WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.600 I'm doing Psalms 9 and 10 together because in my studies I learned that they're intimately related, 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:14.540 not just thematically but also in their original composition. 00:00:14.700 --> 00:00:18.339 They may have been written together because they're written as an acrostic, 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:25.199 so with each kind of metric unit beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.699 and it continues all the way through 10. 00:00:27.699 --> 00:00:35.039 It begins in 9 and goes through 10, even though it's not unbroken, but it's clearly discernible. 00:00:35.939 --> 00:00:40.259 So they're united by several themes. 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:48.000 One speaks of God as the righteous judge, and it also uses certain unique phrases like affliction, 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:52.159 times of trial, suffering. 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:55.399 So they seem to be intimately understood together. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:01:00.199 So let me read the two Psalms out loud and then share some thoughts on it, 00:01:00.699 --> 00:01:03.579 and then we'll pray on the basis of that Psalm. 00:01:03.579 --> 00:01:11.840 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:15.620 I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:18.379 I will be glad and exult in you. 00:01:18.819 --> 00:01:21.500 I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 00:01:22.759 --> 00:01:26.959 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence, 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:30.019 for you have maintained my just cause. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.419 You have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. 00:01:34.419 --> 00:01:35.639 You have rebuked the nations. 00:01:35.759 --> 00:01:37.399 You have made the wicked perish. 00:01:37.979 --> 00:01:40.359 You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:44.139 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins. 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:46.060 Their cities you rooted out. 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:48.659 The very memory of them has perished. 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:52.719 But the Lord sits in throne forever. 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:55.579 He has established His throne for justice. 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:58.039 And He judges the world with righteousness. 00:01:58.679 --> 00:02:01.159 He judges the people with uprightness. 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:04.640 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:06.699 a stronghold in times of trouble. 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:09.759 And those who know your name put their trust in you. 00:02:09.859 --> 00:02:12.659 For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. 00:02:14.079 --> 00:02:17.180 Sing praises to the Lord who sits in throne in Zion. 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:19.379 Tell among the peoples His deeds. 00:02:19.980 --> 00:02:22.300 For He who avenges blood is mindful of them. 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:24.760 He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:27.120 Be gracious to me, O Lord. 00:02:27.260 --> 00:02:29.500 See my affliction from those who hate me. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.439 For you who lift me up from the gates of death, 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:34.600 that I may recount all your praises. 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.000 That in the gates of the daughter of Zion, 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:38.780 I may rejoice in your salvation. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:43.060 The nations have sunk in the pit that they have made. 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:45.319 In the net that they hid, 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:46.900 their own foot has been caught. 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:49.439 The Lord has made Himself known. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:50.840 He has executed judgment. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.879 The wicked are ensnared by the work of their own hands. 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:56.819 Higayon, Selah. 00:02:57.980 --> 00:03:00.120 The wicked shall return to Sheol, 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:01.879 all the nations that forget God. 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:04.040 For the needy shall not always be forgotten. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.800 And the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:09.060 Arise, O Lord. 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:10.420 Let not man prevail. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:12.920 Let the nations be judged before you. 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:14.939 Put them in fear, O Lord. 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:17.539 Let the nations know that they are but men. 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:18.560 Selah. 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.879 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? 00:03:22.219 --> 00:03:24.560 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:27.479 In arrogance, the wicked hotly pursue the poor. 00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:30.400 Let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:33.599 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:37.039 and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. 00:03:37.780 --> 00:03:40.719 In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek him. 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:43.620 All his thoughts are there is no God. 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:46.560 His ways prosper at all times. 00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:49.960 Your judgments are on high, out of his sight. 