Psalm 9 - Passive Justice

Don't get too worked up about your enemies; ultimately they'll trip themselves.

Psalm 9,

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

3 My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,

sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.

5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;

even the memory of them has perished.

7 The Lord reigns forever;

he has established his throne for judgment.

8 He rules the world in righteousness

and judges the peoples with equity.

9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10 Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;

proclaim among the nations what he has done.

12 For he who avenges blood remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!

Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

14 that I may declare your praises

in the gates of Daughter Zion,

and there rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,

all the nations that forget God.

18 But God will never forget the needy;

the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

19 Arise, Lord, do not let men triumph;

let the nations be judged in your presence.

20 Strike them with terror, Lord;

let the nations know they are but men.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Articles 1-14

Article 15 - Reprobation

Holy Scripture most especially highlights this eternal and undeserved grace of our election and brings it out more clearly for us,
1. in that it further bears witness that
  1. not all people have been chosen
  2. but that some have not been chosen or have been passed by in God’s eternal election—
2. those, that is, whom God, on the basis of his entirely free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure, made the following decree:
  1. to leave them in the common misery into which, by their own fault, they have plunged themselves;
  2. not to grant them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
  3. but finally to condemn and eternally punish those who have been left in their own ways and under God’s just judgment, not only for their unbelief but also for all their other sins, in order to display his justice.
And this is the decree of reprobation,
1. which does not at all make God
  1. the author of sin (a blasphemous thought!)
  2. but rather its fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger.

Summary

Psalm 9 is actually half a Psalm, with Psalm 10 forming its second half. The overall purpose of these psalms is the prayer encapsulated in the final two verses of Psalm 9, that God would judge the nations (the nations in the Bible represent all who reject God) and strike them with terror.

But this prayer is couched in hope and faith - David begins it rejoicing and singing the praise of the Most High, giving thanks and telling of all of the LORD's wonderful deeds. Like so many Biblical prayers, most of Psalm 9 falls into the categories of Acknowledging who God is and Aligning those who pray with God's will, with only a small fraction of the prayer dedicated to Asking God for what the one praying wants.

The aspect of David's musical prayer that grabs our attention today is the final stanza of Psalm 9, which begins in v15. David notes the nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. In a sense, God doesn't do anything to topple the wicked; they topple themselves!

This is the premise of the Biblical doctrine of reprobation that we've focused on in this past week. It's not that God forces some people to reject Him and the salvation He freely offers, rather He leaves them in the common misery into which, by their own fault, have plunged themselves. God only acts graciously: through His Spirit He regenerates those He's chosen so that we accept the grace offered through Christ. He simply and mysteriously passes over those doomed to bear the consequences of their own action.

Dig Deeper

Can you imagine praying the way David prays: that God would judge the nations and strike them with terror? We looked at the imprecatory nature of so many of the Psalms a few weeks ago in which the psalmist implores the LORD to bring injury and curses upon evil people, and once again we see it on display in this week's psalm.

There's a very fine - but distinct - line between holy imprectations and sinful spite. So often, our desire for God to squash our enemies flows out of our narcissism: since somebody hurt us or somebody we love, we want them to get what they have coming, and who better to deliver that justice than God Almighty. But Jesus upended this selfish tendency, commanding us to "love our enemies and pray for those who those who persecute us" (Matt. 5:44).

So how come David (and others) seem to get away with praying for the destruction of his enemies - inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so, no less? It's because the Bible's imprecatory prayers don't flow out of personal envy, spite or hatred. David calls God to rebuke the nations and destroy the wicked not just because they hurt David, or even Israel, but because they forget God. David isn't simply asking God for revenge, He's asking God to demonstrate His holy justice, which requires that God exercise vengeance against those who stand against Him and His people.

It's not wrong for you to pray imprecatory prayers when appropriate, but the main focus of your prayers must be Acknowledging who God is, Aligning yourself with God's will and thanking God for sovereignly pulling you out of the common misery you plunged yourself into. Then you can Ask God to Arise - do not let men triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: That you might declare the LORD's praises and rejoice in His salvation;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Ask God to let the nations know they are only men.