I Will Praise You!
Psalm 9:1-12
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Psalms.
- This week, we’re in Psalm 9 and will look at the first 12 verses.
- The title of this Psalm says, “Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Righteous Judgments.”
- It’s a triumphant song of thanksgiving.
- It says it’s set to the tune of “The Death of the Son”, but it’s unknown what that is referring to.
- Some believe David wrote this as a remembrance of his victory over Goliath, who was the Philistine champion who went out between the camps of Israel and the Philistines.
- It’s possible, but not known for sure.
- There also seems to be reference to the Coming of Christ, when He defeats His enemies and sets up His Millennial Reign on Earth.
- The fact is that no matter what the reason is why David wrote this Psalm, the ultimate truth it portrays is that God deserves to be praised.
- One of my family’s favorite movies is a Christian movie called “Facing the Giants.”
- In this movie, a High School Football coach has a losing streak, and the parents have a secret meeting about replacing him.
- While they’re meeting, he overhears, and feels defeated.
- On top of that, he and his wife want to have a baby, but for some reason, she can’t get pregnant.
- At one point, he cries out to God in desperation, and as he’s praying and reading Scripture, God encourages him, and he comes to a realization.
- His life is not supposed to be centered around football or having a baby…
- His life is supposed to be centered around Christ, no matter what the circumstances are.
- So, with this newfound encouragement, he goes back to his football team, and tells them, “Our lives are for God’s glory. From now on, when we win a football game, we’ll praise Him. When we lose a football game, we’ll praise Him.”
- He also makes that commitment in his marriage, and whether he has a baby or not, he will praise God.
- It’s a great movie, and it teaches us the importance of giving God the praise no matter what’s going on in our lives.
- Before we start digging in to the Psalm, I’d like to share one of the devotions from Our Daily Bread, written about Psalm 9, and it’s titled “Dial 9 for Worship”.
- You’re in the dentist’s office and it’s taking longer than expected. You’re late for another appointment, so you ask to use the phone. You dial the number twice and nothing happens. “How do I dial out?” you ask in frustration. “I’m sorry,” says the receptionist, “you need to dial 9 first.”
- You’ve come to church to worship God. You’re singing. You’re praying along with the pastor and following the Bible passages as they are read. But nothing’s happening inside. You want to worship the Lord, but you’re just going through the motions. What can you do?
- Here’s a suggestion: Dial 9. Open your Bible to Psalm 9 and follow David’s prompts as he expresses his heartfelt praise to the Lord.
- Open your heart (v.1). Let praise roll forth!
- Review all the things He has done for you (v.1).
- Rejoice! Be glad! Sing! (v.2)
- Acknowledge that He defends you (vv.3-5).
- Go to Him for refuge (v.9).
- Talk about what He’s done for you (v.11).
- Receive His mercy and rejoice in His salvation (vv.13-14).
- Try following David’s example. You’ll reconnect with God in your worship and praise.
- So let’s look at three reasons why God deserves to be praised.
I.) Praise God because He is Great- Vs 1-6
- I’d like to share another illustration with you from Our Daily Bread.
- A man was on his way to the Russian Far East to teach for 2 weeks at St. James Bible College in Magadan.
- After an overnight stay in Seattle, he boarded the plane with some apprehension.
- Would his visa be okay? Would he have trouble getting his equipment through customs? Would he be able to teach his course on Bible interpretation effectively? How would the students, translator, and administrators respond to him?
- Then breakfast was served on his Alaska Airlines flight.
- As he bowed his head to give thanks, he spotted a brightly colored piece of paper on the tray. It was a beautiful Alaska mountain scene overprinted with this verse: “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Ps. 9:2).
- What an encouragement! Not only did he thank the Lord for the food, but he also added expressions of praise and rejoicing as he renewed his trust in God for the task before him.
- It was a timely, much-needed uplift from God’s Word.
- All of us here tonight have stories of those times when God reminded us of just how great He truly is, and we couldn’t help but praise Him.
- In vs 1, notice first that David says, “I will praise you, Oh Lord, with my whole heart!”
- Some people will say the right words about God… “I praise you, God!”, but in their heart, it’s empty and meaningless, because they don’t truly mean it.
- Then, there are those who say the right words about God, but it’s a half-hearted praise…
- For example, only praising God when He’s done something great in your life, but when a trial comes, you change your tune and refuse to praise God, even in the storm.
- That reminds me of the song by Casting Crowns “I will praise you in this storm.”
- The chorus says, “I'll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands. That you are who you are, no matter where I am. And every tear I've cried, you hold in your hand. You never left my side, and though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm”
- That’s praising God with your whole heart…good times, bad times, all times, praising God with your whole heart.
- Notice next that he says, “I will tell of all your marvelous works.”
- When a person does something nice for you, or has done something great for someone else, obviously, you want to tell others what they did, because it’s one of the ways you can show your appreciation and gratitude for what they did.
- For example, over the winter, our neighbor got a snow plow for his truck.
- I was out shoveling the driveway one morning when he stopped and said, “Let me get that for you with my plow.”
- So, he plowed the driveway and I tried to give him money, but he wouldn’t take it.
- After that, he continued to do it for us every storm, and as part of my appreciation, I wrote on Facebook how grateful I was for him doing it.
- Then, Sherri baked he and his wife a couple apple pies.
- But the fact is he didn’t do it in order to receive praise, but it was the only way I knew how to show him how much I appreciated it.
- When it comes to the things God does for us, we can’t help but give God the praise by telling others what He’s done for us.
- That’s why we’ll have times of testimony during church sometimes, because that’s a way for us to share with others what God has been doing in our lives.
- Imagine how rude and ungrateful it would be for me to receive God’s blessings, but then keep quiet about it.
- “Yeah, okay God, thanks, now I’ve got it from here…”
- No, that would be a selfish…
- God’s Marvelous works in our lives are all gifts from Him, gifts that we don’t deserve.
- Why wouldn’t we want to praise Him by telling others what He’s done for us?
- We’re not saying “Look at me, I’m so great that God did this for me…”
- No, we’re saying, “Look at God, He’s so great, He’s done this, not because I deserve it, but simply because He’s God!”
- In vs 2, David says, “I will be glad and rejoice in you!”
- This is another way we can praise God for being Great.
- Not just by telling others what He’s done for us, with our mouth, but by living a joyful life, with our actions, showing others just how good God is.
- Remember, one of the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians is joy, and we have that joy because we belong to God.
- So even if God hasn’t sent any special blessings to us recently, we can still be glad and rejoice because we belong to God and being part of His family is one of the greatest blessings He’s bestowed upon us.
- So, when the Apostle John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos, he was still glad and rejoicing in God because he knew he belonged to Christ’s family, and his suffering was not in vain.
- The same goes with the Apostle Paul, continuing to serve God, even while in chains and a jail cell.
- The next part of vs 2 says, “I will sing praise to Your name, Oh Most High!”
- This is another way we can praise God for being Great!
- When a person is down in the dumps, struggling, they don’t feel much like singing.
- But as Christians, whether we’re going through trials or celebrating a blessing from God, we can sing because God, the Most High is with us, and won’t leave us.
- Sometimes we’ll be having a tough time and won’t have the words to sing, so we turn on Christian music, and through the words of each song, we silently sing praise to God Almighty as we pour out our hearts to Him in prayer.
- In Acts 16, Paul and the other believers who were imprisoned were singing hymns and praying to God, even though they were locked in prison cells.
- Suddenly, all the cell doors were opened, and the Jailer thought they’d all escaped.
- At that point, the jailer thought they’d all escaped, so he was getting ready to kill himself, when Paul called out, “Don’t do it! We’re all still here.”
- Through the example of Paul and the others, singing praise to God, even in jail, and staying put when the cells were open, they were able to lead the jailer to Christ.
- In vs 3, David continues to praise God for being great, this time by referring to the defeat of his enemies.
- “When my enemies turn back, they will fall and perish at your presence.”
- So not only does God give David strength to gain the victory and send his enemies running, but God also stops them in their retreat, as they fall and perish at His presence.
- That’s part of His judgment on them for daring to attempt a fight against God and His people.
- In vs 5, we see that David’s enemies were rebuked, destroyed, and their names were blotted out forever and ever…
- Then, in vs 6, their destructions against others are finished forever, so they won’t be hurting anyone else anymore.
- So, after God destroys His enemies, they are forgotten.
- That’s what happened with most of the Canaanites…God’s people destroyed them, so they couldn’t bring death and destruction to anyone else ever again…
- Then, they were forgotten.
- In vs 4, David also adds to his praise of God for being great by thanking Him for maintaining his right and his cause.
- When God is on our side, nothing and no one can stand against His righteousness.
- He wins, and remains on His throne, no matter what.
- Even if the enemy martyrs us, they’re only sending us to our Heavenly home, and God still wins.
- God is great, and He will never be defeated, so praise Him!
II.) Praise God because He is our Refuge- Vs 7-10
- Winters in Maine can get pretty rough.
- Lots of snow, ice, and wind, plus cold temperatures.
- But the snow is a beautiful thing, as it covers everything in a nice clean white.
- Of course, some of our Nor’easters can be pretty scary.
- On those days, you can hear the wind howling, you can see the snow blowing, sometimes whiting everything out…
- As you hopefully sit in the warmth and comfort of your home, you look outside and realize what a blessing it is to be in your home, a refuge from the storm.
- Our Great God is like that…
- He’s a refuge for us, whether we’re in the middle of a storm, or everything’s going great…He is our refuge, and we can rest in Him.
- In vs 7, David states an undeniable fact about God our refuge…God will endure forever.
- Remember, in vs 5 and 6, he referred to God’s enemies being destroyed and forgotten.
- Now he adds, “But you oh Lord, endure forever!”
- Think about how awesome that statement is.
- God’s enemies, our enemies, will all come and go, but God will endure forever.
- Not only that, but He has prepared His throne for judgment.
- If you look at our world today, you’ll notice that earthly judges are imperfect.
- They can be persuaded one way or the other depending on the details of a case, and the lawyers involved, and many other factors.
- Many judges make different decisions on cases, and that’s why there are so many appeals, and seemingly different rulings in certain cases.
- That’s because earthly judges are human beings and are imperfect.
- God, however, is not like that…
- God is perfect, so when He judges, vs 8 tells us He judges in righteousness!
- This is referring to the future judgment, when all people will stand before God Almighty on the Day of Judgment.
- We’re told in Scripture that every idle word which men have spoken, they will give an account in the day of judgment.
- For believers, it will be the Judgement Seat of Christ, where we’ll gain and lose rewards for the work we’ve done for Christ on this earth…
- For unbelievers, it will be the Great White Throne Judgment, where they will be judged for their rejection of Christ and be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternity.
- The Apostle Paul, 1000 years later, quoted this verse on Mars Hill in Acts 17:31… “God shall judge the world in righteousness.”
- That day of final judgment is coming, and many people in our world are not ready for it!
- Yet you and I as Christians can praise God because on that day of judgment, He will be our refuge because He is our Savior and has already forgiven us of all our sin.
- So, we can praise Him for that now, and then, at the Judgement Seat of Christ, we can continue to give Him the praise He deserves because we will be with Him forever!
- So, David was pointing to the future judgment, but in vs 9, he brings us back to the present and says, “The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”
- The Hebrew word used here for refuge is “misgob.”
- It suggests security and protection in a high, safe place of retreat.
- Then, the Hebrew wording for ‘times of trouble’ is translated “extremity” and means a cutting off of hope of deliverance, it’s a distress that is intensified and brings a person to despair.
- Sadly, on this earth, many evil men and women have oppressed innocent men, women, and children, all in the name of power or wealth.
- Those times of trouble are hard to deal with for even the strongest of people.
- It might look like no one cares about the poor, oppressed ones who are ignored and abused by those with power, but God sees it all, and He promises to be a refuge and support for those afflicted by the wicked.