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:52.960 As for all his foes, he puffs at them. 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:56.680 He says in his heart, I shall not be moved. 00:03:57.080 --> 00:03:59.800 Throughout all generations, I shall not meet adversity. 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:03.480 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression. 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:06.280 Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:09.060 He sits in ambush in the villages. 00:04:09.259 --> 00:04:11.280 In hiding places, he murders the innocent. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:14.180 His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless. 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:17.379 He lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket. 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:19.899 He lurks that he may seize the poor. 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:23.040 He seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. 00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:29.180 The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:33.220 He says in his heart, God has forgotten. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:35.040 He has hidden his face. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:36.240 He will never see it. 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:39.079 Arise, O Lord, O God. 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:40.160 Lift up your hand. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:42.160 Forget not, be afflicted. 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:47.260 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, we will not call to account? 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:54.520 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands. 00:04:55.020 --> 00:04:56.940 To you, the helpless commits himself. 00:04:57.140 --> 00:04:59.280 You have been the helper of the fatherless. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.500 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer. 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:05.500 Call his wickedness to account till you find none. 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:08.020 The Lord is king forever and ever. 00:05:08.019 --> 00:05:10.240 The nations perish from his land. 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.979 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted. 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:15.819 You will strengthen their heart. 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:20.039 You will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:24.500 so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:29.740 It's obviously a longer section we're going through tonight than usual. 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:33.500 So if you have your Bibles, please follow along with me. 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:42.779 And so this is a psalm written in the context of a broken world. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:46.959 And we live in a broken world where innocent people suffer, 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:52.319 and the guilty people roam free and even in some cases prosper. 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:54.839 And in such a world, then the question is, 00:05:54.980 --> 00:06:00.939 how can we persist in our faith in God, in a good God, in a righteous God? 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:03.379 How can we believe in him in a world such as this? 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:07.339 And that's the question that these two psalms, Psalms 9 and 10, address. 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:12.339 And it teaches us that we can entrust ourselves to God in the midst of our own afflictions 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:16.979 because he's the righteous judge to whom all are accountable. 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:20.500 All are accountable to him, therefore we can entrust ourselves to him. 00:06:21.159 --> 00:06:23.479 And so I can talk about that in three points. 00:06:23.559 --> 00:06:27.739 The first one is that those who recount God's deeds suffer in this world. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:30.259 So those who remember him and recount his deeds suffer. 00:06:30.779 --> 00:06:34.039 And then secondly, those who discount God prosper. 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.780 And then thirdly, that God brings all to account in judgment. 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:41.100 So I'll talk about those three things in turn. 00:06:42.140 --> 00:06:46.560 And the psalm teaches the hallmark of those who are righteous are that they remember God. 00:06:46.840 --> 00:06:48.260 They recount his deeds. 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:51.259 So in Psalms 9, Psalm 9, 1 to 2, it says, 00:06:51.379 --> 00:06:53.720 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:56.400 I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:59.000 I will be glad and exult in you. 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:00.980 I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:03.820 Verse 10 of the same chapter also says this, 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:06.659 And those who know your name put their trust in you. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:10.300 For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:10.959 Right. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.659 And then Psalm 9, 14 again says that I may recount all your praises. 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:16.079 Right. 00:07:16.159 --> 00:07:19.279 So that those who are righteous seek God. 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:22.659 They recount his praise, his wonderful deeds. 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:27.339 But unfortunately, those who seek him and remember God, 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:31.659 recount his wonderful deeds, don't automatically have good and easy life. 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:37.000 Because David, who wrote this psalm, is writing in the midst of his anguish and affliction. 