Psalms 9:1-20

The burden of this psalm is thanksgiving for Jehovah's righteous rule by which He has overcome the enemies of the chosen people. It is almost exclusively a song of thanksgiving. There are a few brief petitions, but they are intimately related to the measures of praise. These songs of praise move from the personal to the general. First, deliverances wrought for the singer are celebrated (1-4); then the government of the enthroned Jehovah among the nations, a government based on righteousness, is sung (5-8); and next the tenderness of Jehovah toward the oppressed and His unfailing succor of the needy are declared (9,l0). The song of the singer then becomes a cry to others to join in the chorus (11,12). Then follows a cry for mercy which immediately merges into praise, and the thanksgiving moves out in the same order from personal (13,14) to general (15,16). The whole ends with a declaration of the certainty of the divine government and a final prayer for its clear manifestation.

The psalm is a great pattern of praise on a level neglected far too much in our day. We praise God much for His mercy. This is right, but it is a good thing to recognize His righteous rule and to praise Him for that.