Today's Video Devotion

Wednesday 9/13/23

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📺️ Psalm 9 🔊

¹I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

 ²I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

 ³When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.

 ⁴For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

 ⁵Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

 ⁶O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.

 ⁷But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

 ⁸And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

 ⁹The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

 ¹⁰And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

 ¹¹Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

 ¹²When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

 ¹³Have 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:

 ¹⁴That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

 ¹⁵The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

 ¹⁶The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

 ¹⁷The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

 ¹⁹Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

 ²⁰Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: David, Asaph, Solomon, Heman, Ethan, Moses, and the Sons of Korah

Date Penned: (1440-586 BC)

Overview: Poetry for the Expression of Praise and Worship to God (c 1-150)

Theme: The First Book of Psalms (c 1-41)

Message: God Never Ignores Our Cries (v 1-20)

Psalms 9 Commentary

(9:1) Praising the Lord - Praise is expressing to God our appreciation and understanding of his great worth. It is saying thank you for each aspect of his divine nature. Our inward attitudes become outward expressions. When we praise God, we help ourselves by expanding our awareness of who he is. In each psalm you read, look for an attribute or characteristic of God for which you can thank him.

(9:2) Telling Others of the Lord - One of the natural results of praising God is telling others about him. When we know God is wonderful, loving, and kind, that knowledge inspires in us a desire to tell others about him and encourage them to praise him with us.

(9:4) Our Vindicator - God upholds our just cause. He is our vindicator- the one who clears us from criticism and justifies us before others. In this life, we may face many injustices: We may be falsely accused and misunderstood by friends and enemies; we may not be truly appreciated by others for the love we show; the true value of our work and service may not be duly rewarded; our ideas may be ignored. But God is to be praised, for he sees and remembers all the good we do, and it is up to him to decide the timing and the appropriateness of our rewards. If we do not trust him to vindicate us, then we will be susceptible to hatred and self-pity. If we do trust him, we can experience his peace and be free from the worry of how others perceive us and treat us.

(9:10) God Will Not Abandon Us - God will never forsake those who seek him. (To forsake someone is to abandon them.) To seek God means to reach out to him, to surrender our hearts and minds to him. We find him in the Bible, in prayer, and in fellowship with others (Deuteronomy 4:29); we more fully relate to him through the work of his Son, Jesus (see John 14:9). This promise does not mean that if we trust in God we will escape loss or suffering; it means that God himself will never leave us no matter what we face.

(9:11) The Lord is Everywhere - God does not live only in Zion (another name for Mount Moriah, the hill on which the temple was built in Jerusalem); he is everywhere all the time. The focal point of Israelite worship, however, came to be Jerusalem and its beautiful temple. God was present in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8-9) and in the temple built by Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:16). From this central place of worship, the Israelites were to tell the world about the one true God.

(9:13-14) God's Justice - In times of trouble, we all want God to help us, but often for different reasons. Some want God's help so that they will be successful and well liked. Others want God's help so that they will be comfortable and happy. David, however, wanted help from God so that justice would be restored to Israel and so that he could show others God's power. When you call out to God for help, consider your motive. Is it to save yourself pain and embarrassment or to bring God glory and honor?

(9:18) God Knows Your Need - The world may ignore the plight of those in need, crushing any earthly hope they may have. But God, the champion of the weak, promises that this will not be the case forever. The wicked nations that forget the Lord and refuse to help their people will be judged by God. He knows our needs, he knows our tendency to despair, and he has promised to care for us (see also 9:9. 12). Even when others forget us, he will not.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the Book of Psalm with Chapter 9. In our text today, we see a theme of how God never ignores our cries for help. The truth is we serve God, that hears all and knows all. In making application, we see that our Lord never lets us down. Today we see that others will let us down and not be there when we need them, but our Lord is always there to hear us. He hears and responds according to his plan for our lives. Sometimes we doubt the Lord for we call, and he does not answer the way we want but rest assured he hears you and loves you. How about you? Do you believe that God hears you? Let us learn from our Psalm and text today that the Lord hears our prayers, loves us, and responds according to His Will for our lives.