00:07:37.840 --> 00:07:42.700 So he writes, even though he says that he talks about God judging these people and the wicked, 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:47.460 he's writing from a place where that judgment has not yet taken place. 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:51.500 So the Hebrew tenses, even though it's translated as a past tense here, 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:53.199 is not actually past tense. 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:57.180 Because Hebrew tenses don't have, they're not on the basis of time. 00:07:57.919 --> 00:08:00.379 So they're more referred to aspects. 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:05.079 So they use the perfect kind of past tense to refer to something that's certainly going to happen. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:06.779 Usually it's what's happened already. 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:11.639 But even with regard to future events, they'll use the past, so-called past tense, 00:08:11.899 --> 00:08:13.379 if it's going to happen for sure. 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:18.680 And so what the psalmist is saying here is that God's judgment is going to happen for sure. 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:20.860 But he's still in the midst of affliction. 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:22.439 And we see that in verse 13. 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:25.759 Because he writes, see my affliction from those who hate me. 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:27.740 And in verse 18 of chapter 9, he says, 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:29.899 The needy shall not always be forgotten, 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.340 and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:37.000 Indicating that in the time being, in the current situation, 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:41.220 it does seem like the needy have been forgotten by God. 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:42.980 The poor seem to be perishing. 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:47.879 And so in verse 1 of chapter 10, he cries out, 00:08:49.059 --> 00:08:51.519 this communicates this feeling of being abandoned by him. 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:53.659 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:56.080 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:58.700 So that's the state of the righteous. 00:08:58.860 --> 00:09:01.340 Even though they recount God's deeds, they suffer. 00:09:02.939 --> 00:09:04.879 But then, in stark contrast, 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:08.360 those who discount God seem to prosper. 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:13.620 And the characteristic of the wicked is that they forget God, 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:15.139 in verse 17 of chapter 9. 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:20.039 And verse 3 to 4 of chapter 10 also describes him this way. 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:23.339 The wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, 00:09:23.539 --> 00:09:27.000 and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. 00:09:27.219 --> 00:09:30.459 In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek him. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:33.599 All his thoughts are, there is no God. 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.519 And so this is not merely a theoretical atheism, 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:39.379 but it's a functional atheism. 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:41.820 They live as if God does not exist. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.420 And these wicked people are not shy in their wickedness. 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:47.120 They're brazen. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:50.399 So verses 7 to 9 describe this, right there. 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:53.679 Mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression. 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:56.399 Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.200 So the expression that the iniquity is under his tongue 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:01.379 is supposed to poetically convey, 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:06.720 it's kind of almost a savoring, enjoying, tasting wickedness. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:08.740 That they enjoy wickedness. 00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:09.759 They delight in it. 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:13.720 And they're not shy about their sins. 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:17.420 And they flout God's justice. 00:10:19.019 --> 00:10:23.759 And the worst part of it all is that the innocent 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:27.980 are the ones that are victimized by these wickedness of the wicked. 00:10:29.160 --> 00:10:30.040 So in verse 10, 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.379 the helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:39.080 And of course, it's not true that all atheists are immoral. 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:44.480 And that's because not all theoretical atheists are functional atheists. 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:47.020 Some atheists still live as if God existed. 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:49.160 They live as if morality really existed. 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.820 But the truth is that there cannot be true accountability 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:56.060 or morality apart from God. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:00.800 And the Yale legal scholar Arthur Allen writes about this. