SERMON OUTLINE:
Personal Praise (vs 1-3)
Powerful Protection (vs 4-10)
Petition Praise (vs 11-14)
Persuaded Providence (vs 15-20)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• In 1675, some nine years after the terrible fire in London,
• Sir Christopher Wren himself laid the first foundation stone;
• In what was to be his greatest architectural enterprise,
• The building of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
• It took him thirty-five long years to complete this task,
• And when it was done he waited breathlessly for the reaction of Queen Anne.
• After being carefully shown through the structure,
• She summed up her feelings for the architecture in three words:
• “It is awful; it is amusing; it is artificial.”
• You might have expected Sir Christopher Wren to be heart-broken and depressed;
• By Queen Anne’s statement.
• But he wasn’t!
• The reason being language has changed down the years:
• In 171 the word awful meant “awe-inspiring,”
• In 171 the word amusing meant “amazing,”
• And in 171 the word artificial meant “artistic.”
• What to our ears might sound like devastating criticism;
• Was in that time, words of measured praise.
• TRANSITION:
• Tonight we are looking at Psalm 9
• Which are ancient words of measured praise
Introduction: 3 things to note:
(First):
• If you were to ask people what a Psalm is;
• Most people would probably say; ‘A hymn of praise’.
• And that would be a good answer.
• And yet none of the previous Psalms (#1-8):
• Contain much praise and none are what we might call purely hymns of praise.
• Such as we find towards the end of the book i.e. Psalm 150.
• The closet that comes to praise is Psalm 8:
• But even that Psalm was chiefly a celebration of man’s place in the created universe.
• Psalm 9:
• Is the first Psalm that is chiefly a song of pure praise.
• Verses 1-12: Contains praise for past deliverance;
• Verses 13-20: Contains prayer for future deliverance;
• Yet so confident is Psalmist his prayers also seem to be praise.
(Second):
• In the Greek and Latin versions of the Bible;
• And in Roman Catholic tradition Psalm 9 & 10 are joined as one Psalm.
• Most English Bibles and the Protestant tradition;
• Reckon these as two separate psalms.
Note:
• The reason they are joined together by some:
• Is that together they almost but not quite form an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet.
• i.e. Psalm contains the first eleven letters of the Hebrew alphabet;
• But it omits the letter D - ‘deleth’.
• i.e. Psalm 10 uses the second half of the alphabet;
• Beginning with L – ‘lameth’.
• BUT three letters are missing and two letters are reversed*.
(*footnote - Scholars have restored two of them by making slight changes in the text, but this does not prove that the original version had these letters. See Ibid 123)
The important thing to note is:
• In is that in the Hebrew text these Psalms are two separate works.
• So the original Hebrew cannon of scripture view them as two separate Psalms.
• Also, note that the content of the two Psalms is very different:
• Psalm 9 is a song of praise.
• Psalm 10 is a song of lament, a dirge, a cry, a lamentation.
(1). Personal praise (vs 1-3);
“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”.
ill:
• Preacher Harry Ironside was in a crowded restaurant one time.
• Just as he was about to begin his meal,
• A man who was unable to find a seat in the busy restaurant;
• Approached and asked if he could join him.
• Ironside invited him to have a seat.
• Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer.
• When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?"
• Ironside replied, "No, I don’t."
• The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?"
• Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat."
• The man said, "Oh, you’re one of those, are you?
• Well, I want you to know I never give thanks.
• I earn my money by the sweat of my brow;
• And I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"
• Ironside looked the man in the eyes and said,
• "Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!"
• Many people are not thankful to God for anything.
• Sadly you can see this ingratitude displayed in their lives in so many ways.
Notice:
• David uses the expression “I will” four times in verses 1-2:
• He is commanding himself to do four things with all of his heart:
• Verse 1a: “I will give thanks”
• Verse 1b: “I will tell of all your wonderful deeds”.
• Verse 2a: “I will be glad and rejoice in you”.
• Verse 2b: “I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High”
• And the reason for his praise is found in verse 3:
• He has seen his enemies turn away in retreat and they are overthrown….defeated!
Note: David uses a special name for God in verse 2:
• David extols God as “O Most High” – Hebrew: ‘Elyon’.
• When other nations / peoples are involved.
• The Bible often refers to God with the title ‘Most High’
• (i.e. Gen 14:20, Num 24:16, Dan 4:24)
• Other nations had their gods who they worshipped and proclaimed;
• But David recognised that the God of Israel is ‘Elyon’ - “Most High.”
• To paraphrase: ‘Compared to other gods he is out of this world!”
• And that is why this God is able to bring about the victory;
• And that is why this God is to be praised!
(2). Powerful Protection (vs 4-10):
(Verses 4-8):
“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”.
• In this section David offers whole hearted praise to God ;
• For delivering him and his army from the enemy nations that attacked Israel
• Notice that four times in verses 4-6 David uses the expression “You have”;
• Verse 4: “For you have upheld my right and my cause”.
• Verse 5a: “You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;”
• Verse 5a: “you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.”
• Verse 6: “You have uprooted their cities”
• He is looking back and thanking God for all his divine help and protection.
Ill:
• There are over a hundred and eighty castles in the United Kingdom.
• Back then, they offered great security against the enemy.
• But something happened!
• And today these castles are no more than places of historic interest, tourist attractions.
• What happened?
• Someone invented the cannon, and when the cannon came in, the castle went out.
