Although Psalm 9 and 10 should be studied together, I have chosen to study them separately. In most ancient manuscripts (Septuagint and Vulgate), these two Psalms form one Psalm. There are at least four reasons for pairing them together:
- They form a partial acrostic. Psalm 9 contains 11 of the first twelve letters of the twenty-two letter Hebrew alphabet and Psalm 10 contains seven of the final ten letters.
- Similarities in words and style
- Subject matter. Although Psalm 9 deals with the nations and Psalm 10 deals with Israel, they both speak on judgment.
- Of all the Psalms in Book One of the Psalms, Psalm 10 is the only one without a superscription.
With that presented, let us turn our attention to Psalm 9.
Verses 1-2-David begins with words that should always be on our lips: Praise to God (Psalm 146.2) for whom He is and for what He has done (see Psalm 8). Are you praising God with all that He has given you to praise Him? What is it in your life that is not praising Him?
Verses 3-4-David sees that God is actively responding to his prayers and bringing justice upon the earth.
Verses 5-6-The judgment is eternal in nature, even to the point that the memory of them will perish too. Is this established in eternity or does it apply to history?
Verses 7-8-God will judge the world righteously through Jesus Christ (Acts 17.24-31).
Verses 9-10-God does not forsake His people. He protects them. He protects the oppressed as well. How?
Verses 11-12-God is righteous and will not let those who shed blood “get away with murder” (Genesis 9.5 and Nahum 1.2-6).
Verses 13-14-David calls out to God to bless him with God’s grace. He calls on God’s mercy so he may praise God and bring testimony of how good God is to the world.
Verses 15-16-The nations will know there is a God who is mighty in power and righteous in judgment. Exodus 7.5 states this and the ten plagues illustrate this truth.
Both terms, Higgaion and Selah, ask us to ponder the great truths mentioned in the previous section. How righteous is the God you serve?
Verse 17-David expresses the grief that the godless will not see God; their paths lead to destruction.
Verse 18-Does David merely mean the needy and the poor? Or, can he mean all those who see themselves in need of God and poor in spirit (Matthew 5.1-12)?
Verses 19-20-The world seems to have forgotten that we are mere men and God is God.
Selah asks us to ponder the great truths mentioned in the previous section. How righteous is the God you serve? Does He take care of us?
The world will not get it right until they bow in submission to the God of the Universe. Until then, we need to be in prayer for God to intervene and bring justice and righteousness to the front of the line. Are you praying for God to intervene?