The title of this Psalm reads, To the Chief Musician. To the tune of
ÒDeath of the Son.Ó A Psalm of David. The title indicates for us
that David wrote this Psalm to God Himself (generally regarded as the ÒChief MusicianÓ) to a popularly known tune
in his day (in Hebrew, ÒMuth Labben).Ó
In this Psalm David celebrates the help and goodness of God with a big vision
for the nations.
Some believe the title Muth
Labben refers to a tune; others to an instrument upon which the song
was played. Some (as in the New King James Version) associate the title with
the phrase The Death of the Son,
and apply that title as the ancient Chaldee version does: ÒConcerning the death
of the Champion who went out between the camps,Ó referring to Goliath. Perhaps
David wrote this Psalm remembering the victory over Goliath from the advantage
of many years since that triumph.
ÒFrom this point in the Psalter up to Psalm 148 the versions differ over the numbering of the psalms, since the lxx and Vulgate, followed by the Roman church, count Psalms 9 and 10 as a single poem, while the Protestant churches follow the Hebrew reckoning.Ó (Derek Kidner)
A. Praising God for how He deals with an enemy.
1. (1-2) Singing praises to the God who does great things.
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
a. I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart: David recognized that God was worthy of praise with the whole heart. His entire being should be directed in affection towards God.
i. ÒHalf heart is no heart.Ó
(Spurgeon) ÒWe do not praise God with our lips very much, if at all. And when
we do, if we do, we praise him halfheartedly. . . . It is more often true that
Christians complain of how God has been treating them, carry on excessively
about their personal needs or desires, or gossip.Ó (Boice)
b. I
will tell of all Your marvelous works: Here David described an
important and often neglected way to praise God – to tell of all His marvelous
works. Simply remembering and telling the great things God has done
is wonderful way to praise Him.
i. ÒChristians,
so called, when they meet, seldom speak about God! Why is this? Because they
have nothing to say.Ó (Clarke)
ii. Marvelous
works: ÒWonderful deeds (or
things) is a single Hebrew word, particularly frequent in the Psalms, used
especially of the great redemptive miracles (e.g. Psalm 106:7, 22), but also of their less obvious
counterparts in daily experience (cf. Psalm 71:17), and of the hidden glories of Scripture (Psalm 119:18).Ó
(Kidner)
iii. David could see that
ÒTo-day is as full of God to this man as the sacred yesterdays of national
history, and his deliverances as wonderful as those of old.Ó (Maclaren)
c. I
will be glad and rejoice in You: David here described a second way
to praise God, by simply finding and expressing gladness and joy in God. This is a simply choosing to rest in
and celebrate the goodness, greatness, and kindness of God.
d. I
will sing praise to Your name, O Most High: Here David listed a
third way to praise God with the whole heart;
by singing praise
to the name of God. The idea is to
honor and celebrate the character and nature of God, recognizing Him as the Most High.
i. O
Most High: ÒGod was so first called by Melchizedek, upon a like
occasion as here by David, Genesis 14:19,20.Ó (Trapp)
2. (3-5) David praises God for
defending him against his enemies.
When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
a. When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence: In the first two verses of this Psalm David described general reasons for praising God, reasons that are always valid. Now he recounted a reason more specific to his present circumstances; he praised God for the way that the Most High defeated his enemies.
b. For
You have maintained my right and my cause: David saw God move
against his enemies by defending him on the principle of right and wrong in his conflict.
i. This shows us that the God
of David – that is, the God of the Bible – is not dispassionate
regarding right and wrong among men; that He is not always neutral in human
conflict. It is entirely true that men may think God is on their side when He is not, and that it may be that God is
against both parties in a
dispute. Nevertheless, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David could say ÒFor You have maintained my right and my cause.Ó
ii. Understanding this should
not make us automatically claim that God is on our side in our battles or disputes; it should rather
make us endeavor to be on GodÕs side,
by rigorously conforming ourselves to His word.
c. You
sat on the throne . . . You have rebuked the nations . . . You have blotted out
their name forever and ever: David saw God in action among the nations, and righteously judging the
wicked.
i. By implication, we see that
David also justified and defended the righteous – that is, himself in the
present situation.
ii. ÒThe past tenses of verses
5f. are Ôprophetic perfectsÕ, a feature of the Old Testament: they describe
coming events as if they have already happened, so certain is their fulfillment
and s clear the vision.Ó (Kidner)
3. (6-8) David celebrates the
LordÕs victory.
