God of justice and compassion
In our dog-eat-dog world, with everyone looking out for Number 1, the poor and oppressed seemingly have no chance. But, says David, God cares and will defend those who can’t defend themselves.
A David psalm.
1 I thank you with all my heart, YHWH
and recount all the awesome things you’ve done.
2 I celebrate you, God Most High
and sing praise to your name!
3 When my foes turned tail
they stumbled and perished before you.
4 You upheld the justice of my cause
seated as the just king on your throne.
5 You blasted the nations
and devastated the wicked—
their names are totally forgotten.
6 The enemy is utterly ruined forever
their cities permanently wiped off the map
and all memory of them gone
7 while YHWH sits enthroned
executing justice forever.
8 He rules the world with equity
judging all its peoples fairly.
9 YHWH is a refuge for the oppressed
a shelter when they’re in trouble.
10 That’s why all who know your name
put their trust in you, YHWH:
you never desert anyone who turns to you.
11 So sing your praise to YHWH
who reigns from Zion.
Tell everyone everywhere what he does—
12 how the one who avenges bloodshed
remembers every single victim
and never turns a deaf ear
to the cries of the oppressed.
13 Be gracious to me, YHWH!
See how I suffer because of those who hate me.
Snatch me away from the gates of death
14 to burst through Zion’s gates
with news of how you’ve saved me.
15 The nations who reject you
have fallen into the pit they dug—
their own feet got tripped up in the net they hid!
16 YHWH reveals his character by enacting justice
when the wicked get caught
in the trap they themselves made.
17 The wicked will plunge headlong into Sheol
and all the nations who forget God.
18 For the helpless won’t always be forgotten
nor the hopes of the oppressed forever go unmet.
19 Rise up, YHWH!
Don’t let mere earth-bound mortals defy you.
Make the nations face your stern judgment.
20 Strike terror into them, YHWH—
let them know they’re just puny men! Selah
Psalms 9 and 10 are crafted as a single acrostic, Psalm 9 beginning with Hebrew’s “a” (aleph), Psalm 10’s final poetic unit beginning with its “z” (tav). This tells us the two psalms complete each other.
David praises God for his just judgment of those who oppress the helpless. And he isn’t just talking theory, but rather about his own cause, his enemies, his deliverance. Whether he’s thinking of God’s protecting him from Saul or defeating the Philistines, David has learned from experience that YHWH’s reign isn’t interrupted by his enemies’ abuse of power. God never ignores the cry of the afflicted, never deserts those who trust in him.
This prompts David to ask God to take down the oppressor on behalf of the oppressed. But again, his prayer is personal, not generic. He needs deliverance now. With death threatening to swallow him alive, David has previously learned what he can expect from God. In God’s economy, evil is its own undoing: no one is crafty enough to avoid the traps they set for others. Knowing what God is like, David freely asks him to judge his enemies, cut them down to size, and stop them from flagrantly defying God.
Prayer:
Lord, you see every single act of oppression—you miss nothing. Thank you that you care, you never forsake those who turn to you, and you will yet right every wrong and avenge every unjust death. Rise up, Lord! End the reign of injustice and oppression now, I pray. Amen.
In your free moments today, meditate on these words:
The helpless won’t always be forgotten
nor the hopes of the oppressed die unmet.
