The Righteous Judge

(1) I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
(2) I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
(3) When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
(4) For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
(5) Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
(6) O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
(7) But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
(8) And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
(9) The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
(10) And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
(11) Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
(12) When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
(13) Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
(14) That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
(15) The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
(16) The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. 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 for ever.
(19) Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
(20) Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
--Psalm 9 KJV Bible

Psalms 9 and 10 form a partially alphabetic acrostic in the Hebrew text. For the most part, every other verse begins with the next successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Psalm 9 description says the psalm is for "Muth-labben," meaning "the death of the son" or "the death of the fool." It is uncertain what this references. One suggestion is that it was an event that motivated the writing of the psalm. Another suggestion is that it is a recommentation of how the song is to be performed, either played using a particular musical instrument or a particular melody, or that it could even be a voicing recommentation such as "young boy's voices." Some translatiors prefer this last possibility, but write it as "soprano voices."

In Psalm 9 David praises the Lord, the righteous Judge. The song appears to be referencing events which have occurred as well as things which are to come.

In verses 1 through 10 David praises God for destroying the wicked. In verses 5 and 6 David notes that the wicked are punished forever. Not even their creations remain as a reminder of them.

In verses 11 and 12 David strongly encourages the people to praise God. In verse 12 David refers to God as an Avenger of Blood in His response to the wicked. Here David references the law's requirement that one human life must be given in exchange for the taking of another human life. This concept of capital punishment is first outined in Genesis chapter 9. Two reasons given in the Genesis passage are that every man is made in the image of God, and every murderer is essentially killing is own brother.

In verses 13 through 20 David calls upon God to destroy the wicked so the righteous may be delivered. At the end of verse 16 the instrutions include the Hebrew "Higgaion" ("hig-gaw-yone"). This may be a direction to use a specific instrument, or to meditate, or to produce a particular solemn sound. In verse 17 David uses the Hebrew "Sheol," meaning "grave" or "pit." It can also be a reference to an Old Testament concept meaning the place of departed spirits, both the righteous and the wicked. This is sometimes translated as "hell." In verse 18 David reminds that God will remember the faithful. In verses 19 and 20 David asks the righteous Judge to remind the nations of how frail and temporary they truly are.

O God, help me to remember that whatever I do and whatever I create, it is frail and temporary. You alone have always been and will always be. Praise to the Lord, the righteous Judge.

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