{"id":6181,"date":"2010-04-28T12:10:36","date_gmt":"2010-04-28T12:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2010\/04\/our-common-prayerbook-9-10-1.html"},"modified":"2010-04-28T12:10:36","modified_gmt":"2010-04-28T12:10:36","slug":"our-common-prayerbook-9-10-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/04\/our-common-prayerbook-9-10-1.html","title":{"rendered":"Our Common Prayerbook 9-10: 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psalms 9 and 10 are probably originally a single psalm (both Goldingay and Alter agree): Our companion is John Goldingay’s commentary (Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms)<\/a>\"\"<\/strong><\/em> and Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary<\/a>\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/em>. The reason we say this is because the first letters of these two psalms form, more or less, a (“jerky” — Goldingay) procession through the Hebrew alphabet and there is no heading to Psalm 10. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The psalm does its best to keep itself focused on two themes: plea\/lament and declaration\/praise of God. It’s a psalm that knows how God has acted in the past and believes God will do the same now and in the future.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The psalmist makes a commitment or an announcement: <\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
I will thank the <\/span>Lord<\/span><\/span> with all my heart!<\/span><\/div>\n

I will tell about all your amazing deeds!<\/p>\n

9:2<\/span> I will be happy and rejoice in you!<\/p>\n

I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The two psalms (9-10) will wander in and out of such a stance, but the opening shows the psalmist’s faith: he is committed to thanks and praise. <\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
To “tell” means the psalmist will do this in public. It is good to say these things aloud and in the company of others. Praising God is not just a private affair; it is a public declaration.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Goldingay believes vv. 3-4 are statements about what God will or is about to do, and which the psalmist expresses in faith (like Mary’s past tenses in the Magnificat). The confidence here is that God will be faithful to the faithful Israelites.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The weaving in and out of personal, and often very concrete, request and reflection on God’s former acts is fundamental to our common prayerbook, the Psalms. This theme, which shows up constantly in the Psalms, reveals that praying is as much pondering God’s ways as it is praising or petitioning God. Notice vv. 5-12: God’s acts in the past and the confidence people can have in trusting in YHWH.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Psalms 9<\/h1>\n
Psalm 9<\/div>\n

For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben<\/i> style; a psalm of David.<\/p>\n

9:1<\/span> I will thank the Lord<\/span> with all my heart!<\/p>\n

I will tell about all your amazing deeds!<\/p>\n

9:2<\/span> I will be happy and rejoice in you!<\/p>\n

I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One!<\/p>\n

9:3<\/span> When my enemies turn back,<\/p>\n

they trip and are defeated before you.<\/p>\n

9:4<\/span> For you defended my just cause;<\/p>\n

from your throne you pronounced a just decision.<\/p>\n

9:5<\/span> You terrified the nations with your battle cry;<\/p>\n

you destroyed the wicked;<\/p>\n

you permanently wiped out all memory of them.<\/p>\n

9:6<\/span> The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins;<\/p>\n

you destroyed their cities;<\/p>\n

all memory of the enemies has perished.<\/p>\n

9:7<\/span> But the Lord<\/span> rules forever;<\/p>\n

he reigns in a just manner.<\/p>\n

9:8<\/span> He judges the world fairly;<\/p>\n

he makes just legal decisions for the nations.<\/p>\n

9:9<\/span> Consequently the Lord<\/span> provides safety for the oppressed;<\/p>\n

he provides safety in times of trouble.<\/p>\n

9:10<\/span> Your loyal followers trust in you,<\/p>\n

for you, Lord<\/span>, do not abandon those who seek your help.<\/p>\n

9:11<\/span> Sing praises to the Lord<\/span>, who rules in Zion!<\/p>\n

Tell the nations what he has done!<\/p>\n

9:12<\/span> For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed;<\/p>\n

he did not overlook their cry for help<\/p>\n

9:13<\/span> when they prayed:<\/p>\n

“Have mercy on me, Lord<\/span>!<\/p>\n

See how I am oppressed by those who hate me,<\/p>\n

O one who can snatch me away from the gates of death!<\/p>\n

9:14<\/span> Then I will tell about all your praiseworthy acts;<\/p>\n

in the gates of Daughter Zion I will rejoice because of your deliverance.”<\/p>\n

9:15<\/span> The nations fell into the pit they had made;<\/p>\n

their feet were caught in the net they had hidden.<\/p>\n

9:16<\/span> The Lord<\/span> revealed himself;<\/p>\n

he accomplished justice;<\/p>\n

the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. (Higgaion. Selah)<\/p>\n

9:17<\/span> The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol;<\/p>\n

this is the destiny of all the nations that ignore God,<\/p>\n

9:18<\/span> for the needy are not permanently ignored,<\/p>\n

the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed.<\/p>\n

9:19<\/span> Rise up, Lord<\/span>!<\/p>\n

Don’t let men be defiant!<\/p>\n

May the nations be judged in your presence!<\/p>\n

9:20<\/span> Terrify them, Lord<\/span>!<\/p>\n

Let the nations know they are mere mortals! (Selah)<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

10:1<\/span><\/span> Why, <\/span>Lord<\/span><\/span>, do you stand far off?<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble?<\/p>\n

10:2<\/span> The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed;<\/p>\n

the oppressed are trapped by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up.<\/p>\n

10:3<\/span> Yes, the wicked man boasts because he gets what he wants;<\/p>\n

the one who robs others curses and rejects the Lord<\/span>.<\/p>\n

10:4<\/span> The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,<\/p>\n

“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.”<\/p>\n

10:5<\/span> He is secure at all times.<\/p>\n

He has no regard for your commands;<\/p>\n

he disdains all his enemies.<\/p>\n

10:6<\/span> He says to himself,<\/p>\n

“I will never be upended,<\/p>\n

because I experience no calamity.”<\/p>\n

10:7<\/span> His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words;<\/p>\n

his tongue injures and destroys.<\/p>\n

10:8<\/span> He waits in ambush near the villages;<\/p>\n

in hidden places he kills the innocent.<\/p>\n

His eyes look for some unfortunate victim.<\/p>\n

10:9<\/span> He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket;<\/p>\n

he lies in ambush, waiting to catch t
\nhe oppressed;<\/p>\n

he catches the oppressed by pulling in his net.<\/p>\n

10:10<\/span> His victims are crushed and beaten down;<\/p>\n

they are trapped in his sturdy nets.<\/p>\n

10:11<\/span> He says to himself,<\/p>\n

“God overlooks it;<\/p>\n

he does not pay attention;<\/p>\n

he never notices.”<\/p>\n

10:12<\/span> Rise up, Lord<\/span>!<\/p>\n

O God, strike him down!<\/p>\n

Do not forget the oppressed!<\/p>\n

10:13<\/span> Why does the wicked man reject God?<\/p>\n

He says to himself, “You will not hold me accountable.”<\/p>\n

10:14<\/span> You have taken notice,<\/p>\n

for you always see one who inflicts pain and suffering.<\/p>\n

The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you;<\/p>\n

you deliver the fatherless.<\/p>\n

10:15<\/span> Break the arm of the wicked and evil man!<\/p>\n

Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds,<\/p>\n

which he thought you would not discover.<\/p>\n

10:16<\/span> The Lord<\/span> rules forever!<\/p>\n

The nations are driven out of his land.<\/p>\n

10:17<\/span> Lord<\/span>, you have heard the request of the oppressed;<\/p>\n

you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer.<\/p>\n

10:18<\/span> You defend the fatherless and oppressed,<\/p>\n

so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Psalms 9 and 10 are probably originally a single psalm (both Goldingay and Alter agree): Our companion is John Goldingay’s commentary (Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) and Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary . The reason we say this is because the first…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psalms"],"yoast_head":"\nOur Common Prayerbook 9-10: 1 - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/04\/our-common-prayerbook-9-10-1.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our Common Prayerbook 9-10: 1 - Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Psalms 9 and 10 are probably originally a single psalm (both Goldingay and Alter agree): Our companion is John Goldingay’s commentary (Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) and Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary . The reason we say this is because the first…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/04\/our-common-prayerbook-9-10-1.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-04-28T12:10:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.com\/e\/ir?t=jescre-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0801027039\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Our Common Prayerbook 9-10: 1 - Jesus Creed","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/04\/our-common-prayerbook-9-10-1.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Our Common Prayerbook 9-10: 1 - Jesus Creed","og_description":"Psalms 9 and 10 are probably originally a single psalm (both Goldingay and Alter agree): Our companion is John Goldingay’s commentary (Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) and Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary . 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