Psalm 9
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
David isn't a neat and tidy Bible Story. Instead, David tells us again and again in the messy and complicated interweaving of good, God is untangling a fallen world. The Scriptures are real. Life is messy.
David is anointed and all goes well. No. Events happened to make us squirm and test David. In fact...
1.) 1 Samuel 16:13, David is anointed to become King of Israel, in the place of King Saul, rejected by God.
2.) 2 Samuel 2:4, David anointed, again, to be King of Judah by the Tribe of Judah.
3.) 2 Samuel 5:3, David was anointed a third time and accepted as King of Israel by the elders of Israel.
David was not crowned the day Saul and Jonathan died. David is crowned over parts and portions of Israel before the big day. The Big Day. Our David puzzles us to dance naked and bring his donkey. David, God help us, is unique.
Really. Our beloved David, today, wasn't universally loved. Hezekiah was. Solomon, yes probably. Some of the worst kings were generally beloved. But David is eek, eek, eek, fit, argument, skirmish, gross, eek crowned King of Israel. About 7 years after being minor King of this and that and this Tribe and some more. Generally, it looked like all that anointing failed and God's Plan was maybe not really God's Plan. Surprise! God was right. :)
Jesus tells us in the Lord's Prayer, Father God, please don't lead us in Temptation. The disbelievers were certainly tempted to count David out for 22 years and then 7 years.
I will rebuild this Temple in 3 Days!!!
Speaking of Psalm 9. God is God.
Who really enjoys a great big, "Told you so!"
David is gracious as he ascends to become King of Israel. David is frankly as gracious as our Loving Jesus Himself. All the people who have not supported David are welcomed warmly. We see in David's rule, when more skirmishes and civil war result, David has mixed backing in his early years of reigning.
David appeals to God because truly David Loves God. He sees the Love God is. God is Love. It's not an aspect of God, this is the Almighty Himself. David is going to obey God because David is convinced everything about God is Love.
And therefore, David is going to sing about the wonderful Victories God has truly given David. However, David's nation is made up of the people Psalm 9 is going to ruffle feathers. People are going to be tweaked to remember this Psalm is about their former actions.
A Psalm we might find wrinkles us up some in our own lives, seasons and memories.
Is David mindful of this?
Unlike the Governor in the movie, Brother Where Art Thou, David is going to use the same tactic for entirely different reasons. "Is you is, is you ain't, my constituent!"
David is boldly proclaiming the Plan of God.
But David believes there should be repentance for past unbelief about God's Plan and a new mind as the new creation of God's Children in the unfolding of God's Plan.
David has boldly been Politically Incorrect.
David has rubbed up and down Psalm 9 in actual worship to say, "God's Plan has unfolded." Not a lot of separation of Church and State. But, hey, Israel wasn't ever separated in Church and State. Yet, annoying and discomforting to the rank and file of David's kingdom.
God is God and does His Will His Way.
The Scriptures tell us, who has known the mind of God and been His Counselor.
David is far more concerned with God's Way than the peoples approval.
God of Comfort. God the Helper. Yes.
Our Father God has allowed us to have suffering to be able to comfort and understand each other, we learn to give comfort. David is giving an odd sort of comfort - this is here - this is now - deal with this. Jesus is very probably giving this to His Disciple John in Revelation 1. Jesus didn't allow John to go on and on about Jesus' "House" being marvelous and amazing. Christ, Messiah, Jesus moves on with the Goodness of God and John can accomplish together. Discomfort to allow Love a place to flourish, live, grow, trust, believe and Hope. God of Comfort.
Jesus told the father seeking his son's healing to have faith and helped him to have faith.
Peter often needed more workable faith.
God is Emmanuel!
Job 37:16
Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of Him Who is perfect in knowledge
Proverbs 16:15
In the Light
of a King's face
there is Life,
and His favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Abba, Father
Dwell in us every Day. Give us the Day.
Help us to seek You First.
Psalm 9 is a Beautiful, Worshipful Psalm.
God Overcoming the past failures of mankind.
Mankind doesn't always appreciate being shown Forgiveness.
God is the Great and Gracious Father.
Your Son, Jesus, prays for us in John 17.
Bless those we Love and are given to live Your Love every day.
The Holy Spirit prays for us in Colossians 1
From the Day our Father spoke Light into being, prayers have been earnestly prayed and heard.
We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of Father God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.To walk awed by Jesus, while walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to You.
Calling upon Jesus and bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
And in the Highest Name of Jesus, being strengthened with all power, according to Your glorious might for joy!
And because of Jesus, giving thanks to our Father. Jesus has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Bless Elliott with healing, Jesus is never taken from Elliott, he knows.
Bless Bill with his voice. We ask Please, Jesus.
Thank You, my ankle is so much better
and for our friends putting in the Air Conditioner.
Bless us with Love, as You have.
Protect us with Your Love.
Thank You, Father, Bless Dee who has helped so much, bless her in her health.
Thank You, Jesus, for all who have helped!
Let us find, establish, create, promote, enjoy, Love and Bless our Father for more Heaven on earth and His Good Will.
In Jesus Christ and His Righteousness,
For God's Steadfast Love in Year's past, present and the Thanksgiving of everyday Easter Egg Blessing Hunts still to be. Jesus is King.
Amen.
Psalm 107
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom He has redeemed from trouble