GIST: Deliberately remember God’s graces, praise Him wholeheartedly for them, and pray that they continue.
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 9
As I studied this passage this week, I learned that Psalms 9 and 10 are actually one acrostic poem. 10 picks up where 9 leaves off, and their messages are definitely intertwined. Because of this, I considered addressing them together. However, since that would mean covering 48 verses in one Sunday evening, I opted for clarity, and we’re going to take them in two separate nights.
"1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. 4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. 5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 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, 14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! 20 Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah"
I love the structure in this psalm. It’s extremely balanced. David tells us what he is going to do…then he does it. Then, he tells himself to keep doing it ☺️. And that is the basic division of the psalm praise for what has been and prayer for what will be. The gist for tonight? Deliberately remember God’s graces, praise Him wholeheartedly for them, and pray that they continue.
I. Deliberately Remember God’s Graces & Praise Him Wholeheartedly For Them
"1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
I Will. This is deliberate. He is choosing to do these things. We should do the same. It doesn’t matter what you feel like. Be intentional in your relationship with God!
Give Thanks With My Whole Heart. The first thing he is deliberately doing is giving thanks—not forgetting to be grateful for all God has done. And, He’s doing it wholeheartedly. I think it was Alistair Begg who said there are three types of worship wholehearted, half-hearted, and completely indifferent. He went on to say, if we were asked to classify ourselves, most of us wouldn’t want to sound arrogant and claim to be wholehearted, but we also would want to be so down on ourselves to call ourselves indifferent worshippers either…which only leaves one other option, and not a good one. We know Jesus said He’d spit the lukewarm church out of His mouth. Why? Because half-hearted thanks is no thanks at all. Much like a begrudging apology from one sibling to another, made under the threat of a parent, is not really an apology at all. Give thanks with your whole heart!
Recount All Your Wonderful Deeds. We need to do this! Even today! How much has He done for us? We talked this morning about how much of a blessing the outreach event was Friday. Leading up to that event last Sunday night, we shared how much we had seen Him move in the past. Remembering what He has done, should remove doubts about what He will do! God has always been faithful, so whether you see that faithfulness or not, you can look back and be encouraged that He never changes! Furthermore, this remembering is not passive. The word here is recount. In the KJV, the word is translated “show forth”. I think this gets to the point. We’re not just to remember, but to relate them, talk about them, share them!
Be Glad And Exult In You. I know I am in danger of making this my soapbox, but we really should be truly joyful because we serve the Lord!
Sing Praise To Your Name. We are to praise Him. And I think there is something significant about him saying he would sing those praises too. Music has been part of the worship of God from the beginning. There is something special about singing to the Lord with your whole heart. For me, it tends to really direct my thoughts because I am being deliberate about what I say. You don’t have to sing well to experience that☺️!
Examples. Like I said in the opening, David tells us what he’s going to do…and then he does it!
Thanks: 3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. 4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. He has been faithful. He has protected. He has remained just.
Deeds: 5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. This psalm not only speaks to David’s physical protection against his enemies, but also spiritually points to exactly what Jesus came to do: defeat evil at the source, sin!
Glad Exultation: 7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. This is David rejoicing in who God is!
Singing Praise: 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Literally, he sings praises and calls others to do the same!
II. Pray that His Grace Continues (Prayer For What Will Be)
13 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, 14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! 20 Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah"
This might seem strange. Why does he go from praise God for truths to praying that he remember them? Because the hardships of life sometimes shake us, and even as Christians we need to remind ourselves of truths we might already know. He has seen God’s grace and prays that God will continue to be gracious—knowing He will and knowing without Him there is no hope!
Much of this portion of the psalm will sound reminiscent of last Sunday night (see lesson on Psalm 7). Specially, we see David praying for God’s grace because he understands what is in store for those who reject God: eternal judgment, Hell. They forget God and will be left without Him. BUT, those who remember Him and call out to Him as people in deepest need will never be forgotten! Their hope shall not perish! It might seem like that sometimes, but knowing God gives us the right perspective.
The one point that is only slightly new in this request that I want to draw particular attention to this evening is in the last verse. May people fear You and know that they are just people. If you were with us this morning, this should ring some bells. This morning, we asked the question, “who are we that He is mindful us”? The answer: the receivers of the unmerited love of God! Oh, how we need to remember this, and, oh, how different this world would be if everyone did!
TAKEAWAYS
How about the gist statement?
1. Deliberately remember God’s graces
2. Praise Him wholeheartedly for them.
3. And pray that they continue.
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