Let Not Man Prevail: Help for the Oppressed (Pss 9-10)

Read Psalms 9-10:

To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.[1]

Psalm 9

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

Psalm 10

¹ Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? ² In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. ³ For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. ⁴ In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” ⁵ His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. ⁶ He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” ⁷ His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. ⁸ He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; ⁹ he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. ¹⁰ The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. ¹¹ He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” ¹² Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. ¹³ Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? ¹⁴ But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. ¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. ¹⁶ The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. ¹⁷ O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear ¹⁸ to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Understand Psalms 9-10:

I. The Attributes of the Lord (9:1-12)

David begins in verses 1-2 with varied expressions of praise (“I will give thanks,” “I will recount,” I will be glad and exult,” “I will sing praise”). The psalmist presents worship as fear’s antidote (vv. 11, 14). Despite the wicked who surround him, David’s confidence depends on God’s unchanging sovereignty and justice (vv. 4, 7-9, 16, 19-20). Six times in verses 3-5 he directly addresses God Most High (“you,” “your”). God’s goodness then turns his lament into praise and his fears into victorious joy. Thus, David looks forward to a time when all wickedness will be removed and God will claim his rightful place as King. Likewise, when we are fearful of your oppressors, we can praise the Lord for his glorious attributes. Many of the psalms begin and end declaring God’s attributes.

II. The Appeal of the Oppressed (9:13-20)

David prays for the Lord to be “gracious” to him at the doorsteps of death (9:13) and to show him a kindness he does not deserve. He counts himself among the helpless (10:8, 10, 14) like the “oppressed” (9:9; 10:18), “afflicted” (9:12, 13; 10:12, 17), “needy” (9:18), “poor” (9:18; 10:2, 9), “innocent” (10:8), and “fatherless” (10:14, 18). He trusts the Lord to destroy his enemies in judgment (the chiasm in verse 15 focuses on “the pit” and “the net”). So also, when we feel we are at the gates of death, we can appeal to the Lord for his gracious mercy. Our prayers are grounded in the knowledge of his attributes.

III. The Arrogance of the Wicked (10:1-11)

David wonders, “Where is God when bad things happen to good people (10:1)? Where is he when the wicked do such terrible things (vv. 2-11)?” David’s enemy “lurks in ambush like a lion” (v. 9; 1 Pet 5:8) and seems to get away with it. When we are perplexed by the arrogance of the wicked, we can trust God to judge them with the same certainty that he promises to save us. Once more, we depend fully on God’s unchanging person and character.

IV. The Assurance of the Upright (10:12-18)

David reminds himself that God knows even the “thoughts” and the “heart” of the wicked (10:4, 6, 11, 13). God sees and hears everything (vv. 14, 17) regardless of what the righteous (v. 1) or the wicked (vv. 11, 13) may think. No matter what takes place in the world around us, “the LORD is king forever and ever” (v. 16a). So when we are concerned about the injustices in this present world, we can take the long view and plan for eternity.

Apply Psalms 9-10:

1. Describe some ways you have been oppressed in the past. Are you experiencing affliction now? What hope does the psalmist offer when you feel surrounded by the wicked?
2. Are you determined to praise God or do you complain about your present circumstances? List out the many ways you can praise God today for his person and his works?
3. In the midst of oppression, do you pray as the psalmist prayed (9:13-20; 10:12-18)?
   • With bold confidence that God is faithful to his promises.
   • With praise and thanksgiving in your heart.
   • With trust that God has indeed seen your afflictions.
   • With patience that God will vindicate you either now or in the day when Christ returns.
4. How do you typically respond when others sin against you? How might you respond in a manner that shows God to be sovereignly present in your life? As you face oppression, what specific truths about God grant you the same assurance as the psalmist (vv. 12-18)?

Pray Psalms 9-10:

• I praise you, O Lord, for all your wondrous deeds (9:1-2).
• Bring judgment on the wicked and unbelieving nations (9:8).
• Father, be a refuge to those in need who trust in you (9:9-10).
• Be gracious to me and see my affliction (9:13).
• Reveal yourself as man’s salvation (9:20).
• Arise, O Lord, and forget not the afflicted (10:12).
• Strengthen my heart in times of oppression (10:17).

Counsel Psalms 9-10:

Many of your counselees will come to you feeling defenseless and oppressed. Turn their hearts to trust in the God who is sovereign and just. He hears their prayers and sees their affliction. He will surely act in his good time to right all wrongs.

[1] “Muth-labben” refers to “the death of a son,” so the context may deal with the treachery and death of David’s son, Absalom (2 Sam 13-19). This post has been adapted from a sermon preached by Joseph Martin on August 11, 2019. Certain Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint (c. 300 BC), and Jerome’s Vulgate (c. AD 400) combine these two psalms as one. They also share common themes and terminology (see below). Psalm 10 does not have its own title and the two psalms form an imperfect acrostic arrangement with verses beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. For these reasons, we will consider Psalms 9-10 as a unified whole. Some parallels include:

• The Lord is enthroned as Judge (9:4, 7-8) and King (10:16).
• The Lord will neither forsake nor forget his people (9:10, 12,18; 10:14, 17, 18).
• The deeds of the wicked will return upon their own heads (9:15-16; 10:2).
• The nations will be judged and destroyed (9:5, 15, 17-20; 10:16).
• Human beings are merely mortals (9:20; 10:18).
• Wicked men tragically ignore God (9:17; 10:4).
• The Lord sees the troubles of the righteous (9:13; 10:14) and also hears their prayers (9:12; 10:17).
• “Arise, O LORD!” is a common cry (9:19; 10:12; see 3:7; 7:6).