Please turn with me in the Word of God to Psalm 9, which we've just sung a part of.
Psalm 9. We'll be reading the whole psalm.
Let us hear God's own Word.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you.
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence.
For you have maintained my just cause.
You have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
You have rebuked the nations.
You have made the wicked perish.
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins.
Their cities you rooted out.
The very memory of them has perished.
But the Lord sits enthroned forever.
He has established his throne for justice.
And he judges the world with righteousness.
He judges the peoples with uprightness.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed.
A stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you.
For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion.
Tell among the peoples his deeds.
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them.
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See my affliction from those who hate me.
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made.
In the net that they hid,
their own foot has been caught.
The Lord has made himself known.
He has executed judgment.
The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
Arise, O Lord.
Let not man prevail.
Let the nations be judged before you.
Put them in fear, O Lord.
Let the nations know that they are but men.
So far the reading of God's word.
In this psalm of David, Psalm 9,
David expresses great confidence in the Lord.
And it's a psalm that has spoken to God's people
in a variety of ways through the centuries.
This was the favorite psalm of John Knox,
the great Scottish reformer
who led the Reformation here in Scotland
and established reformed churches here.
And this was a psalm that he turned to over and over again
for comfort and for encouragement,
for strength in distress.
Because what this psalm speaks about
is indeed great confidence in the Lord,
but it is not a confidence that David found
or that Knox found
or that we will ever find easy or automatic.
David had faced real distress
and real difficulty in his life.
And it was only out of that difficulty
and out of that distress
that he came to have confidence in the Lord.
We can see in verse 13,
David prays,
see my affliction from those who hate me.
David had known affliction.
David had known struggle.
He had known struggle from the hand
of those who were his enemies.
And he had known the struggle of faith
that questions,
why is God so apparently absent in my struggles?
Psalm 10, which is closely tied
in a variety of ways to Psalm 9,
begins with that struggle of faith,
wondering where God is.
Psalm 10, verse 1,
why, O Lord, do you stand afar off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
This manner of speaking to hide one's face
reminds us of the covenant language of Israel.
As God told Moses
that when the people break their vows,
they will be exiled from the land
and his face will be hidden from them.
But the question here is,
why are God's enemies prospering?
Why do his servants seem to suffer?
David is asking,
why, O Lord, am I struggling this way?
Why am I afflicted?
Why do I face these difficulties?
And how in the face of that difficulty
can I come to have confidence in God
that he's not afar off,
that he's not forgotten,
that he's not indifferent?
David was afflicted by very serious enemies.
We don't know the specific enemies
that David had in mind
when he wrote this psalm,
but we know something of the character
of those enemies.
They were hate-filled toward David.
They were arrogant.
They were oppressive.
They were violent.
They were godless.
And sometimes I think
when we read these psalms,
we wonder,
well, do I really identify
with that situation?
I'm not sure that anyone
is actually after me
to try to kill me
for being a Christian.
Most of us don't live in that world.
And yet the reality is
that the Christian church as a whole
still lives in that world.
There are Christians
who live in situations
that are just as violent
as the situation
in which David lived.
But all of us live
in an environment
where there is still opposition
to us and to our faith.
The secularism that surrounds us,
false religion
that surrounds us
and would ridicule us
as God's people.
But the scripture reminds us
that the enemies we face
are not just human enemies.
We often summarize
the enemies that we face
as the world,
the flesh,
and the devil.
The world that is out there
that opposes our faith.
But one of the great enemies
we face is our own flesh,
isn't it?
The sin that continues
to abide within us.
The doubt that can grip us.
That too becomes an enemy.
It's not who we really want to be.
It's not who we really are
in Christ.
And yet, nonetheless,
that flesh can be so powerful
within us
as an enemy
of all that God stands for.
Then Paul reminds us
in Ephesians chapter 6,
doesn't he,
that the devil remains
our great enemy.
For we fight not against
flesh and blood,
Paul wrote
in Ephesians 6, 12,
but against heavenly powers,
spiritual powers,
dark forces
in heavenly realms.
The devil is a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour,
coming often with accusations,
often with temptations,
to try to overwhelm our soul.
There are enemies
to our soul.
