Psalm 9 is a classic example of a lament psalm. As you recall, a lament psalm has five ingredients to its structure, the most prominent of which is the lament itself. The lament is where the psalmist exposes the enemies of God – who are also usually his enemies as well. The title of this psalm reads To the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David. The title indicates for us that David wrote this psalm to God Himself (generally regarded as the “Chief Musician”) to a popularly known tune in his day (in Hebrew, Muth Labben). In this psalm, David celebrates the help and goodness of God with a big vision for the nations. While most believe the title Muth Labben refers to a tune, others suggest that it refers to an instrument upon which the song was played. Some (as in the New King James Version) associate the title with the phrase The Death of the Son, and apply that title as the ancient Chaldee version does: “Concerning the death of the Champion who went out between the camps,” referring to Goliath. Perhaps David wrote this psalm remembering the victory over Goliath from the vantage point of many years since that triumph. “From this point in the Psalter up to Psalm 148 the versions differ over the numbering of the psalms, since the LXX[Septuagint] and Vulgate, followed by the Roman church, count Psalms 9 and 10 as a single poem, while the Protestant churches follow the Hebrew reckoning.”
Psalm Chapter 9:1-20
“A Psalm of Thanksgiving Celebration for God’s Justice”
For the choir director: according to Muth-labben. A psalm of David.
I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High. When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my just cause; you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge. You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; you have erased their name forever and ever. The enemy has come to eternal ruin; you have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished. But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness. The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord. Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim his deeds among the nations. For the one who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the oppressed. Be gracious to me, Lord; consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death, so that I may declare all your praises. I will rejoice in your salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion. The nations have fallen into the pit they made; their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. The Lord has made himself known; he has executed justice, snaring the wicked by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah
The wicked will return to Sheol~all the nations that forget God. For the needy will not always be forgotten; the hope of the oppressed will not perish forever. Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail; let the nations be judged in your presence. Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only humans. Selah
Father God, thank You for the great encouragement I receive from the wonderful Word of You Father God, and how I praise You that the day is coming when You will judge the ungodly in righteousness. Help me to look to You no matter what difficulties and dangers arise in my life and may my trust in You be strengthened with ever passing day as I continue to prove Your faithfulness to the truth of Your Word. Praise God that Your Word abides for ever and that You have established Your throne in righteousness and justice, in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
“But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.”
(Psalm 9:7)
"Only Life Changes" 