INTRODUCTION
This is a psalm of confident praise for the certain justice of God in the earth. The nations rage, the destroyers destroy, but the King is on His throne. He rebukes and destroys the wicked, and those who put their trust in His name will not be forgotten and will rejoice in His salvation. He does this in history, and He has appointed a day in which Jesus Christ will judge the world.
The Text: “To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works…” (Psalm 9:1-20)
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
This psalm is for the chief musician upon “muthlabben,” which is an obscure Hebrew word. It may refer to a historic occasion or tune or instrument or something else. This is a psalm of David, and it begins with exuberant praise for what God has recently done and for all His marvelous works of deliverance in history (Ps. 9:1-2). God has maintained David’s cause and rebuked the wicked and brought their destructions to an end (Ps. 9:3-6). This is because God endures forever, and He ministers justice (Ps. 9:7-8). This justice is a refuge in times of trouble, for everyone who trusts in God (Ps. 9:9-10). This is why David sings praises to the Lord: God searches out the shedding of innocent blood and hears the cries of the humble (Ps. 9:11-12).
It is for all of this that David renews his cry for more mercy and deliverance (Ps. 9:13). One of the chief reasons is so that David can renew his praise (Ps. 9:14). David knows that God rules the world in such a way that the wicked fall into their own pits: a man reaps what he sows. And Christians really should meditate on that – Higgaion Selah (Ps. 9:15-16). The wicked are turned into Sheol, but those who look to the Lord will never be forgotten (Ps. 9:17-18). So David sings that the Lord would arise once more and judge the wicked, so everyone may fear the Lord and know they are mere men (Ps. 9:19-20).
POTENT PRAISE
We know that the “joy of the Lord is our strength,” but frequently this is a vague attempt to conjure up happy feelings instead of a robust joy rooted in the long list of God’s “marvelous works.” This is why Philippians 4 moves from fighting anxiety with grateful prayer right into “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things… and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9). The word for “think” means to count or calculate. You fight fear and anxiety by making lists of all of God’s marvelous works and praising Him for them, by meditating on them.
We were made to praise God, to be utterly devoted to Him, with our “whole heart” (Ps. 9:1). And here we see that praise is both the foundation and the end of the courageous Christian life: “That I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion” (Ps. 9:14). You stand on praise in order to stand against evil with the goal of more praise.
A WORD FOR THE WICKED
Psalm 9 is a confident prayer of defiance against the wicked in our land. “When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble” (Ps. 9:12). This certainly includes the blood and cries of the unborn in our land. Like the psalmist, we are grateful for the initial victory of Dobbs overturning Roe (this is certainly one of God’s more recent “marvelous works”), but we still cry out for justice in our land, asking God to arise and let not man prevail (Ps. 9:19).
There is a severe warning here for those continuing in these blood-thirsty ways: you will sink down into the pit you have made; your own feet will be caught in the net you have hid (Ps. 9:15). You who chop up little babies: you will be cut up by the work of your own hands (Ps. 9:16). And we may add to this: those who cause little ones to stumble with their sexual perversions, those who mutilate adolescent bodies, those who cover their families in violence through adultery and divorce (Mal. 2:16), as well as those who steal and plunder through unjust weights and measures, oppressive taxation, and unbiblical government regulations and programs. You are building your own gallows, and the Judge of all the earth will see you on them.
A WORD FOR HUSBANDS & FATHERS
This Psalm is a psalm of King David and it models a kind of leadership that all men must grow into, especially husbands and fathers. The central thing we see here is courageous praise. There’s a kind of empty confidence that is just bluster and doesn’t actually inspire confidence, but there is a kind of faithful confidence that encourages everyone. And the center of it is praise for what God has done, and the eyes of faith see that everything good has come from God’s presence (Ps. 9:1-3).
One kind of husband/father says, “everything will be fine” but points to nothing to reassure his family, and the implicit ground of that confidence is “I’ll figure something out/maybe we’ll get a lucky break.” But that really isn’t reassuring, especially if your attempts have not proven historically helpful. Another kind of husband/father just melts under the pressure and checks out: Netflix, social media doomscrolling, drinking, hunting. And that really destroys confidence. But the godly man praises God with His whole heart for all His marvelous works. The godly man says, “God has always been faithful. He has provided for us. He has heard our prayers. He has watched over us. He is with us. He is our refuge and strength. He will always remember us” (Ps. 9:9-10, 18). All blessed authority thrives under Christ.
A WORD FOR ALL CHRISTIANS
Not only must men lead in this, but all Christians are required to walk in this, even if your leaders falter or stumble. The Lord shall endure forever; His throne of judgment never takes a day off (Ps. 9:7). So, you sing praises to His name; you declare among the people His doings (Ps. 9:11). He brought Israel out of Egypt; He raised Jesus from the dead. And none of our lists of praise are long enough. Praise Him with your whole heart. And when you praise the Lord like this, you will walk in the confidence and joy of the Lord.