O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
a. O
enemy, destructions are finished forever! Here David shifted his
focus from speaking directly to the Lord
to now addressing the enemies whom the Lord
had defeated. David assured them that their evil work of destruction would end
in futility.
i. ÒThe metaphor of a
judgment-seat is exchanged for a triumphant description of the destructions
fallen on the land of the enemy, in all which God alone is recognised as the
actor.Ó (Maclaren)
b. But
the Lord shall endure forever:
We might have expected David to set himself
in contrast to the wicked; yet he was wise and humble enough to know that God
would judge the wicked more for being His own enemies instead of DavidÕs.
c. He
shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness: David
looked forward to the eventual and ultimate rule of God over all nations. This
would be the perfect expression of GodÕs righteous judgment.
i. ÒThe psalm is a great
pattern of praise on a far too much neglected level in our day. We praise God
much for His mercy. That is right, but it is a good thing to recognize His
righteous rule, and to praise Him for that.Ó (Morgan)
ii. One thousand years after
DavidÕs time, the Apostle Paul quoted this line on Mars Hill: He shall judge the world in righteousness
(Acts 17:31).
B. Praising God for how He treats the oppressed.
1. (9-10) God is a trustworthy
refuge.
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
a. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed: Here David was grateful that God did more than judge the wicked; He also was a refuge and support for those oppressed by the wicked.
i. Times
of trouble: ÒThe rare word rendered ÔextremityÕ in Psalm 9:9 occurs
only here and in Psalm 10:1. It means a cutting off, i.e., of hope of deliverance. The notion of distress
intensified to despair is conveyed.Ó (Maclaren)
b. Those
who know Your name will put their trust in You: David understood
that the help of God wasnÕt given just because God favored some and opposed
others. It was because His people have relationship with Him (know Your
name), they have faith
in Him (out their trust in You), and
they seek Him (who seek You).
i. It is a serious trial to the child of God to feel forsaken by God. There are particular times when we are likely to feel that the Lord has forsaken us.
á When we have sinned
á When we face great trouble
á When we have some great job to do
á When
we feel our prayers are unanswered
ii. Yet we can find refuge in
seeking God, in knowing His name. ÒTo Ôknow Thy nameÕ is here equivalent to
learning GodÕs character as made known by His acts.Ó (Maclaren)
iii. ÒWe never trust a man till
we know him, and bad men are better known than trusted. Not so the Lord, for
where his name is poured out as an ointment, there the virgins love him, fear
him, rejoice in him, repose upon him.Ó (Trapp)
iv. ÒMen complain of their
little faith: the remedy is in their own hands; let them set themselves to know
God. . . . But for all this, you must make time. You cannot know a friend from
hurried interviews, much less God. So you must steep yourself in deep, long
thoughts of his nearness and his love.Ó (Meyer)
2. (11-12) Singing praise to
the God who remembers His people.
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.
When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.
a. Sing
praises to the Lord:
David exhorted others to do what he had already done in this Psalm – to
praise the Lord, and to declare His deeds among the people.
i. ÒSinging and preaching, as
means of glorifying God, are here joined together, and it is remarkable that,
connected with all revivals of gospel ministry, there has been a sudden
outburst of the spirit of song. LutherÕs Psalms and Hymns were in all menÕs mouths,
and in the modern revival under Wesley and Whitfield, the strains of Charles
Wesley, Cennick, Berridge, Toplady, Hart, Newton, and many others, were the
outgrowth of restored piety.Ó (Spurgeon)
ii. David here communicated
something known among those who praise God. When they praise God, it is natural
for them to draw others into similar praise.
b. When
He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble:
David called others to praise God for the same reasons David had praised Him
earlier; notably, because God is a partisan on behalf of the oppressed and the
humble. God even avenges their blood.
i. Numbers 35:33-34 tells us
that the blood of unavenged murders pollutes the earth. The blood of Abel spoke
to God (Genesis 4:10), as did the blood of Nabal (2 Kings 9:26). God has
promised to avenge blood and remember the murdered. ÒThe designation of God as
Ômaking inquisition for bloodÕ thinks of Him as the Goel, or Avenger. To seek
here means to demand back . . . to demand compensation or satisfaction, and
this finally comes to mean to avenge or punish.Ó (Maclaren)
ii. It reminds us that God will
remember and avenge the blood of His persecuted people. ÒO persecutors, there
is a time a–coming, when God will make a strict enquiry after the blood
of Hooper, Bradford, Latimer, Taylor, Ridley, etc. There is a time
a–coming, wherein God will enquire who silenced and suspended
such–and–such ministers, and who stopped the mouths of
such–and–such, and who imprisoned, confined, and banished such–and–such,
who were once burning and shining lights, and who were willing to spend and be
spent that sinners might be saved, and that Christ might be glorified.Ó
(Spurgeon)
3. (13-14) A plea for mercy
from the God who remembers.
Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
That I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in Your salvation.
a. Have
mercy on me, O Lord!
David had just considered that God remembered the cry of the humble. Now David wanted God to remember him in his season of trouble
(consider my trouble from those who hate me).
i. Gates
of death . . . Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: ÒThe
contrast between the gates of death and the gates of the New Jerusalem is very
striking; let our songs be excited to the highest and most rapturous pitch by
the double consideration of whence we are taken.Ó (Spurgeon)
b. That
I may tell of all Your praise: David wanted God to rescue him so
that he could give God all the more praise,
and all the more passionately to rejoice in
GodÕs salvation.
i. Again, the idea is that
David has much more than his own benefit and well-being in mind. Even his
deliverance is a way for God to bring more glory to Himself. David did not see
his rescue as the final goal; the goal was always GodÕs greater glory.
ii. I
will rejoice in Your salvation: ÒIt is a good thing for the
melancholy to become a Christian; it is an unfortunate thing for the Christian
to become melancholy. If there is any man in the world that has a right to have
a bright, clear face and a flashing eye, it is the man whose sins are forgiven
him, and who is saved with GodÕs salvation.Ó (Spurgeon)
4. (15-16) The destiny of the
wicked.
The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah
a. The
nations have sunk down in the pit which they made: David understood
the triumph of God to be so complete that His enemies are ensnared in the same
trap they set for others. Even the best plans and efforts of those who oppose
God end up serving His purpose.
i. This pattern is demonstrated
again and again in the Scriptures.
á Esau
and Isaac plot against the purpose of God and end up serving it.
á JosephÕs
brothers fight against the plan of God only to further it.
á Hamaan
built a gallows for Mordecai the Jew, only to be executed upon it himself.
á Judas
betrayed Jesus and became himself a fulfillment of prophecy.
ii. This of course never
justifies the evil that men do; though the betrayal of Judas sent Jesus to the
cross, he himself was rightly called the son of perdition (the one destined for destruction) for his evil work
(John 17:12).
iii. ÒThere
is nothing that a wicked man does that is not against his own interest. He is
continually doing himself harm, and takes more pains to destroy his soul than
the righteous man does to get his saved unto eternal life. This is a weighty
truth; and the psalmist adds: Higgaion; Selah. Meditate on this; mark it well.Ó (Clarke)
b. The
Lord is known by the judgment He
executes: The greatness of God is demonstrated by the way He can
both use the plans and efforts of the ungodly, while also bringing righteous judgment upon them.
C. Appealing to the God who judges in righteousness.
1. (17-18) God will deal with both the wicked and the humble.
The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
a. The
wicked shall be turned into hell: Here, as David approaches the
conclusion of the Psalm, he considered the end of the wicked – ultimate destruction in hell.
i. In the patterns of Hebraic
poetry the phrase Òand all the nations that
forget GodÓ can be considered just another way of describing the wicked mentioned in the previous line.
Yet it is a useful repetition, reminding us of the inherently great sin of forgetting
God.
ii. What does the sinner forget about God?
á Man forgets the infinite majesty and glory of God.
á Man
forgets the mercies of God.
á Man
forgets the laws of God.
á Man forgets the presence of God.
á Man
forgets the justice of God.
iii. Why does the sinner forget God?
á Man forgets God because the thought of God makes man afraid.
á Man forgets God because the thought of God doesnÕt entertain him enough.