And in that situation
where we're facing enemies,
when we're facing affliction,
when we're wondering,
where is God
in the midst of our need?
We need to learn
to trust.
We need to learn
to have confidence.
We need to learn,
as David did,
how to be more confident,
more trusting in God,
to be able to enter
into that assurance,
to the joy
that we find
in this psalm.
Which, as I've said,
David was not able
automatically to sing
or easily to sing,
but he had come
to know his God
and to have confidence
in him.
So how do we learn
to trust?
Well, I think
in this ninth psalm,
David suggests three ways.
David is always
the preacher's friend,
dividing things
into three.
So here,
David suggests three ways
in which we grow
in trusting in God,
even in the face
of real difficulties
we encounter
in this life.
First of all,
David says,
we grow in trust,
we learn to have
confidence in God
by praising God.
This psalm begins
with praise,
verses 1 and 2,
and calls us
to continue that praise
in verses 11 and 12.
Sing praises to the Lord
who sits enthroned
in Zion.
Tell among the peoples
his deeds.
God wants us
to be a people
filled with praise.
praise.
And the character
of that praise
is that we should
take that praise
upon our lips.
Over and over,
we're told to do that.
We're told to thank God.
We're to tell about God.
We're to rejoice in God.
We're to exult in God.
We're to sing to God.
And David says,
with our whole hearts.
We're to be engaged
as a people
who recognize
in our praise
and declare
with our mouths,
how great
is our God.
Here,
God is addressed
as Lord,
Yahweh,
the great covenant
name of God.
He's addressed
as the Most High
so that we might
be reminded
our God
is the powerful God.
Our God
is the great God.
Our God
is the covenant
keeping God.
Our God
is the one
who has acted
in history.
Our God
is the God
who is faithful
and we need
to praise Him.
We need to thank Him.
We need to make Him known.
We need to take
His praise
on our lips
so that He might
be exalted
and, as another psalm says,
might be enthroned
on the praises
of Israel.
And we praise Him,
this psalm says,
for His wonderful deeds.
It's interesting.
This psalm
doesn't go very far
in explaining
particular deeds
to focus on.
It's as if it says,
praise Him
for all of His
wonderful deeds
among us.
Praise Him
as the God
who acts.
Praise Him
as the God
who has acted
in history
and continues
to act
among us
and will act
to bring history
to a conclusion.
See,
part of the difficulty
that David faced
is the temptation
to ask,
why is God
far off?
why has God
forgotten?
Is God
not good?
Does God
not hear?
Can God
not save?
Why is God
not acting?
And in our praise,
we are to remind
ourselves
and to remind
others
that God
is the God
who acts,
that He acted
in bringing
this world
into creation
by the word
of His power,
that He acted
to lead Israel
out of Egypt
and into the
promised land,
that He acted
in Jesus Christ
to redeem
His people
and to pay
for their sins
upon the cross,
that He acted
in Christ
to raise Him
from the dead
to show
that He's
the Lord of life.
God acted
in sending forth
the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost
to begin
to create
a people
for His name,
a church
that would spread
around the world.
God has acted
in every century
to build that church
and to continue
to gather a people
from every nation
and tribe
and tongue.
And so God
is still acting.
And in our praise
of His wonderful deeds,
we know
that He's the one
who acts.
And here in this psalm,
God is celebrated
particularly
for acting
in judgment
against the wicked
and in mercy
for the afflicted.
And we praise Him
for that.
He's a God
who will not
ignore wickedness,
but will act
in judgment.
And that's a solemn
warning for everyone.
But He's also
the God
who has acted
in Jesus Christ
for mercy
for the afflicted,
to redeem.
And that's our hope.
That's our confidence.
That's the source
of our growing
in trust
in our God.
And that's why
we as Presbyterians,
Reformed people,
have always believed
that the character
of our praise
is so important.
we've always said
the way in which
we praise God
is central
to our worship
and to our life
as Christians.
It's central
to our growing
in confidence.
If we want
to be full of trust,
we need to be filled
with wonderful praise.
Shallow praise
will only produce
shallow Christians,
we've believed.
And so we've wanted
to take upon our lips
praise that is filled
with our God
and His glory
and with wonder
for Him
to move our hearts
to draw near to Him.
