Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Psalm 9 Devotional Bible Study by Steve Wilson

Psalm 9

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

 

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

 

My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
For you have upheld my right and my cause,
    sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;
    even the memory of them has perished.

 

The Lord reigns forever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
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.[c]
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.

 

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
  2. Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
  3. Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.


 

 

1. Why does David give thanks to the Lord in this psalm? Because God has defended him against his enemies. God has acted as the righteous judge, ruling against and punishing entire nations who do wrong.

 

Who are the enemies today? What nations would you identify as acting wickedly? Pray that the Lord would punish those countries for the sake of those they are harming in their sin.

 

 

2. David assures us that the Lord is always a safe place for the oppressed, the afflicted, the needy. God will never forget them but will protect them and bring about justice for them, so they can continue to hope even in the midst of their troubles.

 

Who are the victims of wicked people, regimes, and countries today? Pray that the Lord would protect them where they are and lead them to safety. Pray that they do not despair but continue to hope in the Lord for their present salvation.

 

 

3. God is sovereign over the entire world. He is the fair judge. He will not let wickedness go unpunished. Nations themselves are mortal – they will be crushed or fade out of existence – but God remains forever.

 

Praise God for His sovereignty and righteousness. Thank Him for His fairness and justice. Pray that the people and nations who do evil will fear the Lord and remember that they are mortals who will face an eternal God. Pray that God makes an example out of the nations to remind them of the consequences of their actions.

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment