PSALM 9 (part 2) - The Righteous Judgments of God (Psalm 9:11-20)
We complete our study of Psalm 9, a Thanksgiving Psalm. v11 introduces the 2nd half of the Psalm with a parallel verse to v1, singing praises to the Lord, who dwells in and with His people (Zion), calling them to declare His deeds to all people.The basis for his praise, thanksgiving and declarations is God's justice that He performs on behalf of the oppressed and the humble, who call out to Him. In particular, He is the Avenger of innocent blood, who investigates every crime and hunts down the oppressor (v12, see also Numbers 35:33-34, Genesis 4:10, 2 Kings 9:26). God will remember and avenge the blood of His persecuted people. We discuss the avenger of blood and the cities of refuge in the Old Testament. All have sinned, and the Lord is the Avenger, who will hunt every man down until they pay in full for their sin, but God has also provided a City of Refuge for us - Jesus Christ, to whom we can flee for safety (Hebrews 6:18, Proverbs 18:10). Believers are those "who have fled for refuge to Christ" (Hebrews 6:18). In Christ we are saved from Divine Judgment. We discuss the danger of sitting on the fence as illustrated by the story of Joab killing Abner in the gates of Hebron (a city of refuge) in 2 Samuel 3.
Next David asks God to deliver him from those who hate him, who were seeking to kill him (v13), and it is significant that his main motivation for asking for deliverance was that it would result in God getting the glory (v14), which is a great example for us. If our prayers were motivated by the glory of God, we would surely see more answers. He then describes one way God's judgment works in this life - the law of sowing and reaping. Evildoers get ensnared in the same trap they set for others (v15,16). Haman built a gallows for Mordecai, only to be executed on it himself. God can created this universe to operate in a moral way, according to His moral and physical laws, so when people violate His moral order, it will come back to bite them. Moreover, sin carries its own curse, bringing darkness, death and destruction on the sinner. This can be seen as a judgment of God on sin, for God created and ordained things to work this way. "There 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, so the Psalmist adds at this point: "Higgaion; Selah", which means meditate on this; mark it well.
Then David goes on to describe final end of the wicked at death and beyond: "The WICKED shall be turned into HELL (Sheol), and all the nations that FORGET God." The essence of sin is forgetting God, living as if there is no God, forgetting the claims of our Creator. Even nice people who forget God are wicked in His sight. Since they forget Him and push Him out of their thoughts, God will forget them – they will be separated from His loving Presence forever. This is their eternal judgment - God gives them up to their choice to be independent from God. Why does the sinner forget God? Because the thought of God (1) makes him afraid, (2) doesn't entertain him enough, and (3) makes it hard for him to carry on in sin. By contrast "the needy (those who know their need for God and depend on Him) shall not always be forgotten (He will remember them forever - they will eternally dwell in His Presence). The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever" (v18). Even if it seems like God has forgotten them, He has not, and soon He will manifest His grace to them, which will continue forever.
David finishes with a prayer for God to move into action and judge the nations for their own sake: "Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail (prosper in their evil ways). Let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord (Divine judgments produce the fear of the Lord in people), that the nations may know themselves to be but (weak, frail) men (who need salvation). Selah" (v19,20). David does not ask God to display His judgment upon the wicked from a spirit of hatred. His real hope was that the display of God’s judgment would teach them their proper place before God, so that they would humble themselves before God and be saved (see Psalm 9:12). It is better for them to experience the wake up call of a judgment in this life, than face an eternal judgment of condemnation in Hell.
Next David asks God to deliver him from those who hate him, who were seeking to kill him (v13), and it is significant that his main motivation for asking for deliverance was that it would result in God getting the glory (v14), which is a great example for us. If our prayers were motivated by the glory of God, we would surely see more answers. He then describes one way God's judgment works in this life - the law of sowing and reaping. Evildoers get ensnared in the same trap they set for others (v15,16). Haman built a gallows for Mordecai, only to be executed on it himself. God can created this universe to operate in a moral way, according to His moral and physical laws, so when people violate His moral order, it will come back to bite them. Moreover, sin carries its own curse, bringing darkness, death and destruction on the sinner. This can be seen as a judgment of God on sin, for God created and ordained things to work this way. "There 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, so the Psalmist adds at this point: "Higgaion; Selah", which means meditate on this; mark it well.
Then David goes on to describe final end of the wicked at death and beyond: "The WICKED shall be turned into HELL (Sheol), and all the nations that FORGET God." The essence of sin is forgetting God, living as if there is no God, forgetting the claims of our Creator. Even nice people who forget God are wicked in His sight. Since they forget Him and push Him out of their thoughts, God will forget them – they will be separated from His loving Presence forever. This is their eternal judgment - God gives them up to their choice to be independent from God. Why does the sinner forget God? Because the thought of God (1) makes him afraid, (2) doesn't entertain him enough, and (3) makes it hard for him to carry on in sin. By contrast "the needy (those who know their need for God and depend on Him) shall not always be forgotten (He will remember them forever - they will eternally dwell in His Presence). The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever" (v18). Even if it seems like God has forgotten them, He has not, and soon He will manifest His grace to them, which will continue forever.
David finishes with a prayer for God to move into action and judge the nations for their own sake: "Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail (prosper in their evil ways). Let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord (Divine judgments produce the fear of the Lord in people), that the nations may know themselves to be but (weak, frail) men (who need salvation). Selah" (v19,20). David does not ask God to display His judgment upon the wicked from a spirit of hatred. His real hope was that the display of God’s judgment would teach them their proper place before God, so that they would humble themselves before God and be saved (see Psalm 9:12). It is better for them to experience the wake up call of a judgment in this life, than face an eternal judgment of condemnation in Hell.