Psalms 9-11

Thoughts

Psalm 9 (Part 1)

Psalms 9 and 10 form one acrostic poem. However the letterings are pretty inconsistent.

To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.

• Muth-labben likely refers to a tune or phrase meaning “death of the son.”

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”

• David begins with praise

“When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before Your presence.
For You have maintained my just cause;
You have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them”

• God defends the righteous and destroys evil 
• Those on an earthly throne will fade, but His authority remains forever.

“But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
He has established His throne for justice.”

• God’s reign is eternal

“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

• God is both Judge and Refuge

“Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.”

• Worship can be public and proclaiming, not just private or silent!

“Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.”

• David prays for grace, not just escape.

“The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.” 

• God makes Himself known even to nations that forget Him

“For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.”

• God cares about the oppressed 

“Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!”

• David ends asking God for intervention

from https://worshiparts.net/psalm-9-proclaim-the-justice-of-god/

Psalm 10 (Part 2)

“Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?”

• The psalm opens with raw honesty.

“In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul and renounces the LORD. In all his thoughts there is no God.
His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight. He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved.”

• Evil thrives on pride and ignorance. 
• They misattribute God’s silence/patience for acceptance of their evil ways. 

“His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. He lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket. He says in his heart, “God has forgotten; He will never see it.”

• The wicked think they are free from God’s judgment

“Arise, O LORD; lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say, “You will not call to account”? But You do see; You note mischief and vexation, that You may take it into Your hands. Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; seek out his wickedness till You find none.”

• The psalmist moves from sadness to plea 

“The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations perish from His land. O LORD, You hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline Your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

• God is King, even when unseen.
• He hears, strengthens, and acts

From https://worshiparts.net/psalm-10-why-do-the-wicked-prosper/

Psalm 11

To the choirmaster. Of David.

“In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain”?
For behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.”

• David has been advised to run from danger.
• But David says his refuge is in the Lord. 

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

• What’s the point of integrity when the world’s falling apart?

“The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of man.”

• When the earth feels unstable, heaven is not!
• God sees us 

“The LORD tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let Him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.”

• We are tested – Hebrew (יִבְחָן) means to test or even refine (metal)

“For the LORD is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face.”

• God’s character (righteous) shapes His love (for righteous deeds) and His reward (seeing His face).

Questions

None

Application

Psalm 9: God’s Justice. David recounts God’s wonderful deeds. Do you spend time in prayer recounting all God has done for you?

Psalm 10: God’s Distance. The psalmist here asks why God feels so far away(echoing Job). Evil may seem like it has won, but God awaits His perfect plan. 

Psalm 11: God Reigns. The foundations may shake, but God’s throne holds steadfast. David asks, “What can the righteous do?” They can look to God.