Psalm 9:1-12 – God is a safe refuge

In the Septaugint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, Psalms 9 and 10 are seen together as one. But in our English Bible, they are separated. Therefore our meditation shall be done one at a time. To begin with, let’s look at the heading of the Psalm. It tells us that David had composed it for the choir director to be sung “on Muth-labban.” The meaning of “Muth-labban” is “the death of the son.” It is probably an instruction for the choir director to have the Psalm sang in a certain mood.

In the original, Psalm 9 is an “Acrostic Psalm.” The main feature of this type of poem is that it has a letter in each line, when put together would form a word. This is an aid for easy remembrance. The letter that forms the word could be the first or the last or any other letter in between them. Let’s consider an example using the word ACROSS:

Angels from heaven

Coming from God above

Roaming to and fro the earth

Over the mountains and the valleys 

So urgently a message to deliver

So my sons, be ready and quick to hear 

In Psalm 9, David saw the different ends of both the wicked and the righteous. The wicked will end in destruction, while the righteous will end in triumph. David could have written this Psalm as a celebration of his victory over his pagan enemies. He began in verses 1-2 by praising God wholeheartedly in joyful celebration. He expresses his thankfulness to God for His help and deliverance. In verses 3-4, he anticipates the defeat of his enemies and then his confidence in God. David knew that God would help him again in future because He had vindicated him in the past by dealing with his enemies. So in verses 5-6, he narrates what happened in the past in which the Lord “…rebuked the nations…destroyed the wicked…blotted out their name forever and ever…the enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins… You have (God had) uprooted the cities…and the very memory of them (the enemies) has perished”.

Fully aware that God is the true and just Judge, David describes in verses 7-10 that He sits on the judgement throne forever, judging fairly and righteously. It’s such a relief to know that our God is the ultimate Judge. In Him there will be no misplaced justice. Every encounter will be weighed fairly and with equity. He will not abandon the righteous but instead be their refuge. He will be their stronghold in times of troubles. It is difficult not to exalt such a righteous God and Judge. So in verses 11-12, David urged the covenant community to praise and sing of God’s righteousness. For this God is fully aware of the evil of the wicked and will deal with them. And He also has not forgotten, and will not forget, the cry of the afflicted.  

Lessons from the first twelve verses. Like David, we must learn to praise God with our whole heart. That is: be wholly present in worship when we are in His presence, whether in corporate or in personal time. We are to keep our mind focused on Him and not entertain wandering thoughts while we are in His presence. He deserves our total attention. Secondly, we should often recall God’s past dealings and the goodness He had showered upon us. This will help us to remember His mercy, and engender confidence in Him for the difficulty we may face in the future. It is certainly helpful to journal and keep a record of past victories God had brought us through. And always remember that God is a safe refuge in times of trouble, and we can run to Him and rest securely in Him. Absolute security!