That's why God
gave us a book
of praises
to show us
how He wants
to be praised.
The Hebrew name
for the book of Psalms
is the book of praises.
God knew that
as human beings
we were inclined
to get praise muddled.
So He gave us
a whole book
for how it ought
to be done.
That's why we've
often regarded
the Psalms
as the model,
the pattern
for our praise.
And praises
that are full of God
will make Christians
that are full
of confidence in God.
That's what we have
in the Psalter.
That's what we need
to have in our worship
and in our lives
that our hearts
would be drawn
to God in this way.
So how do we learn
to have trust
in our God?
Well, first of all,
we need to be
praising Him,
this psalm suggests.
And secondly,
we need to be
pondering
who our God is.
We need to be
thinking about Him.
We need to be
meditating upon Him.
We need to be
remembering Him.
We need to be
reviewing
who He is
and what He has done.
That's what this
psalm does for us
in two sections,
verses 3-10
and 15-18.
The psalmist
pauses
to think
about this God.
He pauses
to ponder,
to meditate
upon who
this God is.
Actually,
that's the biggest
part of this psalm.
Over half of it
is given just
to thinking
about God,
just renewing
ourselves
in who He is
and what He means
for us.
And particularly,
this psalm says,
as we think
about our God,
we need to remember
that He is
sovereign
in justice.
He is
sovereign
in justice.
Verses 3-6,
David reflects
on how God
has been
sovereign for Him
in justice
in times past.
David writes,
When my enemies
turn back,
they stumble
and perish
before Your presence,
for You have
maintained
my just cause,
You have sat
on the throne
giving righteous judgment,
You have rebuked
the nations,
You have made
the wicked perish,
You have blotted
out their name
forever and ever.
The enemy
has come to an end
in everlasting ruins,
their cities
You rooted out,
the very memory
of them
has perished.
In the past,
He says,
You have preserved
us, O Lord,
in Your sovereignty
according to justice
and according
to righteousness.
And what You've done
in the past,
we know You're doing now.
Verses 7 and 8.
But the Lord
sits enthroned
forever.
He has established
His throne
for justice
and He judges
the world
with righteousness.
He judges
the peoples
with uprightness.
Sometimes we wonder
if there really is
righteousness
in this world.
If there is anyone
maintaining righteousness
in this world.
Things seem often
to be going
from bad to worse.
It's easy to read
the headlines
each morning
and just wonder,
how can that be happening?
How can that be happening?
But the psalmist
reminds us
that no matter
what it is
that we find discouraging,
even especially
when it seems
that the wicked
are flourishing,
don't forget,
God is on His throne.
He is upholding
righteousness.
He will come
in the future.
One of the characteristics
of the ways
the Hebrews wrote
was that
sometimes the future
was so certain
in their mind
that they described it
as already being
in the past.
That's what we find
in verses 15 to 17
of this psalm.
I think David
is really looking
at the future,
but he's so confident
that God is in charge
of the future
that he describes it
as past already.
He says,
the nations have sunk
in the pit
that they made
in the net
that they hid.
Their own foot
has been caught.
The Lord
has made Himself known.
He has executed judgment.
The wicked
are snared
in the work
of their own hands.
The wicked
shall return
to Sheol,
all the nations
that forget God.
That expression
of verse 17
is particularly
arresting,
I think.
The wicked
shall return
to Sheol.
I think that means
not that they've
actually been
to Sheol yet,
but that they are
so much a people
who are dead
and bound for hell
that their going there
will be like going
to their natural homeland.
It'll be like a return
because they're so characterized
by death
and destruction.
But the psalmist
has that confidence
that God
is in control.
Almost half
of this psalm
is talking about
God
as sovereign
in justice.
The Bible
wants us to know
God is in charge.
God will bring justice.
God will bring righteousness
into this world.
And so
when we're feeling
afflicted,
we can be assured
that God
is in control.
We can be sure
that God
is a stronghold
for the afflicted.
He's not just
in some sort of
general way
in charge,
but he's in charge
to be
for his own,
for his own people
in their difficulties,
a stronghold,
a refuge,
a safe place.