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:01.080 He says, 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:24.740 Stated that boldly, 00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:43.299 So what he's saying is that if God's not the arbiter of justice, 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:44.299 of morality, 00:11:44.659 --> 00:11:48.820 then no single individual or society can claim the exclusive right 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:50.159 to determine what's right and wrong. 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:52.720 Then morality becomes relative. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.600 And if that's in a relative society, 00:11:55.660 --> 00:11:56.420 where morality becomes relative, 00:11:56.540 --> 00:11:58.399 then there can be no true accountability. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:02.340 And so that's what the Bible is teaching, 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:03.379 what this passage is teaching, 00:12:04.100 --> 00:12:05.720 that functional atheism, 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:07.540 living as if God doesn't exist, 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:09.399 is at the heart of wickedness. 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:13.759 Because it's living as if God does not exist. 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:14.740 But of course, 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:17.720 the problem is not just for functional atheists. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.080 Functional atheists are not just a problem for theoretical atheists, 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:23.340 but it's also a problem for theoretical atheists. 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:25.220 Because you can claim to believe in God, 00:12:25.300 --> 00:12:27.259 but still live as if God doesn't exist. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:29.000 And if that's the case, 00:12:29.060 --> 00:12:29.860 then that's even worse. 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:31.820 Because not only are we functional atheists, 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:33.720 but then we're also hypocrites if we did that. 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:38.800 And so the psalmist hopes that these people who live as if God didn't exist, 00:12:38.900 --> 00:12:40.080 those who discount God, 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:41.940 would be held accountable. 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:45.220 But rather than facing judgment, 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:46.980 they appear to be prospering. 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:49.639 So verses 5 to 6 of 10, 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:50.820 chapter 10 describe this. 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:53.560 His ways prosper at all times. 00:12:54.620 --> 00:12:55.320 God's judgments, 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:56.680 your judgments are on high, 00:12:56.779 --> 00:12:57.700 out of his sight. 00:12:58.340 --> 00:12:59.300 As for all his foes, 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:00.340 he puffs at them. 00:13:00.680 --> 00:13:01.680 He says in his heart, 00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:02.820 I shall not be moved. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:03.820 Throughout all generations, 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:05.379 I shall not meet adversity. 00:13:06.680 --> 00:13:08.460 So they are so confident 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:10.840 that they'll never have to give account to anyone. 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.420 They're assured of their own success, 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:15.060 that they will never face adversity. 00:13:15.059 --> 00:13:16.659 And so in this world, 00:13:16.739 --> 00:13:19.279 then the greedy fleece the poor 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:20.039 and enrich themselves. 00:13:20.439 --> 00:13:22.339 The violent ravish the weak 00:13:22.339 --> 00:13:24.500 and the murderous kill the innocent 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:25.539 with indemnity. 00:13:26.339 --> 00:13:27.659 They do whatever it takes 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:29.179 to achieve their own selfish ends 00:13:29.179 --> 00:13:30.599 and they succeed at it. 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:32.179 And that's why they say, 00:13:32.339 --> 00:13:34.139 it seems as though God has forgotten. 00:13:34.599 --> 00:13:35.799 He has hidden his face. 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:36.819 He will never see it, 00:13:36.859 --> 00:13:37.819 they say in verse 11. 00:13:38.359 --> 00:13:39.099 In verse 13, 00:13:39.199 --> 00:13:39.459 they say, 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:42.039 you will not call to account. 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:45.759 So the righteous, 00:13:46.959 --> 00:13:49.339 those who seek God, 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:52.019 those who recount God's deeds suffer, 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:54.139 those who discount God prosper. 00:13:54.699 --> 00:13:56.719 Then how are we to live in such a world? 00:13:56.980 --> 00:13:58.620 In this problem, evil, 00:13:58.839 --> 00:14:00.219 world full of suffering and injustice, 00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:03.500 then how can God truly be loving and just? 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:05.219 And the key, 00:14:05.439 --> 00:14:07.120 these Psalms teach us 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:08.339 to living in this kind of world 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:10.440 is to live by faith and not by sight. 00:14:11.220 --> 00:14:13.700 Because even though we don't place 00:14:13.700 --> 00:14:15.660 our confidence in our experience, 00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:17.420 but we have to place our confidence 00:14:17.420 --> 00:14:18.800 in our hope, 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:21.700 in what God promises. 