Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 9
Ninth PSALM.
David breaks out into a joyful and faithful praising of God for his many wonderful deliverances, his enemies overthrows, and his executing judgement according to the justness of his cause and his enemies wickedness; shewing his adversaries by the success, the difference between their trust and his, and the different judgement that righteousness and unrighteousness shall ever have from God, encouraging all Gods people to take notice of what he hath done for him, thereby to strengthen their faith for themselves. He praiseth the Lord and excites others to it, who when the time cometh will punish the oppressor, and right the oppressed. And after praises given for former victories, having further need of his help because of more enemies, he praies him still to be his deliverer, that still he may have farther matter of praise, and rejoycing in him. Stirring up all men to take notice of the admirable defeats God hath given to his wicked enemies, and that so all the Churches enemies shall be served. Concluding with prayer to God, not to suffer himself to be wounded in his honour through his sides by his proud enemies.
Psalm. 9. To the chief musici…n upon Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.To him that is most skilful upon the instrument Muth-labben so called (some conceive) from the victory he had in the duel fought with Goliah) to which this Psalm is chiefly set, do I David that made it, recommend it, for the care and ordering of it in the Quire.
1I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.1 O Lord I have often praied to thee, and alwaies sped so well, as that now I will praise thee with as good a heart and will, as ever I praied unto thee for my preservation in my greatest danger, and will let the world know, what wonderfull things thou hast done for me from time to time, by dedicating a Psalm of praise to thee for them.
2I will be glad and rejoyce in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most high.2 I will wonderfully chear up my heart in the apprehensions of thy favour to me so amply manifested, and will with publick praises glorifie thy power and goodness which have appeared in thy marvellous works. O God, of infinite might and Majesty.
3When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.3 Mine enemies though they vex me sore and persecute me long, yet when the time comes that thou wilt foil them, then they shall be able to make no resistance, but in thy just displeasure shall certeinly come to nought.
4For thou hast maintained my right and my cause, thou …atest in the throne judgeing right.4 As hath been already made apparent, for maugre their power and malice, thou hast still hitherto maintained and manifested my title to the Kingdom to be just, & my cause to be honest, by thy righteous judgements; whereby thou hast made it appear more than once, that thou art, and wilt prove thy self a righteous judge.
5 Thou hast punished all that were against me,5Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroied the wicked; thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. whether they were my heathen and forraign enemies that knew less what they did, yet they have smarted for it, or my wicked countreymen and domestick foes, who should have had more understanding, them therefore hast thou quite destroied, and divested of all their power and authority, and cut of all title to the throne of Israel from them and their posterity for ever.
6 O thou mine implacable enemy,6O thou enemy destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroied cities, their memory is perished with them. that wouldest never be reconciled till thou wast ruined, which now thou art, and all thy destructive plots and practises with thee, never to trouble me more; Both themselves and the great Cities, and Fortresses they builded for to establish their dominion, and eternize their name, hast thou, Lord, destroied, and caused them and their memorials to perish for ever.
7 But the Lord who is my city of refuge abides for ever for me to trust in;7But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgement. He shews now that he hath not been idle all the while he seemed so, but hath been fitting himself to execute judgement when the time shall come, as now it is.
8 And the wicked of the world shall ever find it so,8And he shall judge the world in righteousnesse, he shall minister judgement to the people in uprightness. that though they think him remiss, and careless how things go, yet they shall find that he is not so, but with most perfect wisdom, righteousness and integrity will judge and punish the wicked, all the world over sooner or later.
9 And so also on the other side shall the poor and innocent when they are unjustly oppressed,9The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. (however they may likewise think him regardless) yet shall they not find him so, but if they flee to him, & trust in him, he will be a refuge to them, yea then, when because of extremity they most need it, and can least think or exspect it.
10And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.10 And truly they that know thy power and goodness, and have had triall of it, will venture all upon thee. For, for my part I am able to say it, that as I have sought to thee and none but thee, so thou hast never failed mine exspectation, nor been unfaithful to my trust, but according to my praier and dependance have I ever found thee helpful to me, and so shall others.
11Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Sion: declare among the people his doings.11 O ye Ministers of his worship to whom I have recommended this Psalm of praise. Lift up your voices in praises to the Lord, that hath chosen Sion for the place of his special residence and solemn worship, where accordingly you celebrate it, let the people that resort thither hear you sing aloud his marveilous doings, that they may also learn to praise him, and trust in him.
12When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembreth them; he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.12 When the time cometh that mens sins are ripe, and that he will call them to accompt and reckon with them for the bloud of the innocent, which they have unjustly shed or coveted, he will then make it appear, that he remembers to right the wrongs of them that trust in him, and seek to him, and forgets not the cry of the afflicted, that in singleness of heart and poverty of spirit makes his humble addresses to him, as to his onelyonly refuge.
13Have mercy upon me, O Lord, consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death.13 Though I have had many deliverances and thou hast given me great cause to praise thee for ridding me of a world of enemies, yet I am not without, but still have those that hate me, and of meer malice vex and trouble me, so that I suffer much by them; good Lord, still continue to be merciful to me and to deliver me, thou, that many and many a time hast delivered me, when mine enemies had brought me to that pass that I knew not which way to turn me, but death and destruction waited for me on every side.
14 That I may muster up all thy mercies and praisefully proclaim them in the publick assemblies of Sion,14That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Sion: I will rejoyce in thy salvation. the place which of all Israel and Jerusalem thou hast chosen for thy publick and solemn worship. Yea there I will most joyfully make known thy saving grace and favour to me.
15 Thou hast vanquished the heathen,15The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid, is their own foot taken. and disappointed their plots and designs against me, having ensnared them in the ruine they meant to me.
16 All men that have eyes may see that thou favorest me,16The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion, Selah. and may be convinced that it is onelyonly thy doing that mine enemies are foiled, by the manner of thy effecting it, and thine executing such wonderful and admirable judgments upon them, making their own wicked enterprises against me, the means to bring to pass their own destruction; I cannot but extraordinarily put men on seriously to mind and muse on this thy remarkable providence. Yea again and again I wish they would well consider this thing.
17 And mark how my foes perish,17The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. even so shall all the wicked of the world that rebel against Christ, and resist his government, and oppress his innocent and righteous people, perish eternally in hell; even all the nations of the world, that know not God to serve him and believe in him, like as the heathen people hereabout that take up arms against me, come to ruine.
18For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the exspectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.18 For though God may defer his judgeing the wicked, and his delivering the poor and needy that trust in him, very long, for so he did me; yet will he not ever do so, either first or last there will come a time when the poor afflicted ones shall be sure of what they have long praied and looked for.
19Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail, let the heathen be judged in thy sight.19 Thou O Lord hast long forborn the heathen, but truely they are grown now to that greatness and insolency, that if thou doest not shew thy self in my behalf, they will have the better of me, and so of thee whose quarrel I maintain; Therefore look thou to it that they which are but men, get not the better of thee, by vanquishing me, but by thy judgements upon them, let them plainly see its thou that condemnest them, and justifies me.
20Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.20 O Lord, by thy judgements upon them make them afraid to hold on their course of enmity and opposition against me, by seeing thee to take part with me, and so cause them to know by their ill success, that for all their great power and multitudes of people, they are too weak by humane strength (which yet they trust in, as if it were more) to resist thee, whose cause I maintain, and fight for. Yea, Lord, make them know it to purpose.