Choosing the Right “I Will”- Lessons from Psalm Nine

Today’s Reading – Listen to Psalms 9 – 16 (Audio)

Read along on Blue Letter Bible – Psalm 9

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 5 – 8; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Read the “0618 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Does God See?“

“1 To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. 3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. 4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right. 5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. 6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. 7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: 14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation. 15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. 16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. 19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.” (Ps 9:1–20)

Psalms 9 and 10 are believed to be connected as together they contain an acrostic where each major section begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This is not line-by-line, and there are disruptions in the pattern, nevertheless the acrostic is visible across the span of these two psalms.

However, Psalm 9 is quite different from Psalm 10. In Psalm 9, the theme begins right away with praise for the divine justice of God. In Psalm 10, the writer seems to be not looking at things through the eyes of faith, at least at the onset. The psalmist begins with a natural man’s view of the human condition. All is despair and hopelessness, until he gets to verse 12. In verse 12, he is reminded of the divine justice of God, which in turn changes his perspective of life.

This is a picture of the way we sometimes look at life. On days when we are full of faith, yielded to the Spirit of God, we see life through a divine perspective, recognizing God’s sovereign purpose. But then there are also days when we are in the flesh, and the world begins to darken our perspective. We then see only the evil out there, and it begins to overtake us. The outlook always looks bleak to the Christian who walks in the flesh.

Psalm 9 is both a psalm of praise and a prayer for the divine justice of God in dealing with the enemies of God’s people.

My devotional thought for Psalm 9 centers on the four “I will” statements made by David in verses 1–2:

“I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” (Psalm 9:1–2)

Let’s compare David’s “I wills” with Satan’s recorded in Isaiah 14:

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:13–14)

David’s four “I will” statements exemplify true worship and humility—a heart that exalts God alone, testifies to His faithfulness, and finds joy in Him even amid enemies. This is the path of the righteous that leads to blessing and victory.

In complete contrast, Satan’s five “I will” statements reveal the very essence of sin: prideful self-exaltation that seeks to usurp God’s rightful place. Scripture repeatedly warns us that “pride goeth before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18) and that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

This powerful contrast between Psalm 9 and Isaiah 14 illustrates the daily choice every believer faces: Will we join David in wholehearted praise of the Most High, or follow Lucifer’s doomed path of self-promotion?

Today’s practical challenge: When trials come and the enemy seems strong (as David faced), choose to declare these four “I wills” out loud. Praise the Lord with your whole heart, testify of His marvellous works, rejoice in Him, and sing His praise. As we do, we shift our focus from the problems around us to the sovereign God above us.

Notes

  1. “Muthlabben” means death of a son, though it is not clear what this is a reference to. Some have suggested that it could be a reference to the death of Goliath – “the death of a captain.” Though it is not clear what the historical context of Psalm 9 is, some believe that David might have penned it after the victory against Goliath.
  2. “Higgaion” means meditation. It could have indicated that softer, reflective instruments be used.

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