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:23.780 Because if we base our theology 00:14:23.780 --> 00:14:24.940 on the empirical data, 00:14:25.060 --> 00:14:27.019 just what we see here on the ground, 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:29.460 then we would become functional atheists 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:31.139 like the enemies of this psalmist. 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:32.440 But instead, 00:14:32.540 --> 00:14:33.600 we have to base our theology 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:35.960 on our faith that God will deliver us. 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:42.200 So the psalmist again and again 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:44.320 reiterates his faith in God 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:45.500 as the righteous judge. 00:14:46.660 --> 00:14:48.040 So the word judgment 00:14:48.040 --> 00:14:49.960 and words related to it occur 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:51.560 in Psalm 9 and 10 00:14:51.560 --> 00:14:53.460 over and over again 00:14:53.460 --> 00:14:54.800 throughout these passages. 00:14:55.820 --> 00:14:58.259 So David says in chapter 9, verse 4, 00:14:58.800 --> 00:15:00.860 You have maintained my just cause. 00:15:01.280 --> 00:15:02.460 You have sat on the throne 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:04.019 giving righteous judgment. 00:15:04.900 --> 00:15:05.980 Verses 7 to 8, 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:06.300 it says, 00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:08.219 But the Lord sits enthroned forever. 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:10.559 He has established His throne for justice. 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.879 And He judges the world with righteousness. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.399 He judges the people with uprightness. 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:17.559 Again in 9, 16, 00:15:18.219 --> 00:15:19.679 and then again in chapter 10, 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:21.000 verses 17 to 18, 00:15:21.439 --> 00:15:23.139 the psalmist says over and over again 00:15:23.139 --> 00:15:25.159 that God is still the righteous judge 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:26.519 who is still enthroned. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:28.399 He's still reigning in this world. 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:29.099 And therefore, 00:15:29.199 --> 00:15:30.059 we can trust Him 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:31.819 to execute justice. 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:35.120 And the way God does that 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.600 is by remembering the people 00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:39.500 that belong to Him. 00:15:40.280 --> 00:15:42.280 So it says that those who remember God, 00:15:42.420 --> 00:15:44.340 God will remember and not forget. 00:15:44.640 --> 00:15:46.940 It says in verse 12 and 18 of chapter 9, 00:15:47.040 --> 00:15:48.180 verse 12 of chapter 10. 00:15:49.140 --> 00:15:50.640 But those who forget God, 00:15:50.820 --> 00:15:52.700 God will blot out their memory from the earth. 00:15:52.800 --> 00:15:54.860 It says in chapter 9, verses 5 to 6. 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:58.000 And this is a really fearful prospect. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:00.240 I don't know if you guys ever thought of 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:03.080 being blotted out from the face of the earth. 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:04.759 No one remembering you. 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:06.320 Your memory even lost. 00:16:06.659 --> 00:16:07.840 And this is a fearful prospect 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.340 because our identity is rooted in our memory, right? 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:12.799 So a few years ago, 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:14.740 this was in the Chicago Tribune. 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:16.879 I was reading the Chicago newspaper for some reason. 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:22.659 And there was an article 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:25.299 about the Office of State Guardian, 00:16:25.299 --> 00:16:28.259 which is an office that basically takes into custody 00:16:28.259 --> 00:16:29.899 people who have lost their identity. 00:16:31.439 --> 00:16:34.599 And so they're basically John and Jane Doe's. 00:16:35.159 --> 00:16:36.079 And at that time, 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:38.139 there was about seven people like that in Chicago. 00:16:39.459 --> 00:16:43.139 And this one particular John Doe 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:44.779 was cared for by the state, 00:16:44.839 --> 00:16:47.039 had been cared for by the state for 13 years. 00:16:47.699 --> 00:16:50.620 So for 13 years, no one knew who he was. 00:16:50.979 --> 00:16:52.819 So he, for all intents and purposes, 00:16:52.939 --> 00:16:53.759 had no identity, 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:55.079 no social security number, 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:57.259 no record of anything, any kind, 00:16:57.959 --> 00:17:00.099 no relation of any kind. 00:17:00.859 --> 00:17:02.279 And he had seemed to have suffered 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:03.799 brain damage from his stroke, 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:06.839 which is why he was so lost. 00:17:07.879 --> 00:17:10.460 And so he's kind of a desolate nobody, 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:12.059 and he used a wheelchair to get around. 00:17:12.159 --> 00:17:14.879 He always wore a helmet to prevent injuries. 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:17.079 And his only reaction to people 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:18.099 who would speak to him 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:20.740 would just be to smile and just laugh giddily. 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:22.799 That was his only response to people. