February 14, 2014
Tom Lowe
Psalm 9
Title: The tune of “Death of the Son.”
Praise for God’s justice.
To the chief musician according to Muthlabban, A psalm of David.
1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Introduction
Muth-labben probably refers to the tune to which these words were to be sung. The Chaldean version adds “concerning the death of the champion who went out between the camps,” which makes this Psalm concerned with the death of Goliath of Gath. [Others identify this psalm with the death of Bathsheba’s son. There is also the opinion that it refers to what happened in the land of Egypt when Israel was delivered from slavery by the death of Egypt’s firstborn.] After many triumphant years of victory over his enemies the psalmist recollects the incidents, and writes about them in the psalm. This is the first of the acrostic or alphabetical psalms, of which there are nine (9, 10, 35, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145). These psalms make use of the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet to begin the opening word of its verses. In the Septuagint the psalm refers to the death of the Divine Son, and recites his victory over death, and the grave, and all our foes.
Psalm 9 and 10 may have originally been one psalm, as they are in the Septuagint. They are similar in form and have similar wording. But there is a strong case for the two psalms being separate. Psalm 9 is a triumphant song of thanksgiving, while Psalm 10 is a complaint and prayer over godless men in the nation. Because Psalm 9 is complete in itself, it is better to regard Psalm 10 as a related psalm.
Psalm 9 is a song of thanksgiving for vindication. Ascribed to David, this psalm is set “to the tune of ‘the Death of the Son.’” What that means is unknown, but there has been some conjecture. One opinion states that “the Death of the Son” is a well-known song, to whose melody the musician is instructed to perform this psalm. In the psalm, David praised the Lord for manifesting His righteousness by judging the wicked nations, and for being a true and eternal Judge in whom the afflicted may trust. He then prayed that God would give him further cause for praise by seeing his affliction and removing it from him.
Commentary
1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
David speaks of God as the true Judge and the Hope of the afflicted. In view of this, David resolved to praise Him wholehearted, to tell of His wonders, to be joyful in God, and to sing to Him. All this wholehearted thanksgiving is because David’s enemies have been condemned by God. Setting on His throne, God has passed judgment so that there is no doubt about the outcome. The result is that David has just experience a wonderful release. He was falsely accused by enemies. His case was brought before God at the sanctuary, and from His righteous throne the Lord vindicated His servant before the eyes of his humiliated and rejected foes. The statement of this forms the chief part of his song of thanks and gives the reason for his gratitude.
“Marvelous works” or ‘wonders’ are “things that are extraordinary or surpassing.” David was probably thinking of God’s extraordinary interventions in history on behalf of his people (the Exodus events), as well as His interventions on his own behalf. David’s aim was to glorify the Lord, not himself. His joy was in the Lord, not just in the great victory he had just been given—“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).
3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
The deliverance of the psalmist is actually his vindication against the accusations and scheming of persons hostile to him. The defeat of his foes is described in terms drawn from the rout of an army; actually it is the humiliation of men who, confident in the deadly character of their charges against the psalmist, had brought their case to the temple to seek through some ritual act or some form of ordeal a pronouncement from God of the psalmist’s guilt, and had been put to shame by a divine decision contrary to their desire—For thou hast maintained my right and my cause.
The oppressed have in Him a stronghold and dependable defender. David recalls how God turned his enemies back, and in their retreat, they stumbled and perished before the Lord. Why did the Lord do this? To maintain the right of David to remain king of Israel and accomplish God’s purposes in the world.
These verses move us into the time of the kingdom that is mentioned in Psalm 8, when all things will be put under His feet. Martin Luther put it like this: “One with God is a majority.” He was not so much concerned about having God on his side, as he was of making sure he was on God’s side. The important thing to David was making sure his cause was right. Let’s make sure, dear reader, that we are on God’s side.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
The cause of David’s praise is recorded in these verses. The Lord manifested His righteousness (v. 4) by vindicating David’s cause. His enemies were turned back (v. 3), rebuked (not just in words, but in actions), and destroyed (v. 5). Even the name of the nations (also mentioned in vv. 15, 17, 19, 20) was blotted out. Such a description vividly portrayed their defeat—not even their name would be perpetuated. Memory of them was destroyed after their cities were destroyed (v.6). The wicked (v. 5) are obviously the heathen nations, the Philistines, etc., who did from time to time molest David, or the people of Israel. Their name refers to that fame and honor which they had gained by their former exploits, but now utterly lost by their shameful defeats.
