Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

The emphasis on the pronoun ‘you’ shows that David did not seek judgment and vengeance upon his enemy but he left that in the far more capable hands of God. He focused on praising and left the ‘judg- ment’ to the Lord. Five times in this psalm David refers to God’s dealing with the nations showing the Lord’s concern that they understand his justice and salvation. • “ You have rebuked the nations;” (5) • “ Tell the world (nations) about his unforgettable deeds.”(11) • “ The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others;”(15) • “ The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore (forget) God.” (17) • “ …let the nations be judged in your presence!” (19) “ But the Lord reigns forever; executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with jus- tice and rule the nations with fairness. The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trou- ble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.” (7-10) David begins this section with a proclamation of the Lord’s sovereignty and a celebration of the ab- solute fairness of his heavenly justice system. We are told by Jesus to ‘judge not’ because there is only one who can truly weigh the matters correctly. God is particularly interested in the poor and afflicted receiving fairness in his courts: • “ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” (9) • “ …he does not ignore those who cry to him for help.”(12) • “ For the needy will not be forgotten forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. ”(18) “ Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore those who cry to him for help. Lord, have mercy on me. See how I suffer at the hands of those who hate me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death. Save me, so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, (the gates of the Daughter of Zion) so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.” (11-14) The gates of death were always representative of a low spiritual condition known as the ‘the realm of the dead 3 ’. It is God that lifts us from these low gates of spiritual deadness that we may praise him in the life-giving gates of the Daughter of Zion. This phrase is a figurative expression and is used to rep- resent Jerusalem, its inhabitants and Zion, the place of joyful praise. It also represents the church as a young bride in relationship to the Lord, her husband. We are to be a happy bride! Isaiah uses this phrase, ‘The daughter of Zion,’ six times in his book; Jeremiah refers to it 11 times. God sees his church as a place of joyful salvation and the extending of grace to the nations. II. THE JUDGE OF THE WORLD - 7-10 This section ends with the declaration that God has justice for not only those who are in trouble and af- fliction, but for all those who have sought him faithfully. III. THE JERUSALEM SONG 11-16

Sin kills everything and has its own built in judgment: • ” The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for other. (15) • The have been caught in their own trap.”(15) • The wicked have trapped themselves in their own snares.”(16)

We cannot know God apart from his justice: “ The Lord is known for his justice.”(16)

This section ends with the double instruction: “ Higgaion. Selah. ” The first word could mean a mu- sical instruction but most likely refers to ‘a meditation.’ The words are translated: “ Quiet Interlude,” “Meditate, Pause. ” Worship and prayer is meant to include deep thought and quiet reflection.

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