- Someday, those evil men and women are going to stand before God on the great day of Judgment, and they’ll realize they didn’t get away with anything, so you and I can praise God because justice will be served.
- As Christians, you and I can also praise God because as our refuge, our High place, we have all safety in Him and the enemy can’t reach or see us.
- John Trapp does a good job illustrating this.
- [The Egyptians] live in wet, marshy areas, but being vexed with gnats, they used to sleep in high towers, whereby those creatures, not being able to soar so high, they are delivered from the biting of them: so would it be with us when bitten with cares and fear, did we but run to God for refuge, and rest confident of his help.”
- In vs 10, David even takes it a step further to explain that those of us who know God’s name put our trust in Him, and we know that He will not forsake those who seek Him.
- So, we can praise God our refuge because we have a relationship with Him, since we’ve put our faith in Him, and as we seek Him, we always find Him.
- The beautiful thing is that even in our flesh, when we feel forsaken by God, that doesn’t change the fact that He is our Refuge and has not forsaken us.
- We might feel that way when we sin, when we’re facing great troubles, when we have a big job to do for Him, or when we feel our prayers are being unanswered.
- Yet He is there, our Great God, our Refuge and strength…He knows us, and we know Him!
- F.B. Meyer says to know God in a deeper way, we “…must make time. You cannot know a friend from hurried interviews, much less God. So, you must steep yourself in deep, long thoughts of his nearness and his love.”
- And as you do that, you can’t help but praise Him!
III.) Praise God because He is a Righteous Judge- Vs 11-12
- How do you say thank you to the Righteous Judge of the Universe who has opened the door of salvation to you and declared you free through Christ?
- One of the ways is to sing praise to Him, and as we sing, to share His work in our lives with others.
- Charles Spurgeon says, “Singing and preaching, as 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 Psalms and Hymns were in all men’s mouths and in the…revival under Wesley and Whitfield, the strains of Charles Wesley, Cennick, Berridge, Toplady, Hart, Newton, and many others, were the outgrowth of restored piety.”
- Singing praise to Him brings joy to our hearts and to others, as we declare the good news of Christ to them.
- Even if we refused to sing praise to God, He would still receive the praise He deserves.
- Just listen to the birds sing to Him…their songs are beautiful, and I believe they know they’re singing to their Creator.
- In Luke 19:37-40, we see that even if we remained silent, Jesus would still receive the praise He deserves from an interesting place!
- We’re told, “…The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: “‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
- So even creation knows that God, the Righteous Judge, deserves to be praised!
- Since God is a righteous judge, David tells us in vs 12 that God avenges blood, he remembers them, and doesn’t forget the cry of the humble.
- If you don’t believe that, you need look no further than Scripture to see that it’s true.
- When Cain killed Abel in Genesis, God told Cain that the voice of Abel’s blood cried out to Him from the ground.
- Then, when Ahab and Jezebel had Naboth killed because Ahab wanted his vineyard in 2 Kings, God said, “Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’… ‘and I will repay you in this plot…”
- Nobody will get away with anything.
- If the wicked don’t get punished for their particular sins against the humble while on this earth and it looks like they’ve gotten away with it, remember that God is still a Righteous Judge.
- We know for sure that if they haven’t repented and turned to Christ, they definitely start receiving punishment the moment they die.
- For now, they instantly go to hell.
- Down the road, however, as we talked about earlier, they will stand before God Almighty at the Great White Throne Judgment, and then, they’ll be thrown into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity.
- Symon Patrick says, “Though God may seem to wink for a time at the cruelty of violent men, yet will call them at last to a strict account for all the innocent blood they have shed, and for their unjust and unmerciful usage of meek and humble persons; whose cry He never forgets…”
- So, every wicked deed of every wicked nation and person, and every cry from every humble person is not forgotten by God.
- William Greenhill says, “God is so stirred at this sin, that He will up, search out the authors, contrivers, and commissioners of this scarlet sin, he will avenge for blood.”
- So God, who is the Righteous Judge, deserves all the praise we can give Him, because we know that no person and no wicked deed will escape His notice.
- I sure am glad that He is the Judge, and I am not!
