God our Stronghold

Please turn with me in the Word of God to Psalm 9, which we've just sung a part of.

Psalm 9. We'll be reading the whole psalm.

Let us hear God's own Word.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you.

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence.

For you have maintained my just cause.

You have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations.

You have made the wicked perish.

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins.

Their cities you rooted out.

The very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever.

He has established his throne for justice.

And he judges the world with righteousness.

He judges the peoples with uprightness.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed.

A stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in you.

For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion.

Tell among the peoples his deeds.

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them.

He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me, O Lord.

See my affliction from those who hate me.

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made.

In the net that they hid,

their own foot has been caught.

The Lord has made himself known.

He has executed judgment.

The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

The wicked shall return to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O Lord.

Let not man prevail.

Let the nations be judged before you.

Put them in fear, O Lord.

Let the nations know that they are but men.

So far the reading of God's word.

In this psalm of David, Psalm 9,

David expresses great confidence in the Lord.

And it's a psalm that has spoken to God's people

in a variety of ways through the centuries.

This was the favorite psalm of John Knox,

the great Scottish reformer

who led the Reformation here in Scotland

and established reformed churches here.

And this was a psalm that he turned to over and over again

for comfort and for encouragement,

for strength in distress.

Because what this psalm speaks about

is indeed great confidence in the Lord,

but it is not a confidence that David found

or that Knox found

or that we will ever find easy or automatic.

David had faced real distress

and real difficulty in his life.

And it was only out of that difficulty

and out of that distress

that he came to have confidence in the Lord.

We can see in verse 13,

David prays,

see my affliction from those who hate me.

David had known affliction.

David had known struggle.

He had known struggle from the hand

of those who were his enemies.

And he had known the struggle of faith

that questions,

why is God so apparently absent in my struggles?

Psalm 10, which is closely tied

in a variety of ways to Psalm 9,

begins with that struggle of faith,

wondering where God is.

Psalm 10, verse 1,

Psalms 10:1

why, O Lord, do you stand afar off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

This manner of speaking to hide one's face

reminds us of the covenant language of Israel.

As God told Moses

that when the people break their vows,

they will be exiled from the land

and his face will be hidden from them.

But the question here is,

why are God's enemies prospering?

Why do his servants seem to suffer?

David is asking,

why, O Lord, am I struggling this way?

Why am I afflicted?

Why do I face these difficulties?

And how in the face of that difficulty

can I come to have confidence in God

that he's not afar off,

that he's not forgotten,

that he's not indifferent?

David was afflicted by very serious enemies.

We don't know the specific enemies

that David had in mind

when he wrote this psalm,

but we know something of the character

of those enemies.

They were hate-filled toward David.

They were arrogant.

They were oppressive.

They were violent.

They were godless.

And sometimes I think

when we read these psalms,

we wonder,

well, do I really identify

with that situation?

I'm not sure that anyone

is actually after me

to try to kill me

for being a Christian.

Most of us don't live in that world.

And yet the reality is

that the Christian church as a whole

still lives in that world.

There are Christians

who live in situations

that are just as violent

as the situation

in which David lived.

But all of us live

in an environment

where there is still opposition

to us and to our faith.

The secularism that surrounds us,

false religion

that surrounds us

and would ridicule us

as God's people.

But the scripture reminds us

that the enemies we face

are not just human enemies.

We often summarize

the enemies that we face

as the world,

the flesh,

and the devil.

The world that is out there

that opposes our faith.

But one of the great enemies

we face is our own flesh,

isn't it?

The sin that continues

to abide within us.

The doubt that can grip us.

That too becomes an enemy.

It's not who we really want to be.

It's not who we really are

in Christ.

And yet, nonetheless,

that flesh can be so powerful

within us

as an enemy

of all that God stands for.

Then Paul reminds us

in Ephesians chapter 6,

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

doesn't he,

that the devil remains

our great enemy.

For we fight not against

flesh and blood,

Paul wrote

in Ephesians 6, 12,

but against heavenly powers,

spiritual powers,

dark forces

in heavenly realms.

The devil is a roaring lion

seeking whom he may devour,

coming often with accusations,

often with temptations,

to try to overwhelm our soul.

There are enemies

to our soul.

And in that situation

where we're facing enemies,

when we're facing affliction,

when we're wondering,

where is God

in the midst of our need?

We need to learn

to trust.

We need to learn

to have confidence.

We need to learn,

as David did,

how to be more confident,

more trusting in God,

to be able to enter

into that assurance,

to the joy

that we find

in this psalm.

Which, as I've said,

David was not able

automatically to sing

or easily to sing,

but he had come

to know his God

and to have confidence

in him.

So how do we learn

to trust?

Well, I think

in this ninth psalm,

David suggests three ways.

David is always

the preacher's friend,

dividing things

into three.

So here,

David suggests three ways

in which we grow

in trusting in God,

even in the face

of real difficulties

we encounter

in this life.

First of all,

David says,

we grow in trust,

we learn to have

confidence in God

by praising God.

This psalm begins

with praise,

verses 1 and 2,

and calls us

to continue that praise

in verses 11 and 12.

Sing praises to the Lord

who sits enthroned

in Zion.

Tell among the peoples

his deeds.

God wants us

to be a people

filled with praise.

praise.

And the character

of that praise

is that we should

take that praise

upon our lips.

Over and over,

we're told to do that.

We're told to thank God.

We're to tell about God.

We're to rejoice in God.

We're to exult in God.

We're to sing to God.

And David says,

with our whole hearts.

We're to be engaged

as a people

who recognize

in our praise

and declare

with our mouths,

how great

is our God.

Here,

God is addressed

as Lord,

Yahweh,

the great covenant

name of God.

He's addressed

as the Most High

so that we might

be reminded

our God

is the powerful God.

Our God

is the great God.

Our God

is the covenant

keeping God.

Our God

is the one

who has acted

in history.

Our God

is the God

who is faithful

and we need

to praise Him.

We need to thank Him.

We need to make Him known.

We need to take

His praise

on our lips

so that He might

be exalted

and, as another psalm says,

might be enthroned

on the praises

of Israel.

And we praise Him,

this psalm says,

for His wonderful deeds.

It's interesting.

This psalm

doesn't go very far

in explaining

particular deeds

to focus on.

It's as if it says,

praise Him

for all of His

wonderful deeds

among us.

Praise Him

as the God

who acts.

Praise Him

as the God

who has acted

in history

and continues

to act

among us

and will act

to bring history

to a conclusion.

See,

part of the difficulty

that David faced

is the temptation

to ask,

why is God

far off?

why has God

forgotten?

Is God

not good?

Does God

not hear?

Can God

not save?

Why is God

not acting?

And in our praise,

we are to remind

ourselves

and to remind

others

that God

is the God

who acts,

that He acted

in bringing

this world

into creation

by the word

of His power,

that He acted

to lead Israel

out of Egypt

and into the

promised land,

that He acted

in Jesus Christ

to redeem

His people

and to pay

for their sins

upon the cross,

that He acted

in Christ

to raise Him

from the dead

to show

that He's

the Lord of life.

God acted

in sending forth

the Holy Spirit

at Pentecost

to begin

to create

a people

for His name,

a church

that would spread

around the world.

God has acted

in every century

to build that church

and to continue

to gather a people

from every nation

and tribe

and tongue.

And so God

is still acting.

And in our praise

of His wonderful deeds,

we know

that He's the one

who acts.

And here in this psalm,

God is celebrated

particularly

for acting

in judgment

against the wicked

and in mercy

for the afflicted.

And we praise Him

for that.

He's a God

who will not

ignore wickedness,

but will act

in judgment.

And that's a solemn

warning for everyone.

But He's also

the God

who has acted

in Jesus Christ

for mercy

for the afflicted,

to redeem.

And that's our hope.

That's our confidence.

That's the source

of our growing

in trust

in our God.

And that's why

we as Presbyterians,

Reformed people,

have always believed

that the character

of our praise

is so important.

we've always said

the way in which

we praise God

is central

to our worship

and to our life

as Christians.

It's central

to our growing

in confidence.

If we want

to be full of trust,

we need to be filled

with wonderful praise.

Shallow praise

will only produce

shallow Christians,

we've believed.

