I.
Last week we heard that we are to, “Make a joyful noise …”

This week the Psalmist begins his words to us with,

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

As you spend time with this Psalm, what do you notice gives the Psalmist cause to “… give thanks … tell of all [the Lord’s] wonderful deeps … be glad and exult … sing praise to [the] Most high.”

II.
Psalm 9:1-12 (NRSV)

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.

For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.

He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.

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 dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

III.
The Psalmist speaks not only of praising the “Most High” but also of his “enemies” and “the wicked.”

What does he have to say about those people?

How does that strike you? Do you find yourself in agreement with the Psalmist or do you find his attitude problematic?

Do you think such words are proper for a Psalm or a prayer?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}