Written by: Nick Treby
Psalm 9 v 1-6
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart.
I will tell of all the miracles you have done.
I will be happy because of you;
God Most High, I will sing praises to your name.
My enemies turn back; they are overwhelmed and die because of
you.
You have heard my complaint; you sat on your throne and judged by what was right.
You spoke strongly against the foreign nations and destroyed the wicked; you
wiped out their names for ever and ever.
The enemy is gone for ever.
You destroyed their cities; no one even remembers them.
Notes
What does it take to get you excited? It's my birthday in a few weeks and I
always get a bit excited about that! Maybe you get excited when you get the
latest game for your games console after you've been saving up for it for weeks,
or you buy the new album you've been waiting for. Maybe things you see get you
excited - a David Beckham goal, or a beautiful sunrise. Perhaps it's the things
you do - the good exam result, the camping trip, being with your friends.
The writer of this psalm was King David. (You can read all about his interesting life in 1 and 2 Samuel.) He has got very excited because he is remembering all the amazing things God has done for him in his life. In particular, David is remembering when God defeated David's enemies to protect David's kingdom.
What has God done for you? Can you think of times when God has got you out of a tight spot? Has he never given you the right words to say when you've needed wisdom? Has he ever made you, or someone you know, better when you or they weren't well? Has he ever given you things you needed?
The best thing he has done is send his son to die for you. Jesus, when he died, took all your sins on his shoulders so you could have a relationship with God! Wow!
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for all the things you have done for me. Most of all, thank
you for sending your son Jesus to die for me so that I can have a perfect relationship
with you. Amen
Psalm 9 v 7-12
But the LORD rules for ever.
He sits on his throne to judge, and he will judge the world in fairness; he
will decide what is fair for the nations.
The LORD defends those who suffer; he defends them in times of trouble.
Those who know the LORD trust him, because he will not leave those who come
to him.
Sing praises to the LORD who is king on Mount Zion.
Tell the nations what he has done.
He remembers who the murderers are; he will not forget the cries of those who
suffer.
Notes
What do you think about people who are in charge? Do you get on with your teachers,
parents, bosses? Some people I know cannot cope at all with anyone in authority
- they have to argue every decision. Other people I know are completely in awe
of authority figures - they never think for themselves! At work I am a boss,
but I also have bosses! So, I have to learn to do what I'm told as well as tell
other people what to do. It's not always easy!
In today's section of Psalm 9, King David remembers that although he is the king, he is not really in charge at all. He remembers that God is in charge - that God is in charge today and will be in charge for ever. That God will judge the world and that God will be completely fair. He remembers that God will defend people who suffer and that he will support those people who trust him!
God is a different ruler or authority figure to our teachers, parents or bosses, because he is completely fair. He doesn't treat us badly if he's tired or stressed or got out of the wrong side of bed! Have you chosen to submit to him?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for treating us fairly all the time. I choose now to submit
to you - show me how you want me to live. Amen
Psalm 9 v 13-16
LORD, have mercy on me.
See how my enemies hurt me.
Do not let me go through the gates of death.
Then, at the gates of Jerusalem, I will praise you; I will rejoice
because you saved me.
The nations have fallen into the pit they dug.
Their feet are caught in the nets they laid.
The LORD has made himself known by his fair decisions; the wicked get trapped
by what they do.
Notes
It's not particularly nice when people look closely at what we do. When we do
exams, or when our boss checks up on our work even if we know things are okay,
we can get a bit nervous of being under close scrutiny.
But God is the judge of everyone. The last verse of today's reading shows us that God judges us, and he judges us fairly. And so King David who has written this psalm asks God to be merciful to him.
If God judged us as we deserve we would stand no chance. We all make so many mistakes that keep us away from God: when we're rude to people, when we lie, when we are arrogant or proud - the list goes on. But when Jesus died, he took all of our mistakes on his shoulders, and God said he'd punish Jesus for those mistakes, not us. All we have to do is ask God to forgive us and make an effort to live better every day and to get to know God better.
God has had mercy on all of us. Have you chosen to accept it? If not, now is a good time!
Prayer
Lord God, I know I have made many mistakes - good things I've not done, and
bad things I have done. I am sorry and turn from everything I know to be wrong.
I ask you to come into my life and help me to serve you for ever. Amen
Psalm 9 v 17-20
Wicked people will go to the grave, and so will all those who forget God.
But those who have troubles will not be forgotten.
The hopes of the poor will never die.
LORD, rise up and judge the nations.
Don’t let people think they are strong.
Teach them to fear you, LORD.
The nations must learn that they are only human.
Notes
Who is in charge? At school the head teacher runs things; at home maybe your
parents do.
This section of Psalm 9 tells us who is in charge of the world. It is God. Many people don't realise this because they get on with their own lives, doing what they have always done and doing all right. But it doesn't mean God is not in charge.
God lets us get on with things. He gives us a choice at the moment as to whether or not we acknowledge him as the king of all. But if you die without knowing him, you will find yourself not knowing him for ever. If you acknowledge God as the king, you will be looked after by him because one day he will judge us all and on that day it would be good to be on God's side.
