Psalms 9

Psalms 9:11-20

In this psalm, 1. David praise God for victory over his enemies, ver. 10. 2. He comforts himself in the righteous judgment of God, and the protection of his people, ver. 7—10, 18. 3. He prays for fresh matter of praise, ver. 13, 14, 19, 20. 4. He rejoices in the final destruction of the ungodly, ver. 15—17. And this is very applicable to the kingdom of the Messiah, the enemies of which have been in part destroyed already, and shall be yet more and more, till they all be made his fastest; which we are to assure ourselves of, that God may have the glory, and we may take the comfort.

¶ To the chief musician upon Muth-labben, A psalm of David.

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 fastest 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 truth in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

2. 1—10. The occasion of this psalm seems to be some victory advanced over his enemies. Muth-labben is probably the musical instrument which accompanied the voice. He begins, 1. With praise and joy, v. 1, 2. His whole heart was engaged, if not in perfection, yet in sincerity, to shew forth God’s marvellous works; and all of them, so far as his memory could reach, especially the many and signal assignees the most High had given him against his numerous foes. Note, (1.) In all our faecers, let God have the praise. (2.) Whilst prosperity makes us thankful, our chief joy must still be in the God of our mercies. (3.) Since God hath ever proved himself the most High, no danger should distress, no enemies dismay us.

3. He describes the power unto God, v. 3. It was not his own arm, but the presence and power of the Lord that turned back with confusion his foes, and smote them to the ground. Thus the presence of Jesus, Yeho avid. 6. confounded the hand who approached to scare him; and when he shall sit on the throne of judgment, before his presence the ungodly must fall and perish for ever.

4. God’s righteousness was herein manifested, v. 4. A righteous cause God then owned and vindicated; and on this throne of judgment still he sits, to rescue those that are oppressed with wrong. And hither, under every unjust sentence of man we may still appeal; and though now suffering innocence may find no advocate, and unbelief would suggest that the Lord hath forsaken the earth, the day is at hand where every wrong shall be righted, and God appear just in his judgments. What a comfort to the sufferers in the cause of God and truth?

5. The triumphs of God over his enemies are recorded; over Goliath and the Philistines, whose ravages were stopped, their army routed, and their cities destroyed. And over his spiritual foes, Thou hast rebuked the heathen, by that gospel that confounded the idolatry of the heathen; thou hast destroyed the wicked, the perfecting powers of Rome pagen; and as what is purposed in the divine counsels, may be regarded as already conspirated, the enemy, v. 6. anachoth, and all his adherents, shall perish together; their ruin shall be compleat and final, and their name and memorial be blotted out from under heaven. Note, (1.) Though the wicked predger for a moment, they are marked for destruction. (2.) When God begins, he will make an end. (3.) It is matter of triumph to the people of God, when they see the powers of anachoth breaking, and an earnest of his final and eternal ruin.

6. He takes comfort from the views of the enduring kingdom, and righteous government of God. When all his foes are fallen, the Lord shall make it for ever; he hath prepared his throne for judgment, the great white throne, on which he is ready to appear, and pronounce the eternal state of angels and men. He shall judge the world in righteousness, for all judgment is committed unto him; and from his decisions, as there lies no appeal, he shall the equity of them be acknowledged by the damned themselves. The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble, and many are the troubles of the righteous within, from corruption, affliction, temptation, detestant without, from the ceaseless enmity of the world that lurth in wickedness. But blessed be God, we have a refuge to fly to in the arms of Jesus, who is now our present help in every time of trouble; and though he may for a time permit our enemy to oppress us, soon will he appear as our eternal refuge, to lodge us there where the wicked must cease from troubling. And they that know thy name, are acquainted experimentally with the gracious promises made in the word of truth by Jesus Christ, will put their truth in thee, though long or severely exercised with trials and troubles, will patiently want to see the salvation of God; and such will never be disappointed of their hope, for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that feel thee. Never hast, as the experience of all past ages testifies, never will, as the immutable promises that cannot deceive, assure us. Happy therefore is the man that putteth his truth in thee.

7. Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 12. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembreth them; he forgeteth 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 lifestyle 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 executes: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. 17. He may be a man, and all the nations that forget God. 18. For the needy shall not always 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.

David here proceeds,

1. To engage others with him in the delightful work of praise. Sing praises unto the Lord which dwelleth in Zion, the place where the symbols of his constant presence recollect: declare among the people his doings, his displays of grace, power, and love towards his cholem. When he maketh inquisition for blood, the blood of saints, sails by the ungodly, and all the evils inflicted on them, he remembreth them; either his saints, who, notwithstanding all their sufferings, are not forgotten by him, nor a drop

drop of their blood unnoticed: or the wicked, he remembreth their deeds, and will recompense them as they deserve. He forgereth not the cry of the humble, who, under the chastising rod, bow down, and renouncing every hope in themselves, look up to him; though he seem not sometimes to hear their cry, they are not forgotten of him, he will avenge them speedily. Having thus encouraged others to praise and trust him, David.

2. Offers his prayer for the continuance of the mercies he had experienced. His troubles were many; sometimes he seemed brought to the very gates of death, which his enemies pursued him with implacable hatred. And thus forely befet is every faithful foul; and often in the apprehension of forek, near the borders of the pit, from the prevalence of the powers of darkness. But he cries with David, have mercy upon me, and then experiences God’s supporting hand, thus that forfell me up from the gates of death, half done so from spiritual, and will from temporal and eternal death. And this is gloriously applicable to the great Redeemer, for whom God opened the gates of the grave, and lifted him triumphant from the bed of death, as he will also do for every believer in the great redorection day.

3. Thefe continued mercies would engage his confitant praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion, the church of God, and I will repose in thy salvation, as compleat, final, and eternal: and such is the salvation of Jesus for all his people, and the just matter of their never-ending joy.

4. He forefes, as Pfal. v. 11, 15. the destruction of the ungodly by their own devices; who, when most inveterate against him, assemble only to be broken to pieces, Rev. xvi. 16. xix. 19. At present, the wicked often find in the ways of wickedness the ruin which attends them, in diseases, poverty, and hereafter hell is ordained for their reception; where all the various, he they ever so great or numerous, who forget God, which is the cause of all other wickedness, and the summit of it, being the atheism of the heart, shall have their portion in everlasting humanity. And the Lord is broken in thy judgment he coveneth, the equity of his procedure will be evident, and the multitude of those who perish will bring no impediment on his mercy or justice, since it is the work of their own hands. Higginson, Selah. Let the faints of God consider and praise him for his judgments, and when the fmoak of the sinner’s torment ascends, say Hallelujah! Rev. xix. 3, 4.

5. He encourages the poor oppressed people of God to wait upon him. They shall not be forgotten; and though their expectations be deferred, they shall not perish for ever. Patient hope shall shortly receive the crown of eternal fruition.

6. He concludes with an urgent call to God, to arise, and cut short his week in righteousness. Let me may prevail, my enemies in general, or the man of sin in particular, Saul; let the heathen be judged in thy fight, brought to the bar, and receive their final doom. Put them in fear, O Lord, imprets thy terrors on their conscience, that they may repent as those who know themselves sinful men; or rather confound them with such a panic, that notwithstanding all their threatening, they may feel their weakness, and know how unequal the contest is between an arm of flesh, and the sword of omnipotence. Selah. My soul, wait thou still on the Lord, and thou shalt see the salvation of God!