á Man
forgets God because the thought of God makes it hard to carry on in sin.
iv. ÒThe forgetters of God are
far more numerous than the profane or profligate, and according to the very
forceful expression of the Hebrew, the nethermost hell will be the place into
which all of them shall be hurled headlong. Forgetfulness seems a small sin,
but it brings eternal wrath upon the man who lives and dies in it.Ó (Spurgeon)
v. The
wicked shall be turned into hell: ÒHebrew, into into hell (twice),
that is, into the nethermost hell, the lowest dungeon of hell. . . . R.
SolomonÕs note here is, they shall be carried away from hell to judgment, and
from judgment they shall be returned to the deepest pit of hell.Ó (Trapp)
b. For
the needy shall not always be forgotten: David expresses a beautiful
contrast here. The wicked try to forget God;
yet the needy and poor (here describing the godly who are
oppressed by GodÕs enemies) are not . . .
forgotten.
i. Shall
not always be forgotten reminds us that from the perception of the needy and poor,
they may for a time feel forgotten. Yet the good God promises that they will
not always feel this way and their expectation will not forever be
disappointed.
ii. There are few more painful
things than feeling forgotten and
feeling disappointed. To those in
such pain, God makes these wonderful promises; that they shall not always be forgotten, and their expectation will not perish.
á You shall not always be forgotten at the mercy-seat; so keep praying.
á You shall not always be forgotten in the Word; so keep reading.
á You shall not always be forgotten from the pulpit; so keep hearing.
á You shall not always be forgotten at the LordÕs Table; so keep receiving.
á You
shall not always be forgotten in your service; so keep serving.
á You
expected to have peace in Jesus; in Him you will have it.
á You
expected to triumph over sin; in Him you will triumph.
á You
expected to get out of trouble; in Him you will be delivered.
á You
expected to grow strong in faith; in Him you will be strengthened.
á You
expected to have spiritual joys and experiences, in Him you will have them.
iii. ÒThe
needy, and the poor, whose expectation is from the Lord, are never forgotten,
though sometimes their deliverance is delayed for the greater confusion of
their enemies, the greater manifestation of God's mercy, and the greater
benefit to themselves.Ó (Clarke)
2. (19-20) An appeal for God to
glorify Himself among the nations.
Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
a. Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail: Previously in this Psalm David expressed a firm confidence in GodÕs judgment of the wicked and His vindication of the righteous. Yet David did not allow this expectation to make him passive or fatalistic in regard to the outworking of GodÕs plan. Instead he boldly prayed, ÒArise, O Lord, do not let man prevail.Ó
i. ÒPrayers are the ChurchÕs
weapons . . . whereby she is terrible as an army with banners; she prays down
her enemies.Ó (Trapp)
ii. ÒThe word for man, in both verses, one which tends to emphasize his
frailty.Ó (Kidner)
iii. ÒAll the wealth of Croesus,
the wisdom of Solon, the power of Alexander, the eloquence of Demosthenes, if
added together, would leave the possessor but a man. May we ever remember this,
lest like those in the text, we should be put in fear.Ó (Spurgeon)
b. Let
the nations be judged in Your sight. . . . That the nations may know themselves
to be but men: David again expressed his confidence in GodÕs
judgment of the wicked. Yet this did not lead David to a hatred of mankind or
unhealthy joy in judgment. His real hope was that the display of GodÕs judgment
would teach the nations their proper
place before God (to be but men).
i. This is a place of humility,
and as David has already noted in this Psalm, the humble are remembered before
God (Psalm 9:12). This was a prayer for God to reach the nations through the display of His judgment.
ii. ÒStrange, that man, dust in
his original, sinful by his fall, and continually reminded of both by every
thing in him and about him, should yet stand in need of some sharp affliction,
some severe visitation from God, to bring him the knowledge of himself, and
make him feel who and what he is.Ó (Horne)
iii. ÒSo the two parts of the
psalm end with the thought that the ÔnationsÕ may yet come to know the name of
God, the one calling upon those who have experienced His deliverance to
Ôdeclare among the peoples His doings,Õ the other praying God to teach by
chastisement what nations who forget Him have failed to learn from mercies.Ó
(Maclaren)
iv. ÒWhat prayer, then, can we
pray which is of more vital importance than that the nations may know
themselves to be but men? Such knowledge must drive them to dependence upon
God, and such dependence is the secret of national strength, and of national
prosperity and permanence.Ó (Morgan)
© 2008 David Guzik - No
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