And this psalm
can speak of that
in really beautiful ways.
David in verse 18
can write,
For the needy
will not always
be forgotten,
and the hope
of the poor
shall not perish
forever.
We may feel
sometimes
that the afflicted
church of Jesus Christ,
that we as Christians
individually
have been forgotten.
But God says,
Don't worry.
I haven't forgotten.
The cries
of my people
that go up to me
will be heard
and answered
in my good time.
But even today,
even today
we are assured
that God
is our stronghold.
Verse 9,
God is a stronghold
for the oppressed,
a stronghold
in times of trouble,
a safe place
for his people.
It's interesting,
the enemies
had built
their great cities
where they thought
they were safe,
but verse 6 says,
The enemy came
to an end
in everlasting ruins.
Their cities
you rooted out,
O Lord.
They thought
they had a stronghold
in their fortified cities,
but God cast
those cities down.
But God says
to us
as his people,
the stronghold
you have,
the fortified city
you have,
the refuge
you have,
will never be cast
down because
it is the Lord
himself.
It is I,
God says to us
as his people.
I am your God.
I have made you
my people.
I reach out my arm
to bring you near
to me.
I myself
am the stronghold
for you.
And then I think
one of the sweetest
promises in all
the scripture
we find in verse 10.
And those who know
your name
put their trust
in you,
for you,
O Lord,
have not forsaken
those who seek you.
You,
O Lord,
have not forsaken
those who seek you.
Here's a promise
of the Lord
to memorize.
It's difficult
to say some promises
are better than others,
but here's a promise
worth holding on to,
committing to memory,
clinging to.
For you,
O Lord,
have not forsaken
those who seek you.
If we seek the Lord,
he will hear us.
If we seek the Lord,
he will provide for us.
If we seek the Lord,
he will not forsake us.
That's a promise
to everyone
who belongs to him
in Christ.
And that's so important
because how often
do we pray
and we pray
and it doesn't seem
we get an answer
or at least not
the answer we want.
Sometimes we can then
begin to wonder
whether the Lord
has forsaken us.
And in those times,
we have to ponder
a verse like this
in our heart.
Hide this verse
in our heart
and hold on to it
and be reminded
that the Lord
does not forsake
his own.
That the Lord
hears the cry
of the afflicted.
Verse 12
is that promise
for he who avenges blood
is mindful of his own.
He does not forget
the cry of the afflicted.
The Lord does not
forget his people
but he has written
their names
into the book of life.
And yet we read
the names of the wicked
are blotted out forever.
Of course,
we know these promises,
these assurances
of God,
particularly when we see
the face
of our Lord Jesus Christ
because we know
that in Jesus Christ
all of our affliction
has been born.
He came to take
upon himself
all of our pain,
all of our sin,
all of our need.
He was the one
who was forsaken
of God
that we might
never be forsaken.
And so it is
in Jesus Christ
as Paul taught us
that all the promises
of God are
yea and amen.
We know that
we will never be forsaken
for Christ has borne
God's wrath
against sin
for us.
And Christ
has become
our stronghold.
He is the priest
who ever lives
to intercede for us.
He is the one
glorified in heaven
who cares for us.
And so in this psalm
we see
its fulfillment
in Jesus Christ
and we experience
its sweetness
in Jesus Christ.
Sometimes it's interesting
to read a psalm
and ask
how would this sound
on the lips
of our Savior.
And the psalms
can take on
a whole new character
for us.
Think of Jesus
saying with the psalmist
when my enemies
turn back
they stumble
and perish
before your presence
for you have
maintained
my just cause
and you have
sat on the throne
giving righteous judgment.
Or think of Jesus
confessing
the Lord
is a stronghold
for the oppressed
a stronghold
in times of trouble
and those who know
your name
put their trust
in you
for you
O Lord
have not forsaken
those who seek you.
Or think of Jesus
saying
for he who avenges
blood
is mindful of them
he does not forget
the cry
of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me
O Lord
see my affliction
from those who hate me
O you who lift me up
from the gates of death
that I may recount
your praises.
Or again
verse 18
that we've read
think again of this
as the words of Jesus
for the needy
shall not always
be forgotten
and the hope
of the poor
shall not perish
forever.