The destructions of the enemy refers to the waste and destruction which God’s enemies had brought upon Israel before this time, which is recollected here to make the Israelites more thankful for their previous and present deliverances. Or it may be understood as prophesy of future calamities, which their enemies by God’s permission bring upon Israel, which he speaks of as something in the past and already done, after the manner of the prophets.
7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
On the basis of the deliverance spoken of in verses 3-6, David declared that the Lord is a true and eternal Judge and a Fortress for the afflicted. Though people and cities may perish forever, yet the Lord abides forever, which is sufficient to cause His enemies terror, and for the comfort of His church. The psalmist’s praise was at first directed to the Lord and his eternal reign over the earth (vv. 7-8). Then David applied that truth to people’s needs. The afflicted and the oppressed, those who are most frequently ignored or abused by human judgment, are championed by the righteous Judge. These were the people of the land, the faithful worshippers of the Lord, who have been persecuted, abused and exploited by the local rulers for being true to the Lord. The Lord God is their Refuge and Stronghold in times of trouble. During his years of exile, David found the wilderness strongholds to be places of safety, but he knew that the Lord was the safest refuge—“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). All this engenders praise for God for the infallibility of His gracious care. All men who acknowledge and obey the Lord (they that know thy name) can fully rely on His protective care when they are harassed and oppressed.
Beginning back in verse 4, we have a vision of the Final Judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness. This is a picture of the Final Judgment, visualized as if it is happening before the psalmist’s eyes. With the eye of a prophet he sees the sentence of the Lord on the Day of Judgment already passed (vv. 7 -8), and the proud cities of the godless nations (v. 17) fallen into ruin and forgotten (vv. 5-6). So, at last, let the nations know that they are but men! The divine retribution is yet to come, but it is so sure that it is spoken of as if it had already happened.
God is the One who declares what is right, and He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. If you don’t think so, then you are wrong. That is just the way it is. It is as simple as that. Someone has to make the rules. God makes the rules for this universe, and He is running it. God is going to be around for a long time, and I think He has a right to that prerogative.
Thy name, that is, thy nature and flawlessness, thy infinite power and wisdom, and faithfulness and goodness, which makes the Lord a suitable object for trust. The name of God is frequently used for God, as He has manifested Himself in His Word and works.
To know God’s name or love God’s name means to trust Him and be saved—“But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them, that those who love thy name may exult in thee” (Psalm 5:11). God forsook His own Son—“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)—so that He might never forsake His own people.
Them that seek thee, that is, that seek help and relief from thee by fervent prayer, mixed with faith, or trust in God, as expressed in the previous clause; “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee.”
The throne in verse 7 is his throne in heaven from which Jesus will one day judge the world.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
The praise section (vv. 1-12) closes with the psalmist’s exhortation to the people, especially the afflictedwhom God does not ignore (v. 12), to sing praises to the Lord (v. 2) and tell what He has done (v. 11). God is to be praised because He is on their side and fights their battles. He will not fail to hear their cries and execute justice on their behalf. Israel’s calling was for the purpose of bearing witness to the nations that Jehovah was the only true and living God—“For this I will extol thee, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to thy name” (Psalm 18:49). The ark was now in Jerusalem, so Jehovah was now on His throne in Israel.
All bloodshed caused by human motives is repugnant to God, and his intervention on the side of “right” is to be expected. Inquisition for blood refers to the official investigation of murder, to see who was guilty of murder, to see who was guilty of the crime, symbolized by having blood on their hands (Eze. 3:17-21), or their head—“And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." (Acts 18:6). There was no police force in Israel, but a near kinsman could avenge the murder of a family member. This is why God assigned the six “cities of refuge” to provide havens for people who accidently killed someone (Num. 35). But when God is the avenger, He has all the evidence he needs to find and punish rebellious sinners.
13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
In view of God’s past deliverances, David now calls on God to respond to his affliction, and give him reason to praise. The psalmist asked the Lord to notice how his enemies persecute him. In danger of dying, he called on the Lord to rescue him from the gates of death. Sheol, the abode of the dead, seems to be intended by "the gates of death,"—“Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?” (Job 38:17). If the Lord would deliver him, he would praise the Lord “in the gates of the daughter of Zion,” that is, the tabernacle in Jerusalem. Any disease or calamity could be viewed as bringing one to the threshold of death and place them in the clutches of Sheol.
