Psalm 9: an ode of divine justice

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Although it is a psalm of lamentation, Psalm 9 presents a triumphant determination to praise God. The Psalmist believes in divine justice, in the protection of the humbled and impoverished, and in the punishment of the unjust. Discover the interpretation of the sacred words of Psalm 9.

Psalm 9: strengthen faith in God’s justice

psalm 9

Read Psalm 9 carefully:

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” ¹I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
²I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

³My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
⁴For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
⁵You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
⁶Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
⁹The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
¹²For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

¹³Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
¹⁶The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^[^c]
¹⁷The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

¹⁹Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
²⁰Strike them with terror, Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortal.”

Interpretation of Psalm 9

Verses 1 and 2

The words contained in these verses show that praise to God must be whole, with all the heart, which is typical in the psalms. One cannot praise God only when he needs his help and justice, God must be adored by his works and by his name. His deeds must be elevated and glorified by all the faithful, who should rejoice over them.

Verses 3 to 6

The psalmist acknowledges that God is by his side, for he is righteous, and those who did evil deeds now pay for their sins. Divine justice does not fail; the wicked are erased and never remembered, while the faithful and righteous prevail.

Verses 7 to 9

The wicked are forgotten, but God reigns forever. He is just and judges all as is right. If a man is good and faithful, he has nothing to fear, for God gives him shelter and protects him in times of affliction.

Verses 10 to 12

In this passage from Psalm 9 the psalmist calls on the faithful to praise the Lord because he has the full confidence and assurance that he never forsakes the righteous. He imparts to the nations his deeds and the power of divine justice and calls upon all to do the same. He reinforces that God does not forget how those who love him have already suffered and that the reward will come in the form of justice.

Verses 13 and 14

The request for compassion is a desperate lament, of someone who has already suffered much and fears death. The psalmist asks God’s hand to have the strength and stand up to give glory and show God’s people that He has never forsaken him, saved him from death and now he was a living proof of divine justice, even when weakened.

Verses 15 to 18

You’ll be cut with the knife that you use to cut. God causes the wicked and heathens to come from their own poison, to be caught by the evil they have done, for it is just. Those who reject God do not deserve his mercy and go to the world of the dead because they have denied his sovereignty. But the poor and the suffering will never be forgotten, for they believe in God and He is with them.

Verses 19 and 20

In this passage from Psalm 9, the psalmist asks God to show all his power, not let humans with their arrogance challenge Him and show His wrath and His unswerving justice. The psalmist believes that only God can show humans that they are no more than mortal creatures that defy divine power and therefore deserve just judgment. Mankind rebellion against God is a severe perversion of God’s plan. The Lord will not let this arrogance go on.

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