Jesus said
that the Old Testament
spoke of his resurrection
and of his
of his death
and of his resurrection.
In these words
we hear the resurrection
of our Savior
foretold
he was not forgotten
in the grave
but the Lord
brought him forth
the gates of death
could not hold him
and so he bore
our affliction
and he is our stronghold
in times of trouble
and because all of that's true
because we've praised
God for that
because we've pondered
that reality
then we can also pray
to this God.
David wants us to know
that we grow
in confidence
not only in our praise
and in our pondering
but in our praying.
Sometimes we're tempted
to think
well once we know
the promises of God
we don't have to pray
for them
because if God promised it
then he'll do it
right?
But the Psalms
always teach us
that confidence in God
leads us to prayer
not away from prayer.
The promises of God
lead us to prayer
not away from prayer.
It's interesting
to think
how much time
do we spend grumbling
venting our frustrations
to others
to finite creatures
who perhaps can listen
but can't actually
do anything
to change our circumstances.
But our God
is infinite
in his power
and he is gracious
and full of love
for his people
and he calls on us
to pray to him
for he is able
to hear
and he is able
to act.
Through the psalmist
God gives expression
to the whole range
of our emotions
to our grief
to our sorrow
to our fear
in ways that
I think sometimes
we could even feel ashamed
or embarrassed
to do on our own.
That's why Calvin
called the Psalms
an anatomy
of the human soul
that God has given us
license here
to pour out
our longings
and our needs
to plead with him
as our father
in heaven
to pray to him
to pray the Psalms
to him
and so God
calls on us
to pray
and in our praying
too
we learn to trust
because we pray
for mercy
verses 13
and 14
very personally
David prays
be gracious
to me
oh Lord
see my affliction
from those
who hate me
oh you who lift
me up
from the gates
of death
that I may
recount all
your praises
that in the gates
of the daughter
of Zion
I may rejoice
in your salvation
he prays
for mercy
that he may be able
to praise God
and then he prays
for justice
the last verses
of Psalm 9
arise oh Lord
let not man prevail
let the nations
be judged
before you
put them in fear
oh Lord
let the nations
know that they
are but men
let the nations
know that they
are but men
the rulers
of this earth
are inclined
to think that
they're pretty
significant
that they amount
to something
that they're
important
but God
says in the mouth
of David
let them just
know that they
are creatures
let them know
that they are
dust
let them
acknowledge who
really is in
control
who really
is the
protector
of justice
who really
is the
stronghold
of the
afflicted
and in our
praise
and in our
pondering
and in our
prayer
we need to
remember
what God
has done
in showing
that he
is the
great power
that he
is indeed
our stronghold
that the
most powerful
kingdoms on
this earth
cannot hold
a candle
to the
kingdom of
our Lord
and of his
Christ
and his
reign is
forever
and we
too shall
reign with
him in
glory
and so
Psalm 9
encourages us
to be a
people like
David
to be a
people like
John Knox
a people like
Christians
throughout all
of history
who've faced
days of
great trouble
who have
faced days
of terrible
misery
and loss
but in the
face of those
struggles
could say
I will
praise the
Lord
and though
I do
not
understand
your
ways
and though
in my
finite
understanding
I would
change
your ways
nevertheless
I will
bow
before you
because I
know
that you
are good
and what
you do
is right
that you
are my
stronghold
in affliction
and I
trust you
for I
know
that you
have never
forsaken
those who
seek you
may that
be the
confidence
and the
faith of
us all
here today
amen
let us
pray
father of
all
mercies
give us
wisdom and
knowledge of
the Lord
Jesus
Christ
grant us
more and
more assurance
in our
hearts by
your Holy
Spirit
to know
that the
same power
at work
in our
Lord's
resurrection
is at work
in us
to give us
faith and
trust in
your word
help us to
remain firm
in this
confession we
pray
grant that
in this
life
our
crosses to
bear
our
sufferings
will be
as light
yokes
as we
look with
steadfast
hope for
the coming
of our
Savior
Jesus
Christ
for whom
we daily
wait
and in
whose name
we pray
amen
please
stand for
closing hymn
continue
To be
firstly