1 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 always 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.

As I see it, just a quick …not outline, exactly, but overview of this psalm would be:

1-2: Praise
3-5: God’s dealings with enemies
6-7: Contrast between the enemies’ end and the Lord’s endurance
8-9: What God will do for His people (righteous judgment, refuge for oppressed)
10-12: Because of the above, we have confidence in Him, cause for trust in Him, and can’t help but praise Him.
13-14 : And appeal to God’s mercy and a promise to praise Him for results.
15-17: The doom of the wicked.
18: Assurance that the needy won’t be forgotten.
19-20: Another appeal to God.

There are a few things that stood out to me in this chapter.

When David asks for God’s mercy and help in verse 13, one reason he asks is ” that I may show forth all thy praise.” We don’t often think of that when we pray, do we? We want deliverance and preferably right now please. 🙂 And often we thank the Lord when He grants it and may even share it with other people. But I know I don’t often pray for God to do something so that I can show forth His praise to others.

In my reading through the Bible I’ve just finished Joshua, and Joshua and Moses often appealed for God to do something based on what the people around them would think of Him. Often in the prophets God says He is doing something so that people may know something about Him. Many times in the epistles we’re asked to do or not do something that God and His Word be not blasphemed. We need to develop that consciousness of God’s reputation and testimony so that our actions will reflect well on Him and so that we can point people to Him when He does something in our lives.

The truth of the wicked being snared in the work of his own hands and being sunk in the pit they made brings out another theme that seems to be throughout Scripture. There care other verses like this in Proverbs, and the best illustration of it is later on in Esther when Haman builds a gallows intended for Mordecai and then is killed himself on it when his wickedness is found out. It involves taking consequences for your actions and reaping what you sow.

Verse 19a stands out to me as a prayer we can pray when there are battles for truth, either on a personal level or a larger level: “Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail.”

Probably the most well-known verse in this psalm, to me, is verse 10: “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” That is probably the theme of this whole psalm. God won’t forsake us when we seek Him, even if His answer seems not to be coming when we would like it. When we know Him, we can put our trust in Him and rest in Him.

Join us to read others’ meditations on this Psalm at Butterfly Kisses, and feel free to share your own.