Psalms 9:15-20
The Bible says in Psalms 9:15-16, The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net
which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which
he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his
own hands. Higgaion. Selah. Proverbs 14:12, There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Another way of saying this is that you reap what you sow. Sometimes it seems
that nice guys finish last. But the truth is it is not over until it is over.
In other words ultimately the plotting of the wicked will eventually result in their own destruction. The reason for this is explained by
the phrase The Lord is known by the judgment which
he executeth.
It is always God that has the final say. It even
says in Psalms 9:19, Let
not man prevail. It is not man, nor the will of man that will prevail, but
God that will prevail. Make sure that you choose the winning side, make sure
that you are not digging your own pit by going against the will of God.
The LORD is known by
the judgment which he executeth. Men are known by the things they do and say. How do you
know who a person is? By what they do and what they say. Of course, more often
than not what men say is not the same as what they do. This is never the case
with Jesus. What God does and what God says are always one and the same. In
this verse the word known is the same word that is used other places in the Old
Testament in reference to a man knowing a woman. God created romance. And
romance the way God intended it to be is both pure and beautiful. Therefore,
considering these things when a man knows a woman it is a union between them of
the deepest kind both mentally and emotionally. Together they share a secret
place just between the two of them that no one else can be a part of. This type
of intimacy gives us a picture of the intimacy that can exist between God and
man.
Psalms 91:1 says, He that dwelleth in the secret place
of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. The
LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth.
Psalms 19:9-10 says, The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever. The judgments
of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than
gold, yea than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and
the honeycomb. The word judgment here is also the same word used in reference
to the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus. How to know God? How to have a
friendship with him, how to have a spiritual romance? It is very simple, The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth.
The greatest judgment ever pronounced by God came
to pass on the cross of
These verses then bring out a very important
truth about true religion. True religion is an intimate relationship with God.
First Timothy 2:5 says, There is one mediator
between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. To know God you do not need
to go to any certain religious building. To know God you do not need to make a
spiritual journey to any holy site. To know God you do not need to go through
other men. To know God you only need to go the one Mediator, Jesus. The Lord is known by the judgments which he executeth.
There are only two paths just as Jesus Himself explained
when He gave the parable of the wide road and the narrow road. The two paths
are: one, to be snared in the work of your own hands; and two, to know the
judgments of the LORD.
Psalms 9 is a Psalms which lists things we can
praise God for. One of the most important things to praise God for is His
judgments because the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether
and the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul.
Psalms 9:17 says, The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that
forget God. The world hell in Bible is sometimes used to
refer to the grave, the end of life. It is appointed unto men once to die but
after this the judgment. Why do men die? Why does Human life end? Because of sin. Romans 3:10,
There
is none righteous, no not one. Romans 6: 23, For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Sometimes when someone we love dies,
or someone that we consider to be a good person, we ask the question why did he
or she have to die? Or we say he didnt deserve to die. Sometimes people even
become very angry at God. When we think about life and what it is and all the
opportunity life offers and all the wonderful things there are to existing, it
does indeed seem almost cruel and unjust that human life comes to an end.
However it would be a cruel, merciless, unloving, and uncaring God who would
let men go on living for ever and ever and never have to face death and the
judgment. If there was no death, then there would be no judgment, and then men
would never consider their need to turn from their sins and turn to Jesus.
The wicked shall be turned into hell.
As the principle of turn to God and He will turn to you is
true, so is the opposite: turn away from God and He will turn away from you.
Human life is precious but nothing is as precious as doing what is right. How
long you live on this earth may very well depend upon whether or not you repent
of your sins.
The principle which applies to
individual man also applies to nations and governments. The nations that forget
God will also be turned into hell. This brings us to an important historical
question, why does no nation last forever? The sands of time cover layer after
layer, nation after nation which has risen and fallen in human history. None of
them have lasted. They fall because they forget God. Even if a nation became so mighty as to rule the entire world, such as the
The word forget which is used here in this verse is
a very important word. It is only found two places in the Old Testament. In
Isaiah 65:11 it says, But ye are they that forsake the
LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and
that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
The New Testament equivalent to this Old Testament word means to no longer
care for, to neglect, to pass into oblivion.
The wicked shall be turned into hell,
and all the nations that forget God. Psalms chapter 9 is a Psalms of praise
which shows us the marvelous works of God. What are the marvelous works
mentioned in the previous verses: The righteousness of Gods judgments, that
God will eliminate your enemies, that God is a refuge. These things of course
apply both to people and to nations. How is it that anyone or any nation could
forget such a Mighty God who does such wonderful things?
Psalms 9:18 says, For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of
the poor shall not perish for ever. There
are many people in the world that are poor, destitute, starving, even homeless.
In some countries there are even children that die of starvation. Of course,
things like famine sometimes cause this. But one of the reasons there are poor
and needy is because of the nations that forget God. There are governments that
turn away from God, and there are people that have power and resources and
unlimited wealth that could do something for the poor and the needy. But the
farther away from God they turn and the more selfish and power hungry they
become, the more those who are under their authority will become poor and
needy.
Take for example the basic idea of
communism. What if everyone shared and shared alike so that there was no poor
and needy? What a marvelous idea. But it could never work, as communist
governments have proven. Men are sinners. Where some might be generous there
will always be many more that are greedy. You cannot make people share. To take
away freedom under the guise of equality is another example of how governments
forget God.
Sometimes men out of human kindness
have done many charitable works to help the poor and needy but ultimately in
the end it is God who will fulfill the expectation of the poor and the needy. A
destitute man can look at his life and feel that he is forgotten and that all
his expectations and hopes have failed. But there is God: He is good, and He
does not forget the poor and needy. Spiritually speaking we are all poor and
needy. We are sinners, who without Jesus are destitute of any righteousness.
God has not forgotten this. This is why He sent His own Son Jesus to die on the
cross for our sins.
Psalms 9:19, Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the
nations may know them to be but men. Selah. One of
the major mistakes of men is to not fear God.
Men sometimes through their own abilities, intellect, and might, and
even numbers, think that they will prevail.
Psalms 34:10 says, The young lions do
lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good
thing. Man should never be lifted up with
pride to think that he is anything more than dust, because of his own strength,
youth, ability, intellect, possessions or anything else. The truth is there is
no victory without Jesus. What is it that these verses are referring to, what
is it that God is not going to let man prevail at? Opposing
His will. Apparently men have the
problem of thinking that they are more than they are. This is the danger, and
the mistake that will happen to any man that does not fear God. He will forget
he is just a man and that God is God. The truth is anytime you fail to submit
yourself to do whatever it is God wants you to do or say, you are making this
mistake.
One of the greatest characteristics
of the world we live in is how strong is opposition of the
will of man to the will of God. It seems as though man is prevailing,
doesnt it? But the day for that is going to end because every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.
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Copyright; 2011 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved