PSALM 9 Reading Guide. March 3-9

Transcription

1 PSALM 9 Reading Guide March 3-9

2 PSALM 9 2 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.

3 PSALM 9 3 [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 DAY 1 Read through Psalm 9 once writing down what you find interesting, what you find helpful, and what you don t fully understand. Read through the notes on Psalm 9 in the ESV Study Bible*. Write at least one paragraph highlighting what you learned from the study notes. Reread Psalm 9, personalizing the Psalm as your own prayer. Write out that prayer. DAY 2 Read Psalm 9 again. David writes some pretty incredible things about God in this Psalm: O Most High (Ps. 9:2) You have maintained my just cause (Ps. 9:4) The LORD sits enthroned forever (Ps. 9:7) The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble (Ps. 9:9) You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you (Ps. 9:10) He does not forget the cry of the afflicted (Ps. 9:12) O you who lift me from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation (Ps. 9:13-14) The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands Ps (9:16) Pick either one of the verses listed above or another phrase or verse from Psalm 9 and spend some time meditating on that verse. (For more information on meditation, see Day 3 in the Psalm 7 reading guide.) Then, write out a prayer to Jesus, thanking and praising him for the way he shows that verse or phrase about God to be true through his life, death, resurrection, or ascension.

4 PSALM 9 4 DAY 3 Read through Psalm 9 again. David starts the Psalm this way: I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Read verses one through twelve again, writing down what who David says God is ( I will be glad and exult in you ) and what he says God has done ( I will give thanks to the LORD ). At verse 13 the Psalm takes a turn. It s there that David makes his request of God. Read verses 13-20, writing down what he asks God to do and what he is confident God will do. The language in verses considers the longed for deliverance and victory as an certain, but future reality. Considering the way David prays in those verses, write down your answer to the following questions: Why do you think David can pray like that? Can you think of any other yet-to-be-experienced future realities mentioned in the Bible? How could that promised future encourage you to pray with a greater faith and hope? David starts his prayer by remembering who God is and what God has done. He ends his prayer by expressing confidence in what God will do. Praying this way can help build your faith and hope in God, even as you pray. When you remember who God is and what he has done, you often pray with a greater confidence in what he will do. He doesn t always answer our prayers the way we ask or on our timeline; he does always act in a way that is consistent with his character and in light of what he s promised to do. William How, in his hymn For All the Saints, expresses similar faith, hope, and courage by remembering what God has been to his people throughout the ages and encouraging us to listen for the distant triumph song. Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might; Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, Steals on the ear the distant triumph song, And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.

5 PSALM 9 5 But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day; The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of glory passes on His way. Think of a place you need God to intervene in your life. Following the pattern of Psalm 9, write out a prayer to God first remembering who he is and what he has done for you and then asking him to act on your behalf. If helpful, use some of the phrases found in Psalm 9. DAY 4 Read Psalm 9 again. In the Psalm David encourages God s people to Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! (Ps. 9:11). Write down some specific things you can thank God for and some specific things God has done for you. (You may find the things you thank God for are things he has done for you.) Now, write down the names of people that aren t yet followers of Jesus that you want to talk with about what you ve written down. Write out a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God. Start the prayer with verse 11. Use on what you ve written. End your prayer by asking God to help you share what you ve written with the people you want to talk with about what God has done. DAY 5 Read through Psalm 9 twice. Write out at least two paragraphs reflecting on what you ve learned about God, yourself, and others from Psalm 9. Write out at least one thing you hope to apply to your life from Psalm 9. Spend at least 15 minutes sharing what you wrote with a trusted friend or family member. If they read Psalm 9 this week, ask them to do the same. End your time in prayer, thanking God for what he taught you this week. * Purchasing an ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2008.) will aid you in your understanding of the Psalms. The first day s reading each week assumes you will have access to the notes in the ESV Study Bible. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It will help you understand not just the Psalms, but also the rest of the Bible in a deeper way. You can either buy the Bible (amazon.com, search: ESV Study Bible) or purchase online access to the notes at Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved Elliot Grudem.