• In this section David rejoices that God is his powerful protector:
• And no-one and nothing will ever supersede him!
(Verses 9-10):
“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”.
• In verse 9 there is a change of focus:
• We move away from the battlefield and the defeat of his enemies.
• Now we focus on the people of the land, his own nation Israel;
• And yet notice his focus is on a particular section of people.
• Notice how he describes them:
• Verse 9a: The “oppressed”.
• Verse 9b: The “troubled”.
• Verse 12: The “afflicted”.
• Verse 18: The “needy & poor”.
• Verse 10: May suggest that these oppressed, troubled, afflicted and needy people;
• Are treated this way because they are faithful followers of the Lord.
• “Those who know your name trust in you,
• for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you”.
• These faithful worshippers of the Lord.
• Have been persecuted and exploited by godless unbelievers.
(3). Petition to Praise (vs 11-12)
“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.”
• David has privately praised the Lord on his own;
• But now in these verses he invites others to Praise the Lord with him.
• Again, he gives us the reason for praising God;
• Our God is depicted as the champion of the people of God;
• And even though God’s people are depicted as weak;
• And afflicted, a persecuted people.
• He reminds us that God will hold accountable those who have shed their blood.
• Therefore in response to this proclamation;
• The people of God are to “sing praises to the Lord.”
• Notice how David again links singing and proclaiming:
• He has already done it in verses 1 and 2.
• And now he does it again in verse 11.
Ill:
• A noted clergyman was asked by a colleague why the loud,
• Fervent praying of his earlier days;
• Had given way to a more quiet, persuasive manner of speech.
• The man laughed. “When I was young,” he said,
• “I thought it was the thunder that killed people,
• But when I grew up I discovered it was lightning.
• So I determined that in the future I would thunder less and lighten more.”
• Notice David uses both thunder and lightning in this psalm:
• He links singing and proclaiming;
• He links praise with preaching!
Quote: C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892):
• “Singing and preaching, as a means of glorifying God, are here joined together,
• And it is remarkable that, connected with all revivals of Gospel ministry,
• There has been a sudden outburst of the spirit of song.
• Luther’s songs and hymns were in all men’s mouths,
• And in the [Methodist] revival under Wesley and Whitefield,
• The strains of Charles Wesley, Cennick, Berridge, Toplady, Hart, Newton,
• And many others, were the outgrowth of restored piety”
• Spurgeon concludes:
• “Sing on brethren, and preach on,
• And these shall both be a token that the Lord still dwelleth in Zion”.
Notice: in verses 13-14 there is a plea, a petition for relocation:
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.
• David is pleading with God for him to rescue him from his situation.
• He says the intensity of his suffering is comparable to death.
• And he obviously doesn’t want to remain there!
• Notice he mentions two types of gates:
• The first set of gates (verse 13) are associated with death;
• The second set of gates (verse 14) are associated with the living;
• He calls them ‘the gates of the Daughter of Zion.’
• The phrase ‘Daughter of Zion’ is a metaphor for God’s people;
• Or a metaphor for Jerusalem, the city of God.
• David longs to be removed from one gate and be relocated to the other;
• Because he longs to rejoice before the Lord.
Quote: The New Living Bible paraphrases these two verses like this:
“LORD, have mercy on me.
See how my enemies torment me.
Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
14 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.”
(4). Persuaded Providence (vs 15-20)
“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 mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror, LORD;
let the nations know they are only mortal.”
Ill:
• The American painter, John Sargent,
• Once painted a panel of roses that was highly praised by critics.
• It was a small picture, but it approached perfection.
• Although he was offered a high price for it on many occasions,
• Sargent refused to sell it.
• He considered it his best work and was very proud of it.
• Whenever he was deeply discouraged and doubtful of his abilities as an artist,
• He would look at it and remind himself, “I painted that.”
• Then his confidence and ability would come back to him.
• TRANSITION:
• David finishes this Psalm by demonstrating his confident trust in the Lord:
• He is confident of God’s character – he is a God of justice:
• He is confident that he will destroy the wicked who afflict the needy.
• He is confident that God will not forget his own people.
Note:
• These last verses are like a mini-hymn:
• The hymn is composed of two parts separated by two musical notations:
• I hope your Bible has those two musical notations included
• Normally they are in italics and in this Psalm they are at the end of verses 16 & 20.
• The words are ‘Higgaion’ and ‘Selah’;
• ‘Higgaion’ may well be a musical term – no-one is really sure;
• ‘Selah’ is normally understood to mean:
• ‘Stop, pause gently, reflect & ponder on what you have just read’.
Notice:
• The psalm closes with a total change in the mood;
• From a meditation on God’s faithfulness;
• To God’s people crying out for immediate deliverance.
• Verse 20:
Strike them with terror, LORD;
let the nations know they are only mortal.
Ill:
• You only really appreciate heat if you know what it is to be cold.
• You only really appreciate light if you know what it is to be in darkness.
• You only really appreciate friendship if you know what it is to be lonely.
• You only really appreciate being full if you know what it is to be hungry
• I think that is what David is getting at in this last verse:
• He is saying that in order for men and women to really see & appreciate who God is;
• They must first realize their own human weakness and helplessness.
• And so David ends this Psalm not in a desire for revenge but out of a broken spirit.
• The issue is God’s justice and faithfulness to his own.
• If God does not judge the nations of the earth;
• They will never realize that He alone is the creator King.
• And that they are but mere men….who are weak and human.
