Psalm 9
A call for righteous judgement and humility---"us" vs. "them" Personally, there is a sense that David is facing "the gates of death" at the hands of his enemies (v13). It seems composed amid the distress, with the theme of God's justice front and center.
As with many of David's psalms, Psalm 9 begins with a will, a will to proclaim and rejoice in the Lord:
"I will praise Thee..." (v1)
"I will shew forth all thy marvelous works..." (v1)
"I will be glad and rejoice in thee" (v2)
The timelessness of God and His ultimate justice is the next theme:
But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. -Psalm 9:7-8
That God is known by His acts of justice is introduced later:
Psa 9:16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. Psalm 9:15
The wicked experience the unfolding consequences of the evil actions they chose. As with earlier psalms and passages, the sense is that sin has a natural progression that leads to destruction. The destruction is not God's first choice, but the unfolding of man's choice:
In verse 16, I'm curious about the use of the colon. What exactly is the cause and effect there? How is the Lord's execution of judgement leading to the wicked snaring himself?
Eleanor Roosevelt's quote points to the two sides of justice--the two groups highlighted in this psalm. One group is the wicked, those who are indifferent and oblivious to God. The other group is the oppressed (v9), the humble (v12), the needy, and poor (v18-19). The promise is that God has not overlooked these groups and their needs indefinitely. They are also part of His unfolding plan of ultimate justice.
Therein is the struggle--there must be a "winner" and a "loser"---no way for all to win and justice to remain intact.
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