And so, in this last section of Psalm 9, we are reminded to be in awe of God as he is charge of the entire universe, and when we die he makes the decisions about life and death. Is he in charge of your life? If you think you can manage without him, you are fooling yourself. You're only human - God is divine.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to remember that you are the king of the universe, that everything
and everyone is in your hands. Thank you for watching over me. Amen
Psalm 10 v 1-11
LORD, why are you so far away?
Why do you hide when there is trouble?
Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
They brag about the things they want.
They bless the greedy but hate the LORD.
The wicked people are too proud.
They do not look for God; there is no room for God in their thoughts.
They always succeed.
They are far from keeping your laws; they make fun of their enemies.
They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me;
I will never be ruined.”
Their mouths are full of curses, lies and threats; they use their tongues for
sin and evil.
They hide near the villages.
They look for innocent people to kill; they watch in secret for the helpless.
They wait in hiding like a lion.
They wait to catch poor people; they catch the poor in nets.
The poor are thrown down and crushed; they are defeated because the others are
stronger.
The wicked think, “God has forgotten us.
He doesn’t see what is happening.”
Notes
Do you ever feel like God is far away? It can feel sometimes like everyone around
knows God intimately and is talking to him, yet for you he seems like a distant
relative - occasionally you hear from him, but not most of the time.
The writer of Psalm 10 feels like that too. He is in trouble - he's having a tough time of things but feels like God isn't involved at all. The writer wants to know why God has disappeared.
Of course, to get the full story you need to read the whole of Psalm 10, not just the first 11 verses! But several things seem to stand out here.
First, despite the writer thinking God is a long way off he is still talking to him. He obviously thinks God is real and still around, even if he's not involved. The writer still pours out his feelings.
Second, the writer asks God all the difficult questions that he can't answer himself. Why do the wicked succeed? How do evil people get away with treating the poor badly? Generally, why does God let bad stuff happen?
But the important thing to remember is just because you see bad things happen to you or around you, this doesn't change the fact that God is still there. Even if he feels a long way off, talk to him, ask him questions - just don't give up on him. However you feel, whatever your situation, God is there for you. God does see what is happening.
Prayer
Lord God, there's a lot I don't understand about the world I live in. Help me
to bring all my cares and concerns to you. Help me to stick with you in the
tough times, as well as when things are good. Thank you that you are always
there for me. Amen
Psalm 10 v 12-15
LORD, rise up and punish the wicked.
Don’t forget those who need help.
Why do wicked people hate God?
They say to themselves, “God won’t punish us.”
LORD, surely you see these cruel and evil things; look at them and do something.
People in trouble look to you for help.
You are the one who helps the orphans.
Break the power of wicked people.
Punish them for the evil they have done.
Notes
People make all sorts of promises all of the time. Sometimes we have no intention
of keeping them at all. Sometimes we try to keep them and fail, and sometimes
we do manage to keep our promises.
God has promised to do many things. In this section of Psalm 10 the writer asks God to keep some of his promises - to punish the wicked, to help the orphans, to break the power of wicked people.
The writer's not asking God to keep his promises, because God might not! He's reminding himself of God's promises and asking God to sort everything out now.
God will keep all of his promises. Sometimes it might look like God is doing nothing. One day, though, God will punish those who are wicked and hate him. He will (it says in Matthew 5) bless those who are poor, who mourn, who are kind.
God will do it when he is ready at the right time. We don't know when that will be. Make sure you are ready by being on his side. You can do this by asking God to forgive you through Jesus, and making an effort to get to know God better than ever!
Prayer
Lord God, help me to live right, doing what you will be pleased with, so that
when you come and judge us all I will be on your side. Amen
Psalm 10 v 16-18
The LORD is King for ever and ever.
Destroy from your land those nations that do not worship you.
LORD, you have heard what the poor people want.
Do what they ask, and listen to them.
Protect the orphans and put an end to suffering so they will no longer be afraid
of evil people.
Notes
The first 15 verses of this psalm have told us all about the bad things that
happened in the world. There were wicked people taking advantage of the poor,
there were people being greedy, people were boastful and proud, and most of
all there were lots of people who thought they didn't need God. Just like today.
Despite all this suffering, despite people's struggles and difficulties, the LORD is king for ever and ever.
Just because things are difficult, just because we see other people suffer, just because we have a tough time in life doesn't change anything about God. He is the king when things are good and when things are bad.
And the writer wants God to take charge of the world and to sort everyone out. When that happens, it will be good for those who love God and awful for those who don't. God will do some amazing things - he will destroy those nations that don't worship him. He will bring an end to suffering and put evil people in their place. God will be in charge and will treat us all fairly.
Which group are you in? Do you think you don't need God and aren't worried about when he calls you to account? Or do you look forward to being part of his kingdom where he rules fairly and honestly?
Prayer
Lord God, you are the king for ever and ever. Thank you that we can look forward
to a time when you rule. I want to be part of your kingdom! Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes