”I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. My enemies retreated; they staggered and died when you appeared. For you have judged in my favor; from your throne you have judged with fairness. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever. The enemy is finished, in endless ruins; the cities you uprooted are now forgotten. But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. 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 the cries of those who suffer. Lord, have mercy on me. See how my enemies torment me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death. Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me. The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set. The Lord is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God. But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. Arise, O Lord! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Judge the nations! Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let the nations know they are merely human.“
Psalms 9:1-20 NLT
It is the fate of man to be at odds with his god. The only answer to this is that God must refuse to be at odds with him. There are tools available to him with which he can end the conflict. He can try to do it peacefully, using reason and logic. However, man is corrupt at the source of where logic and reason enter him. His heart and mind, synonymous in Jewish writings, do not process these things correctly. So he is often left with shear force and power. Here we see David calling God to show the nations what they ought to have seen by reason alone. This brings righteous judgment that is worthy of praise. In these situations, God has stopped what seemed like an immovable force by shear superiority and the display is often grand in bombastic ways. It may seem something akin to a poor winner, to kick the dead horse, but it is just. There is something to be said for indignant mockery in the face of adamant oppression. It feels justified to scream, “I told you so!” as your assailant gets destroyed. It is therefore even more appropriate to heap glory and praise upon your champion who toppled your foe with ease. This type of excitement is often dissuaded in today’s sensitivities, but David shows us that God accepts such adoration. It is a rightful response to the failure of evil to prevail against our God. Let us not be afraid to tell stories about how our God is better, stronger and more awesome than anyone or anything, especially against those who seek to hurt us.
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