David is now in the temple in Zion standing in the presence of the worshipping congregation and is singing about his distress, from which he has been so wondrously delivered. Very simply he tells how the Lord has restored him from imminent death. He addresses himself first to the congregation as he gives his testimony (v. 13), then to his God, in praise for what He has done for him.
David’s plea is, “Have mercy upon me, O Lord”—I don’t know about you, but I need a lot of mercy from God. You may question that since I said there will be justice when He comes. But, you see, justice has already come in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ when He bore our sins, and He has been made unto us righteousness. What I need today id mercy, and mercy has been extended to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
The gates of the daughter of Zion refers to the gates of a city, which in David’s day served as the center of social and economic life; and daughter means the city itself.David is using a personification where the city is viewed as the mother, and the people as her children.
15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
Verses 15 and 16 are a statement of David’s own faith, expressing the general truths reaped from his personal experience. David’s prayer was supported by his confident trust in the Lord. In verses 15-18, David reviewed the reputation God had for destroying the wicked who afflicted the people of God. Verse 15 may have been written in anticipation of the enemy’s destruction. If so, David foresaw how the enemy would fall into its own pit: “They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves” (Psalm 7:15); and net, “Let destruction come upon him unawares, And let the net which he hid catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall” (Psalm 35:8). Nevertheless, the Lord’s justice is well known, because the evil the wicked devise falls back on them. The overruling providence of God frequently orders that persecutors and oppressors be brought to ruin by the very projects they planned to use to destroy the people of God. Drunkards get in their car and kill themselves, prodigal sons fall into sin and become beggars, and the belligerent bring trouble upon themselves: thus men’s sins may be read in their punishment, and it becomes clear to all that the destruction of sinners is something they bring upon themselves.
Look at the nations of the world today. Even the great nations of the world, including our own nation, have sunk down into a pit. We seem to be caught. This is the condition of the world at the present time.
Higgaion means “meditation,” and combined with “Selah,” seems to denote a pause of solemnity and emphasis. Though Selah occurs seventy-three times, this is the only time Higgaion appears.
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. (Sheol)
The destiny of the wicked who return to the grave is contrasted with the needy and afflicted (vv. 9, 12), who will see their hope fulfilled. The expression forget God is sometimes contrasted in the Psalms with the word “remember,” a term that signifies faith and prayer. Those who reject and ignore the Lord have no hope. Those men who wickedly ignore God or rebel against the principles of godliness are classed with the depraved and openly profane, and must surely die. The true state of nations and individuals, may be correctly estimated by this one rule, whether in their goings-on they remember or forget God.
The needy and poor are objects of God’s constant care. The frequent mention of the ‘poor and needy’ in the psalms, does not necessarily imply material destitution; the phrase is applied to all those who have been reduced to utter dependence upon God. Jesus said to His disciples, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. 5:3). He wasn’t referring to those who lack money and material possessions, but to those who are poor in a spiritual sense. Blessed means “happy.” The ‘poor in spirit’ are humbled and broken by a sense of their sinfulness; they are not proud; they seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, comes from the free grace of God. They have the assurance that in spite of the activity of evil-doers there is always the possibility of God’s intervention.
The needy shall not always be forgotten, as they are today. Oh, there are poverty programs, but the man at the top always seems to get it before it reaches the poor. The poor will receive justice when the Lord Jesus comes. You know, we poor people ought to be more interested in the Lord. There are so many people in poverty who are turning to political parties and certain political candidates for help. As I write this the great benefactor is ‘Obama care’ and ‘government assistance,’ but the evils of these programs far exceed any good they do. What the candidates are trying to do is to get elected through making people dependent on government programs. The Lord Jesus is not running for office—He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is not anxious to please any party or group on this earth.
The wicked shall be turned, or shall turn, retreating under God’s vengeance, and driven by Him to the extreme of destruction, even to hell itself.
19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
The idea previously introduced, of a world judgment to come is continued, as the writer declares that doom will surely overtake the wicked. The confident trust in the Lord that marked the opening verse is now focused in a prayer that the Lord would arise, assert His power,and judge the nations of the earth with such a terrifying judgment that the wicked would realize that they are but human and that they cannot oppress those who trust in the Lord. By their subjection, they will be made to realize their frail nature, and deter them from all conceit and future rebellion.
Let the heathen (nations) be judged—the nations are yet to be judged, according to our Lord (Matthew 25:31-46), “Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32).