Psalm 9

1 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous 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 sats 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 forever: 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 always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

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. (KJV)

Reading this psalm, I see a portrait of the reign of David written here.    The opening verses reveal three characteristics that David had in his life as he strives daily to walk in the way of the Lord, which should also be the characteristics that we have in our life as well.  These characteristics of praising the Lord with all our heart, telling of all his wonders, and being glad in the Lord and rejoicing in him should be the focus of our daily mediation. 

This psalm not only portraits David’s rule but also the coming reign of Christ.  The mystery of Christ is one that has consumed my quiet moments for most of my life.  How can Christ be King of kings and at the same time be my Savior who I can have a personal relationship.  This personal relationship is available to all who accept him as Lord and Savior.  This psalm has a promise for those who know him in verse ten: Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Knowing the Lord and then trusting him is a promise that all Christians should embrace.

 In the sixty plus years that I have known Him and placed my trust in Him as a young boy He has never forsaken me.  Sometimes like the poem Footprints in the Sand thatrefers to a man that looks back on his walk with the Lord and sees several times when trouble was in his life there was only one set of footprints, I too have felt that way.  But the more I trust Him the more I see how He has carried me.  So, as you go along the journey of life trust in the Lord and lean not on our understand; but let the Spirit guide you in all understanding.  He will if you let him.  He is more loving than you can ever imagined.

This psalm also covers the wickedness of the ungodly and how we as the believers are waiting on this coming judgement of the wicked.  These are the attributes assigned to the Lord in this psalm:

But the Lord shall endure forever.

He hath prepared his throne for judgment.

He shall judge the world in righteousness.

He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed.

The Lord will also be a refuge in times of trouble.

The Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

He maketh inquisition for blood.

He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me.

The Lord that liftest me up from the gates of death.

The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth.

O Lord let not man prevail let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

O Lord put them in fear, that the nations may know themselves to be but men.

This psalm reveals David’s view of the Lord.  David knew he would suffer the ungodly because of his belief in the Lord.  But he kept his faith in the Lord.  Paul writes to Timothy in II Timothy chapter one verse twelve about his faith in Christ.  “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am ashamed:  for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”  Paul like David had this personal relation with the Lord, and like David, Paul looked forward to the day of judgement that the Lord promise to the faithful.  This is the same faith that we must keep as believers in this world.