And so we've wanted

to take upon our lips

praise that is filled

with our God

and His glory

and with wonder

for Him

to move our hearts

to draw near to Him.

That's why God

gave us a book

of praises

to show us

how He wants

to be praised.

The Hebrew name

for the book of Psalms

is the book of praises.

God knew that

as human beings

we were inclined

to get praise muddled.

So He gave us

a whole book

for how it ought

to be done.

That's why we've

often regarded

the Psalms

as the model,

the pattern

for our praise.

And praises

that are full of God

will make Christians

that are full

of confidence in God.

That's what we have

in the Psalter.

That's what we need

to have in our worship

and in our lives

that our hearts

would be drawn

to God in this way.

So how do we learn

to have trust

in our God?

Well, first of all,

we need to be

praising Him,

this psalm suggests.

And secondly,

we need to be

pondering

who our God is.

We need to be

thinking about Him.

We need to be

meditating upon Him.

We need to be

remembering Him.

We need to be

reviewing

who He is

and what He has done.

That's what this

psalm does for us

in two sections,

verses 3-10

and 15-18.

The psalmist

pauses

to think

about this God.

He pauses

to ponder,

to meditate

upon who

this God is.

Actually,

that's the biggest

part of this psalm.

Over half of it

is given just

to thinking

about God,

just renewing

ourselves

in who He is

and what He means

for us.

And particularly,

this psalm says,

as we think

about our God,

we need to remember

that He is

sovereign

in justice.

He is

sovereign

in justice.

Verses 3-6,

David reflects

on how God

has been

sovereign for Him

in justice

in times past.

David writes,

When my enemies

turn back,

they stumble

and perish

before Your presence,

for You have

maintained

my just cause,

You have sat

on the throne

giving righteous judgment,

You have rebuked

the nations,

You have made

the wicked perish,

You have blotted

out their name

forever and ever.

The enemy

has come to an end

in everlasting ruins,

their cities

You rooted out,

the very memory

of them

has perished.

In the past,

He says,

You have preserved

us, O Lord,

in Your sovereignty

according to justice

and according

to righteousness.

And what You've done

in the past,

we know You're doing now.

Verses 7 and 8.

But the Lord

sits enthroned

forever.

He has established

His throne

for justice

and He judges

the world

with righteousness.

He judges

the peoples

with uprightness.

Sometimes we wonder

if there really is

righteousness

in this world.

If there is anyone

maintaining righteousness

in this world.

Things seem often

to be going

from bad to worse.

It's easy to read

the headlines

each morning

and just wonder,

how can that be happening?

How can that be happening?

But the psalmist

reminds us

that no matter

what it is

that we find discouraging,

even especially

when it seems

that the wicked

are flourishing,

don't forget,

God is on His throne.

He is upholding

righteousness.

He will come

in the future.

One of the characteristics

of the ways

the Hebrews wrote

was that

sometimes the future

was so certain

in their mind

that they described it

as already being

in the past.

That's what we find

in verses 15 to 17

of this psalm.

I think David

is really looking

at the future,

but he's so confident

that God is in charge

of the future

that he describes it

as past already.

He says,

the nations have sunk

in the pit

that they made

in the net

that they hid.

Their own foot

has been caught.

The Lord

has made Himself known.

He has executed judgment.

The wicked

are snared

in the work

of their own hands.

The wicked

shall return

to Sheol,

all the nations

that forget God.

That expression

of verse 17

is particularly

arresting,

I think.

The wicked

shall return

to Sheol.

I think that means

not that they've

actually been

to Sheol yet,

but that they are

so much a people

who are dead

and bound for hell

that their going there

will be like going

to their natural homeland.

It'll be like a return

because they're so characterized

by death

and destruction.

But the psalmist

has that confidence

that God

is in control.

Almost half

of this psalm

is talking about

God

as sovereign

in justice.

The Bible

wants us to know

God is in charge.

God will bring justice.

God will bring righteousness

into this world.

And so

when we're feeling

afflicted,

we can be assured

that God

is in control.

We can be sure

that God

is a stronghold

for the afflicted.

He's not just

in some sort of

general way

in charge,

but he's in charge

to be

for his own,

for his own people

in their difficulties,

a stronghold,

a refuge,

a safe place.

And this psalm

can speak of that

in really beautiful ways.

David in verse 18

can write,

For the needy

will not always

be forgotten,

and the hope

of the poor

shall not perish

forever.

We may feel

sometimes

that the afflicted

church of Jesus Christ,

that we as Christians

individually

have been forgotten.

But God says,

Don't worry.

Don't worry.

I haven't forgotten.

I haven't forgotten.

The cries

of my people

that go up to me

will be heard

and answered

in my good time.

But even today,

even today

we are assured

that God

is our stronghold.

Verse 9,

God is a stronghold

for the oppressed,

a stronghold

in times of trouble,

a safe place

for his people.

It's interesting,

the enemies

had built

their great cities

where they thought

they were safe,

but verse 6 says,

The enemy came

to an end

in everlasting ruins.

Their cities

you rooted out,

O Lord.

They thought

they had a stronghold

in their fortified cities,

but God cast

those cities down.

But God says

to us

as his people,

the stronghold

you have,

the fortified city

you have,

the refuge

you have,

will never be cast

down because

it is the Lord

himself.

It is I,

God says to us

as his people.

I am your God.

I have made you

my people.

I reach out my arm

to bring you near

to me.

I myself

am the stronghold

for you.

And then I think

one of the sweetest

promises in all

the scripture

we find in verse 10.

And those who know

your name

put their trust

in you,

for you,

O Lord,

have not forsaken

those who seek you.

You,

O Lord,

have not forsaken

those who seek you.

Here's a promise

of the Lord

to memorize.

It's difficult

to say some promises

are better than others,

but here's a promise

worth holding on to,

committing to memory,

clinging to.

For you,

O Lord,

have not forsaken

those who seek you.

If we seek the Lord,

he will hear us.

If we seek the Lord,

he will provide for us.

If we seek the Lord,

he will not forsake us.

That's a promise

to everyone

who belongs to him

in Christ.

And that's so important

because how often

do we pray

and we pray

and we pray

and it doesn't seem

we get an answer

or at least not

the answer we want.

Sometimes we can then

begin to wonder

whether the Lord

has forsaken us.

And in those times,

we have to ponder

a verse like this

in our heart.

Hide this verse

in our heart

and hold on to it

and be reminded

that the Lord

does not forsake

his own.

That the Lord

hears the cry

of the afflicted.

Verse 12

is that promise

for he who avenges blood

is mindful of his own.

He does not forget

the cry of the afflicted.

The Lord does not

forget his people

but he has written

their names

into the book of life.

And yet we read

the names of the wicked

are blotted out forever.

Of course,

we know these promises,

these assurances

of God,

particularly when we see

the face

of our Lord Jesus Christ

because we know

that in Jesus Christ

all of our affliction

has been born.

He came to take

upon himself

all of our pain,

all of our sin,

all of our need.

He was the one

who was forsaken

of God

that we might

never be forsaken.

And so it is

in Jesus Christ

as Paul taught us

that all the promises

of God are

yea and amen.

We know that

we will never be forsaken

for Christ has borne

God's wrath

against sin

for us.

And Christ

has become

our stronghold.

He is the priest

who ever lives

to intercede for us.

He is the one

glorified in heaven

who cares for us.

And so in this psalm

we see

its fulfillment

in Jesus Christ

and we experience

its sweetness

in Jesus Christ.

Sometimes it's interesting

to read a psalm

and ask

how would this sound

on the lips

of our Savior.

And the psalms

can take on

a whole new character

for us.

Think of Jesus

saying with the psalmist

when my enemies

turn back

they stumble

and perish

before your presence

for you have

maintained

my just cause

and you have

sat on the throne

giving righteous judgment.

Or think of Jesus

confessing

the Lord

is a stronghold

for the oppressed

a stronghold

in times of trouble

and those who know

your name

put their trust

in you

for you

O Lord

have not forsaken

those who seek you.

Or think of Jesus

saying

for he who avenges

blood

is mindful of them

he does not forget

the cry

of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me

O Lord

see my affliction

from those who hate me

O you who lift me up

from the gates of death

that I may recount

your praises.

Or again

verse 18

that we've read

think again of this

as the words of Jesus

for the needy

shall not always

be forgotten

and the hope

of the poor

shall not perish

forever.

Jesus said

that the Old Testament

spoke of his resurrection

and of his

of his death

and of his resurrection.

In these words

we hear the resurrection

of our Savior

foretold

he was not forgotten

in the grave

but the Lord

brought him forth

the gates of death

could not hold him

and so he bore

our affliction

and he is our stronghold

in times of trouble

and because all of that's true

because we've praised

God for that

because we've pondered

that reality

then we can also pray

to this God.

David wants us to know

that we grow

in confidence

not only in our praise

and in our pondering

but in our praying.

Sometimes we're tempted

to think

well once we know

the promises of God

we don't have to pray

for them

because if God promised it

then he'll do it

right?

But the Psalms

always teach us

that confidence in God

leads us to prayer

not away from prayer.

The promises of God

lead us to prayer

not away from prayer.

It's interesting

to think

how much time

do we spend grumbling

venting our frustrations

to others

to finite creatures

who perhaps can listen

but can't actually

do anything

to change our circumstances.

But our God

is infinite

in his power

and he is gracious

and full of love

for his people

and he calls on us

to pray to him

for he is able

to hear

and he is able

to act.

Through the psalmist

God gives expression

to the whole range

of our emotions

to our grief

to our sorrow

to our fear

in ways that

I think sometimes

we could even feel ashamed

or embarrassed

to do on our own.

That's why Calvin

called the Psalms

an anatomy

of the human soul

that God has given us

license here

to pour out

our longings

and our needs

to plead with him

as our father

in heaven

to pray to him

to pray the Psalms

to him

and so God

calls on us

to pray

and in our praying

too

we learn to trust

because we pray

for mercy

verses 13

and 14

very personally

David prays

be gracious

to me

oh Lord

see my affliction

from those

who hate me

oh you who lift

me up

from the gates

of death

that I may

recount all

your praises

that in the gates

of the daughter

of Zion

I may rejoice

in your salvation

he prays

for mercy

that he may be able

to praise God

and then he prays

for justice

the last verses

of Psalm 9

arise oh Lord

let not man prevail

let the nations

be judged

before you

put them in fear

oh Lord

let the nations

know that they

are but men

let the nations

know that they

are but men

the rulers

of this earth

are inclined

to think that

they're pretty

significant

that they amount

to something

that they're

important

but God

says in the mouth

of David

let them just

know that they

are creatures

let them know

that they are

dust

let them

acknowledge who

really is in

control

who really

is the

protector

of justice

who really

is the

stronghold

of the

afflicted

and in our

praise

and in our

pondering

and in our

prayer

we need to

remember

what God

has done

in showing

that he

is the

great power

that he

is indeed

our stronghold

that the

most powerful

kingdoms on

this earth

cannot hold

a candle

to the

kingdom of

our Lord

and of his

Christ

and his

reign is

forever

and we

too shall

reign with

him in

glory

and so

Psalm 9

encourages us

to be a

people like

David

to be a

people like

John Knox

a people like

Christians

throughout all

of history

who've faced

days of

great trouble

who have

faced days

of terrible

misery

and loss

but in the

face of those

struggles

could say

I will

praise the

Lord

and though

I do

not

understand

your

ways

and though

in my

finite

understanding

I would

change

your ways

nevertheless

I will

bow

before you

because I

know

that you

are good

and what

you do

is right

that you

are my

stronghold

in affliction

and I

trust you

for I

know

that you

have never

forsaken

those who

seek you

may that

be the

confidence

and the

faith of

us all

here today

amen

let us

pray

father of

all

mercies

give us

wisdom and

knowledge of

the Lord

Jesus

Christ

grant us

more and

more assurance

in our

hearts by

your Holy

Spirit

to know

that the

same power

at work

in our

Lord's

resurrection

is at work

in us

to give us

faith and

trust in

your word

help us to

remain firm

in this

confession we

pray

grant that

in this

life

our

crosses to

bear

our

sufferings

will be

as light

yokes

as we

look with

steadfast

hope for

the coming

of our

Savior

Jesus

Christ

for whom

we daily

wait

and in

whose name

we pray

amen

please

stand for

closing hymn

continue

To be

firstly