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:25.500 But 13 years later, 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:27.059 the Office of State Guardian 00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:28.519 ran a fingerprinting procedure 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:31.200 against law enforcement databases. 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:33.899 And when they did that, 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:35.399 there was a matched name 00:17:35.399 --> 00:17:38.079 and a birth date that came up for this man, 00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:39.379 for this John Doe. 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:41.259 And so on that very day, 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:43.419 the staff who cared for him went to him, 00:17:43.639 --> 00:17:45.079 and then they uttered the name, 00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:46.720 Crispin Marino. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.500 And usually a giggly man fell silent 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:52.000 after hearing his real name 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:53.519 for the first time in 13 years. 00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:55.860 And then he started crying. 00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:58.980 Just because in hearing his name, 00:17:59.059 --> 00:18:01.100 the man finally recovered his identity. 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:02.180 He found himself. 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:07.819 And so that's the kind of warning 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:09.500 that this past issue, 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:11.019 he found issue to those 00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:13.559 who refused to acknowledge God 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:14.379 and to seek him. 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:16.839 But for those who remember him 00:18:16.839 --> 00:18:17.379 and seek him, 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:18.619 those who recount God's deeds, 00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:21.019 God promises to remember us. 00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:23.679 So in our most desperate loneliness, 00:18:24.139 --> 00:18:26.740 in our deepest struggles and sufferings, 00:18:27.099 --> 00:18:28.440 God remembers us. 00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:29.539 He knows us. 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:31.819 We're in his memory. 00:18:32.679 --> 00:18:33.720 He doesn't forget us. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.779 It says 9, 12, 00:18:34.899 --> 00:18:35.940 he who avenges blood 00:18:35.940 --> 00:18:37.099 is mindful of them. 00:18:37.179 --> 00:18:38.679 He does not forget the cry 00:18:38.679 --> 00:18:39.639 of the afflicted. 00:18:39.639 --> 00:18:40.879 He will not forget us 00:18:40.879 --> 00:18:41.879 as we cry out to him. 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:43.300 But in contrast, 00:18:43.560 --> 00:18:45.860 the wicked who refuse to acknowledge him, 00:18:46.320 --> 00:18:48.200 the wicked who discount God, 00:18:48.540 --> 00:18:50.180 God will blot out their name 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:51.800 forever and ever 00:18:51.800 --> 00:18:53.600 and the very memory of them 00:18:53.600 --> 00:18:54.460 will perish. 00:18:54.780 --> 00:18:56.420 This is verse 5 and 6 00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:57.280 in chapter 9. 00:18:57.580 --> 00:18:59.000 So that's a fearful prospect 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:00.020 if you think about that. 00:19:00.600 --> 00:19:01.660 And the destiny of the wicked 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:02.400 is oblivion. 00:19:02.860 --> 00:19:04.960 They're blotted from the memory 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:06.860 forsaken by their very creator. 00:19:08.260 --> 00:19:09.360 And because of this, 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:10.679 we can then, 00:19:10.919 --> 00:19:11.740 without despairing, 00:19:11.819 --> 00:19:12.579 cry out to him 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:13.379 when we're suffering 00:19:13.379 --> 00:19:14.579 at the hands of injustice. 00:19:14.899 --> 00:19:16.339 When we're afflicted by the wicked, 00:19:16.419 --> 00:19:17.339 we can cry out to him 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:18.479 like the psalmist does 00:19:18.479 --> 00:19:19.939 in verse 19 of chapter 9. 00:19:20.719 --> 00:19:21.579 Arise, O Lord, 00:19:21.679 --> 00:19:22.879 let not man prevail. 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:24.879 Let the nations be judged before you. 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:25.740 And again, 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:27.059 in chapter 10, verse 12. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.779 Arise, O Lord, O God, 00:19:28.879 --> 00:19:29.819 lift up your hand. 00:19:29.959 --> 00:19:31.740 Forget not the afflicted. 00:19:32.699 --> 00:19:33.799 And arise, O Lord, 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:34.519 was the phrase 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:35.759 that the Israelites used 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:36.879 when they went into battle. 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:38.160 They say, 00:19:38.260 --> 00:19:39.200 Arise, O Lord, 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:40.360 and go before us. 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:42.280 And so this is a battle cry. 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:44.320 And for us 00:19:44.320 --> 00:19:45.440 in the Western world, 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:45.880 you know, 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.200 like crying out to God 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:47.720 for vengeance 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:48.720 may not fit 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.660 our politically correct sensibilities. 