Refuge of Victory
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Introduction
Introduction
Once again we are looking at a Psalm of David, and this one is one of the first of nine Psalms that is what is known as an acrostic. Each line beginning with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. This one deals with only the first half of the alphabet. Now Septuagint has it together with Psalm 10 (also and acrostic) but while there are similarities (both are on the Justice of God) there are enough differences to treat it on its own. This Psalm has its original Hebrew title in the CSB as “for the choir director: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David”. Scholars are unsure of what Muth-labben means - whether its a tune or an instrument. The New King James version renders the title “Death of the Son” the ancient Chaldee version “Concerning the death of the Champion who went out between the camps” referring to Goliath. Perhaps this Psalm is David reminiscing on his victory over Goliath many years removed from that triumph.
Psalm 9 would then be a Psalm of conquest or victory. In this Psalm we find not only hope and help but assured victory. It is a Psalm of faith where faith doesnt know how things will go but trusts in the One Who works all things out. Look to God and His faithfulness through the past for confidence in the future. Those who focus on and trust in the Lord enter a refuge of victory.
1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. 2 I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High. 3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my just cause; you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; you have erased their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin; you have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
8 And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness. 9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord. 11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim his deeds among the nations.
12 For the one who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the oppressed. 13 Be gracious to me, Lord; consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death, 14 so that I may declare all your praises. I will rejoice in your salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made; their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. 16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed justice, snaring the wicked by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten; the hope of the oppressed will not perish forever. 19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail; let the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only humans. Selah
Come In Praise
Come In Praise
1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. 2 I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High.
Those who wish to find refuge of victory enter in through praise. Praise carries a positive and upbeat connotation of worship a celebration and these things cannot be forced they must be from one’s own heart. David had such a heart of praise and celebration for the Lord, and we know it was completely unforced because of the repeated phrase “I WILL” Through this repeated phrase David identifies several ways in which he will come in, by praise of the Lord. Never did anyone find victory by doubting the Lord, complaining of the Lord or by anything other than worshipping and praising His name.
I will THANK the Lord. This requires recognizing the things the Lord does in order that we might thank Him. David says he will thank the Lord with his WHOLE heart. David knows that God is worthy of praise of his whole heart. The entire being of a person should be directed in affection and affirmation of God. “Half-heart is no heart.” Spurgeon. Only those of a thankful heart will find a refuge of victory for the Lord.
I will DECLARE ALL Your wondrous Works. David here puts his finger on what is most often a neglected but yet important way to praise the Lord. Telling of all His great works. Simply remembering and then re-telling the great and wonderful things the Lord has done. Wondrous works is a single word in the Hebrew and is frequent in the Psalms used of redemptive miracles for sure but also of the more everyday experience and also of the hidden glories of scripture.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt did not grasp the significance of your wondrous works or remember your many acts of faithful love; instead, they rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
17 God, you have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim your wondrous works.
18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction.
Thats what this level of praise takes is for us to open our eyes or have our eyes opened by God that we might see all that He has done and continues to do. Every work of God is wondrous.
I will REJOICE and BOAST about You. Another way to praise God is to boast about Him and express gladness and joy within Him. If we boast may we boast about the Lord. Many want to boast of what they do but those who want a refuge of victory boast in the Lord and what He has done rejoice in the Lord
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
24 But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me— that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.
31 —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
Whatever may come from our hands or our ministry, we have no reason to boast because, humanly speaking, we are “weak,” “foolish,” “lowly,” and “despised.” All the glory goes to God and God alone.
I will SING ABOUT YOUR NAME, Most High. El Elyon - this particular name of God stresses out certain Characters and qualities or truths of God. His power as the All Powerful One, His sovereignty as the Almighty One, and His Supremacy Most High - exalted and lifted up.
Those who desire a refuge of victory must first come through wholehearted praise.
Recognize Who Delivers
Recognize Who Delivers
3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my just cause; you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; you have erased their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin; you have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished.
David is resolved to praise the Lord and there are many ways He will use to accomplish this and to continue in this. David says when my enemies retreat they stumble and perish before You. The work of the triumph over the enemy is all attributed to the Lord and His doing. A refuge of victory is found when we acknowledge our deliverance comes from the Lord - David knows he didnt do it and we must recognize we didnt do it either. The Lord has done it. David acknowledges the Lord’s hand and we can see this by the repeated phrase “You Have”
YOU HAVE upheld my just cause. God didnt automatically side and give deliverance because it was David’s cause, and He wont do it just because it is our cause. God will not uphold injustice but only upholds justice for He is seated on His throne as a righteous judge.
13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.” Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in homage and asked him, “What does my lord want to say to his servant?”
God is not on our side but if we are on His side He is a refuge of victory!
YOU HAVE rebuked the nations
YOU HAVE destroyed the wicked
YOU HAVE erased their name forever and ever With these declarations we remember that before the Lord and His deliverance our enemies are temporary all of these are proof that the Lord has upheld David’s just cause. The enemy has come to eternal ruin before God.
Seek the Righteous Judge
Seek the Righteous Judge
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord.
David recognized that God seemed to be on his side only because David was on God’s side - the side of righteousness. The Lord sits enthroned forever as the eternal one. He judges the world with righteousness and executes judgment with fairness. If you want the judge and the judgment to be on your side be on the side of righteousness and then seek the righteous judge. Unrighteous judges are unpredictable for you dont know if they will judge righteously and fairly or if they will bring a travesty of justice and judge unrighteously. The Lord always judges in righteousness and therefore we can seek His righteous throne as a refuge of victory - for His throne is eternal and forever.
It is for this reason that the Lord is a refuge for the persecuted and a refuge in times of trouble. Refuge is (misgab in the Hebrew) and this word speaks of God being the believer’s “stronghold”, “refuge” speaking of defense.
3 my God, my rock where I seek refuge. My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, you save me from violence.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
16 he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured.
The allusion is to the fact that in the ancient world, safety to either the one fleeing or to the one at rest was synonymous with reaching and remaining upon some fortified height which would be inaccessible to beast and enemy alike. This is seen to be a precise picture of the believer’s safety and security in God and His victory. God does more than judges the wicked He is a refuge for those oppressed by the wicked.
Again God’s protection isnt given because favors some and opposes others capriciously. It is because God’s people know His name and trust in Him. This is an exercise of faith in God - knowing He does not abandon those who seek Him.
Declare His Works
Declare His Works
11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim his deeds among the nations. 12 For the one who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.
13 Be gracious to me, Lord; consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death, 14 so that I may declare all your praises. I will rejoice in your salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion.
David takes a turn in this Psalm by closing the praise section here with a final call to praise and declare the the wondrous works of the Lord. Remember the works of the Lord and proclaim them. He will reckon the bloodshed and remember His works and He does not forget the cry of the oppressed.
There are times where we may begin to tire or weary out - perhaps David was tiring out and wearying feeling perhaps under attack and like there was no way out - maybe thinking that the Lord had failed Him. To find our refuge of victory we cannot let go of God we must continue to hold fast to Him for there is no hope without Him. One way to regain that strength in trusting Him is to Look again to the Lord and His works and again Sing praises.
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have established a stronghold on account of your adversaries in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
What a privilege we have and a joy we can share. We get to sing praises to the Lord and the Lord has promised a defense to be provided within the praises.
David moves on from praising the Lord to coming into prayer before the Lord - praising the Lord for what He has done leads us to come and petition the Lord for what we need and look to what He will do.
David says be gracious to me Lord - consider my afflictions and lift me up rescue me. David seemed to be at the gates of death but He called out to the Lord for deliverance. When we consider in wondrous praise God’s previous works, His eternal throne and His enduring justice we come to a place where we know we can call out for His grace because that is what we need. David called out for God’s grace - it is an open ended declaration of dependence upon God and a recognition of His power and our weakness.
In our time of trouble we must call out for grace to lifted up. It is only there in God’s grace that we find salvation
Remember the Lord
Remember the Lord
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made; their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. 16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed justice, snaring the wicked by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy will not always be forgotten; the hope of the oppressed will not perish forever. 19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail; let the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only humans. Selah
David declares that the nations have fallen into the pit they themselves have made and their foot is caught in their own net they set and concealed. No one falls before the Lord because He wants them too it is their own choice and their own wickedness.
The Lord has made Himself known - there is know claim of ignorance - we didnt know wont work. He has executed justice and snares the wicked by the work of their own hand. God displays not only His justice but also His sovereignty by using their own means and their own wickedness to ensnare the wicked.
Higgaion Selah — these two words together Meditate and pause. The picture here is remembering the picture of the Lord’s overwhelming judgment of His enemies and their destruction - the call is put to pause and meditate on it. Literally consider and tune your instrument — consider these things solemnly and adjust your hearts accordingly.
1 This is what the Lord says: Preserve justice and do what is right, for my salvation is coming soon, and my righteousness will be revealed.
The wicked will go to Sheol all the nations that forget God - we didnt know is not an excuse but rather reveals we chose to not know you or to forget you. We see this forgetfulness brings a dire consequence of eternal wrath.
The needy and the hope of the oppressed is not always forgotten and is not gone forever, though it can seem like that.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Rise up Lord
Put terror in them
Stop and tune your heart and understand
The psalm closes with the prayer that the Lord would arise and put mortal man to fear in a terrifying judgment. Such a destruction would make the wicked realize that they are but human and that they cannot oppress those who trust in the Lord.
27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—
7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap,
When we stand at the gates of death and we come to God’s throne what will we plead? Innocence? Mostly Good or better than the next guy? No we must plead for the grace of God and that is found Jesus Christ. He is the one who will lift us up from the gates of death to new life - eternal life.
Then we can rejoice in His salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion