OCTOBER 20, 2023 Psalm 11:1 In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? Jewish writers are of the opinion that David wrote this psalm as a result of being hunted by Saul. Once during his time as a fugitive, he was forced to leave Israel and seek […]
OCTOBER 18, 2023 Psalm 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. There is an argument to be made that, when it seems that God is standing afar off, the wicked are seduced into thinking that their actions will prosper and bear no ill consequences for them. Excessive pride […]
OCTOBER 17, 2023 Psalm 10:1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? In Jewish tradition, it is believed that this psalm and the previous one is to be read together. At the end of Psalm 9, David — who had been persecuted and oppressed by his enemies — […]
OCTOBER 16, 2023 Psalm 9:19-20 Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. As this psalm concludes, David calls upon the LORD to arise, reminding us of what Moses said in the wilderness — “Arise O LORD and […]
OCTOBER 15, 2023 Psalm 9:15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. In days of old, hunters used different methods to secure a kill; in addition to spear and arrow, they would often dig pits in which to ensnare their unwitting victim. The […]
OCTOBER 14, 2023 Psalm 9:13-14 Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. In antiquity, the gates of a city […]
OCTOBER 13, 2023 Psalm 9:9-10 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. Looking at the Scripture overall, it becomes clear that God doesn’t care for bullies which is why David […]
OCTOBER 12, 2023 Psalm 9:7-8 The Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. David begins this verse with an obvious truth — the LORD is eternal; an important truth to retain in our mind and spirit […]
OCTOBER 10, 2023 Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. In the previous devotion, we addressed the circumstances that may have led to the composition of this Psalm. Assuming […]
OCTOBER 9, 2023
Psalm 9:1-2
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
As to why David wrote this psalm and for whom, there is much discussion in rabbinical works. The reason for this diversity of opinion revolves around the phrase seen at the heading of this psalm — “To the Chief Musician. On the Death of the Son.” In Hebrew the last of the phrase is translated from the words, mut (death) l’van (to the son). Some commentators surmise the son in question may have been Absalom, but most conclude that the son referred to is the one born to Bathsheba who died as a seven-day old infant. You will recall this is the child born as a result of David’s scandalous and adulterous affair.
Others suggest the word l’van may have another meaning, while remaining connected to the thoughts above. They argue that the Hebrew word l’van should not be translated as “to the son” but as the “to whiten.” The word laban does in fact mean “white” and, therefore, this idea is not to be considered as farfetched. But why would David compose a psalm about being whitened one might ask? That is, in fact, the very thing that connects the two ideas together. In other words, the death of his young son was, in part, a consequence of his sin, meaning that God allowed him to endure a great trial that was engineered to render repentance. God allowed David to go through a great trial, at the end of which, David arose, washed himself and changed his clothes. He realized that God was putting him through the process of repentance and forgiveness. In short, l’van has a double meaning: it was the “death of the son” that caused David to be “whitened.”
Instead of being melancholy and composing a dirge, David went before the LORD with song and with adoration saying, “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” How many of us could do this under such circumstances? Admittedly, it is difficult to come out of such a distressing situation and immediately burst forth into praise, and yet, David did so, and in so doing, challenges us to do the same. All of us have grappled with remorse over our failures and grief over our losses, still in spite of those how we feel at the moment, it behooves us to praise Him with our whole heart and sing praise to His Name. That might be just the thing to pull us out of our grief and despair.