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:52.540 But I think 00:19:52.540 --> 00:19:53.420 that's because, 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:54.740 frankly, 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:56.800 we don't suffer very much 00:19:56.800 --> 00:19:58.280 in the present time. 00:19:58.780 --> 00:19:59.960 To those people 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:00.760 who have been 00:20:00.760 --> 00:20:01.720 unjustly deprived 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:02.860 so that, you know, 00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:04.100 their children are starving 00:20:04.100 --> 00:20:04.880 but they don't know 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:05.540 where the next meal 00:20:05.540 --> 00:20:06.160 is coming from. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:07.160 For the people 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:08.420 who wake up every morning 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:09.400 wondering whether 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:10.800 they're going to be raped again 00:20:10.800 --> 00:20:11.240 or not. 00:20:11.560 --> 00:20:12.120 For the people 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:13.100 who have lost 00:20:13.100 --> 00:20:14.300 their family member 00:20:14.300 --> 00:20:14.940 who have been widowed 00:20:14.940 --> 00:20:15.680 or been orphaned 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:16.800 by ravaging violence 00:20:16.800 --> 00:20:17.660 of the wicked. 00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:20.180 It's a terribly callous thing 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:20.840 to just speak 00:20:20.840 --> 00:20:21.580 nonchalantly 00:20:21.580 --> 00:20:22.720 of the God of love. 00:20:23.080 --> 00:20:24.120 These people need to hear 00:20:24.120 --> 00:20:25.320 about the God of wrath. 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.380 They need to hear 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:27.480 of the God of justice. 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:28.740 They need to hear 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:29.500 the battle cry, 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:31.000 Arise, O Lord. 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:34.360 And that's indeed 00:20:34.360 --> 00:20:35.259 what God will do. 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:38.539 And there's a wonderful 00:20:38.539 --> 00:20:39.440 poetic justice 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:40.420 contained in this psalm. 00:20:40.539 --> 00:20:40.720 It says, 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:41.819 because the words 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:43.440 seek that's used here 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:44.500 and the word account 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:46.259 as well as the word avenge, 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:47.839 all three of them 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:48.660 come from the same 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:49.259 Hebrew word. 00:20:49.379 --> 00:20:50.700 Those three English words 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:51.079 are translated 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:52.240 from the same Hebrew word. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:54.119 And once you recognize that, 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:54.819 there's a beautiful 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:55.579 poetic justice 00:20:55.579 --> 00:20:56.859 because it says that 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:57.420 the righteous 00:20:57.420 --> 00:20:59.180 are those who seek God 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:00.240 and the wicked, 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:01.240 it says in chapter 10 00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:01.700 verse 4, 00:21:01.740 --> 00:21:02.620 are those who do not 00:21:02.620 --> 00:21:03.320 seek him. 00:21:04.080 --> 00:21:05.740 And the wicked also say 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:06.779 that God will not 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:08.340 hold them to account. 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:09.360 God will not bring them 00:21:09.360 --> 00:21:09.900 to account. 00:21:10.320 --> 00:21:10.600 Again, 00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:11.340 all the same word, 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:11.640 seek, 00:21:11.740 --> 00:21:12.019 account. 00:21:12.580 --> 00:21:13.259 But then it says 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:13.880 that God, 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:14.920 in chapter 9 verse 12, 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:16.680 is the one who avenges 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:17.440 blood. 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:19.240 So all the same word. 00:21:19.320 --> 00:21:20.320 So if that's the case, 00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:22.539 then God remembers 00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:23.440 those who seek him, 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:24.460 but those who do not 00:21:24.460 --> 00:21:25.740 seek him will in turn 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:27.120 be sought out by God 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:29.000 in judgment and wrath. 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:30.579 And those who flout 00:21:30.579 --> 00:21:32.000 accountability to God 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.299 then will be brought 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:35.699 to account by God. 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:37.959 So there's poetic justice there. 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:39.019 And that's why I use 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:40.079 those three English words 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:41.859 to kind of convey that sense. 00:21:42.239 --> 00:21:43.599 Those who recount God's deeds 00:21:43.599 --> 00:21:44.119 suffer. 