Psalm 9

Psalm 9 is a song of thanksgiving and praise to God for His justice and protection. David expresses confidence that God will vindicate the righteous and judge the wicked. The psalm emphasizes God’s role as a righteous judge and protector of the oppressed. It also encourages the faithful to trust in the Lord even in the midst of adversity.

Psalm 9:1-10 (NKJV)
1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
5 You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
7 But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

David offers wholehearted praise to God for His marvelous works and celebrates His justice. He acknowledges that God defeats his enemies and ensures the triumph of righteousness. David sees God’s judgments as permanent, wiping away even the memory of the wicked. The Lord’s eternal nature provides hope, as His rule is marked by fairness and truth. David highlights God’s care for the oppressed and declares that those who know and trust the Lord will never be abandoned.

Psalm 9:11-20 (NKJV)
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.
12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.
13 Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
16 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Meditation. 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,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men.
Selah

David calls for continuous praise to God, emphasizing His concern for justice and the oppressed. He prays for God’s mercy amid personal troubles and expresses confidence that God will rescue him from death. David points out the poetic justice in how the wicked are caught in their own traps. He believes that God's judgment on the nations reflects His righteousness. The psalm concludes with a plea for God to rise in judgment, reminding the nations of their mortality and accountability before Him.