalms, that is by using the outline from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary.
Personal Praise: God Saves the King (vv. 1-8): “1 ¶ «For the choir director; on Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.» I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. 2 I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish before You. 4 For You have maintained my just cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously. 5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins, And You have uprooted the cities; The very memory of them has perished. 7 But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, 8 And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”
It was the desire of David to praise the Lord for victory over the nations that have attacked Israel. David did not want to receive the glory, but to give glory to the Lord for these victories and so David praises the Lord in this section. David desired to tell everyone about the wonderful works that the Lord has done.
We see in verses 3-6 that David is describing the victory the Lord has given Israel in earlier battles. We see the highlighted words “You Have” six times in verses three through six stating what the Lord has done. What was the reason that God gave David and Israel these victories? It was because God wanted David to remain king over Israel and He wanted to accomplish His purposes in this world. David’s line would bring about the Messiah and therefore God would protect David and also protect Israel in order to bring the Messiah into the world.
We also see in these verses a picture of when God will bring about victory in the final judgment of this world. Paul actually used verse eight when speaking to those at Athens as found in Acts 17:31.
National Praise: God Shelters the People (vv. 9-20). Dr. Wiersbe writes that “the focus now centers on the people of the land, whom David calls the oppressed (v-9), the humble (’afflicted’v-12), and the needy and the poor (v-18). These are the faithful worshipers of the Lord who have been persecuted, abused, and exploited by local rulers for being true to the Lord. David praises the Lord for His faithfulness in caring for His sheep.”
The refuge—God will not forsake them (vv. 9-10). “9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
While David was in the wilderness hiding from Saul he would find refuge in a stronghold, but as we see in verse ten the best refuge was in the Lord as David speaks about the name of the Lord. God forsook His Son so that He would not forsake His children.
The avenger—God will not fail them (vv.11-17): “11 ¶ Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds. 12 For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O LORD; See my affliction from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell of all Your praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah. 17 The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.”
In verse twelve where it speaks of requiring blood is speaking of an investigation of murder, and though many murders are not solved here on earth God will eventually take care of those who have committed these crimes. God will fight the battles of His people.
We see in verse fourteen that David wants to tell every one of all of God’s praises and also about His salvation. Israel was called to accomplish this to tell the world about God and His salvation.
In verses 13-17 we see a suffering remnant praying to the Lord that He would take them from the gates of death and put them at the gates of Zion (v-14). These people also ask the Lord to catch their enemies in their own traps and finally consign them to the grave. The word “Higgaion” could mean “meditation,” or it may refer to a solemn sound on the accompanying instruments.” (From Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary”
The conqueror—God will not forget them (vv. 18-20): “18 For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever. 19 Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before You. 20 Put them in fear, O LORD; Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.”
We can see in these verses that the Lord will one day Arise and take care of the nations, that is those who oppose Him and He will judge them He will put them in fear, for they are only dust, but most of the time they do not realize that they are but dust and frail.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I was watching a news broadcast last evening, I just happened to turn it on and the subject was about how in many places in the world the “Christians” and also the Jewish people were be persecuted by radical Muslims. Many have died because of this persecution. As I look at these verses in this psalm I know that one day all of this will end and those who are doing the persecution will have to answer to the Lord. When one reads the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel one will see that one day God will judge those who are doing this persecution. Joel C. Rosenberg has written a number of novels that are based on Biblical prophecy, and one of them is entitled “The Ezekiel Option,” and in that novel the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 is explained very well. It was a great read.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Trust that the Lord will take care of those who are persecuting His children, giving them what they deserve.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
12/27/2011 10:14:46 AM
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