Bible in one year 8/9/2022 Psalm 8-10 By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

Bible in one year 8/9/2022  The book of Psalms 8-10

By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                                          

Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

 

 Psalm 8 In this hymn of praise, David marvels at the majesty of the Lord, who uses the weak to overthrow the mighty (vv.1-2), ponders the thought that God has entrusted His creation to the dominion of man(vv.3-8), and concludes with a note of praise (v.9). The meaning of gittith is uncertain. It is derived from “ Gath” and may indicate a tune or instrument connected with that place. From nursing babies to heavenly bodies, God is Lord of all! The heavenly being (v.5). Heb., Elohim, usually translated “ God.” The psalmist views man, created in God’s image, as a little lower than God. In Heb.2:6-8, the passage is applied to Christ as Son of Man.

            Psalm 8 : 1-9

            O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.(vv.1-2)

  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (vv.3-4)

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.(vv.5-9).

 

Psalm 9     This Psalm David praise the Lord, the righteous Judge, for destroying the wicked (vv.1-10), exhorts the people to praise Him (vv.11-12), and calls upon God to destroy the wicked so the righteous may be delivered(vv.13-20). Together with Psalm10, this forms a partially alphabetic acrostic in the Hebrew text, every alternate verse (for the most part) beginning with the next successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Death of the Son. Heb., Muth-labben. Means “ Death for (or of) the son,” but what it refers to is uncertain. Verses 5-6 teach that the wicked are to be punished forever. Avenges blood(v.12) requiring capital punishment (Gen.9:5-6). Higgaion (v.16) may mean “ meditation,” or may indicate the use of quieter instruments. The grave (v.17) Heb., Sheol.

Psalm 9: 1-20 

I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (vv.1-2).

My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. (vv.3-4).

You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. (vv.5-6).

The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (vv.7-9).

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Sing praise to the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. (vv.10-12).

O Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation. The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. (vv.13-16).

The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God. But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. (vv.17-18)

Arise, O Lord, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence, strike them with terror, O Lord; let the nations know they are but men. (vv.19-20).

 

Psalm 10    In this individual lament psalm, the psalmist elaborates on the ungodliness and unrighteousness of the wicked who oppress the afflicted (vv.1-11), petitions the Lord to deliver the afflicted and to destroy the wicked(vv.12-15). And expresses confidence that the Lord has answered his prayer(vv.16-18). Although this psalm lacks a superscription, David is likely the author, in view of the close relationship between this psalm and Psalm 9.

Psalm 10:1-18

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. (vv.1-3).

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. (vv.4-5).

He say to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I will always be happy and never have trouble.” His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. (vv.6-7). He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “ God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.” (vv.8-11)

Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. (vv.12-14)

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, man terrify no more.(vv. 15-18).

 

 

Bibliography,

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.