00:21:44.439 --> 00:21:45.539 Those who discount God 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:46.459 seem to prosper. 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:47.479 But in the end, 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:49.219 God will bring all of them 00:21:49.219 --> 00:21:51.419 to account in judgment. 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:54.159 And the psalmist 00:21:54.159 --> 00:21:55.459 may not have ever seen this, 00:21:55.699 --> 00:21:56.979 may not have ever seen this, 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:57.919 in his lifetime. 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:00.059 But yet he lived 00:22:00.059 --> 00:22:01.199 in faith, 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:01.919 in attention, 00:22:02.379 --> 00:22:03.559 holding out hope 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:04.319 that God will bring 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:05.239 this justice to him. 00:22:05.679 --> 00:22:06.799 But for us, 00:22:06.859 --> 00:22:08.159 we have an added benefit 00:22:08.159 --> 00:22:09.639 of having seen Christ come. 00:22:10.019 --> 00:22:11.239 Because he came 00:22:11.239 --> 00:22:12.679 to bear God's judgment. 00:22:13.439 --> 00:22:14.259 And Romans 3, 00:22:14.399 --> 00:22:15.439 23 to 26, 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:16.019 talks about how 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:17.479 we were all sinners. 00:22:18.179 --> 00:22:18.759 And God 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:20.559 made his son 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:21.579 die for us on the cross 00:22:21.579 --> 00:22:22.939 to show his righteousness 00:22:22.939 --> 00:22:24.299 and justice. 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:25.679 And the cross shows 00:22:25.679 --> 00:22:26.239 his righteousness 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:26.859 and said justice 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:28.079 because it was unjust 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:28.640 of God 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:30.220 to formally pass over sinners. 00:22:30.700 --> 00:22:31.420 It was unjust 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:31.920 of God 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:32.700 to let the wicked 00:22:32.700 --> 00:22:33.819 prosper in the past. 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:34.799 But now, 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:35.519 in the cross, 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:36.940 we see God's judgment 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:38.160 poured out in full. 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:39.579 And his justice 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:41.039 displayed in his son, 00:22:41.140 --> 00:22:41.940 his righteous son 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:42.480 being punished 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:43.599 for the penalty 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:44.359 of our sins, 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:45.380 those who trust in him. 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:46.400 And so that, 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:47.920 at the same time, 00:22:48.099 --> 00:22:49.500 assures of us, 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:50.880 assures those who repent 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:52.680 and entrust themselves 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:54.060 to him of God's mercy. 00:22:54.060 --> 00:22:56.220 But it also assures us 00:22:56.220 --> 00:22:57.240 of the fact 00:22:57.240 --> 00:22:58.440 that those who refuse 00:22:58.440 --> 00:22:59.060 to repent, 00:22:59.620 --> 00:23:00.380 those who continue 00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:01.500 to perpetrate 00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:02.460 wickedness 00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:03.660 and acknowledge God, 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:05.900 will be held accountable. 00:23:06.280 --> 00:23:07.620 Because God does not 00:23:07.620 --> 00:23:09.060 let injustice 00:23:09.060 --> 00:23:13.160 endure. 00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:14.500 And so, 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:16.180 this psalm, 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:16.620 I hope, 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.000 gives those of you 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:18.620 who are suffering 00:23:18.620 --> 00:23:19.320 much hope 00:23:19.320 --> 00:23:20.320 and also, 00:23:21.320 --> 00:23:22.720 it prepares us, 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:24.620 it guards us 00:23:24.620 --> 00:23:25.460 as we live 00:23:25.460 --> 00:23:26.420 in an unjust world 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:28.120 and to place our hope 00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:29.000 not in this world 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.140 and to live 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:32.500 as functional atheists 00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:34.120 who seek to take things 00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:34.960 into our own hands 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:36.420 and to make might 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:37.540 right, 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:39.000 but rather to entrust 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:39.820 ourselves to God 00:23:39.820 --> 00:23:40.660 and hold that hope 00:23:40.660 --> 00:23:41.500 that he will execute 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:41.940 good justice 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:42.420 on our behalf. 00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:44.599 So with that, 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:46.400 let's sing a song, 00:23:46.519 --> 00:23:46.619 Jimmy, 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:47.200 and let's pray.