Background
Before God had His prophets write down His Word, God wrote it himself in the heavens. The stars, planets, and heavenly bodies describe the coming Messiah and the enemy that he would overcome. See “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God” and “We Can Trust God’s Word, Part 1” for more detail.
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This Psalm includes the title: “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said.” David was pursued by Saul and escaped, by God’s grace, on several occasions.
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This Psalm shows the Messiah’s absolute trust and confidence in God’s help. The adversary constantly attacks, and the Messiah just as consistently goes to God for help. The Lord is faithful to deliver His Son.
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This Psalm is one of the greatest encouragements concerning Jesus Christ that he would have read about himself. Verses 8-11 are quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28) and by Paul in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:35). Jesus Christ had a glad heart and was at peace because of the hope of his resurrection.
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This Psalm is a “checklist” of what the Messiah would do. Jesus Christ would have found great inspiration and guidance in these scriptures.
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This Psalm shows how low a person can go without God. Those who say “There is no God,” go aside, become corrupt, and do nothing good (verses 1-3). In the midst of such corruption and evil is man’s one hope—the Messiah. He is the salvation from God.
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Jesus Christ was the son of David. Like his ancestor, his life was constantly in danger from the attacks of evil men. There is nothing wrong with recognizing evil and voicing our concerns to the heavenly Father.
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Jesus Christ would have found great comfort in this Psalm. Despite the vanity of men, the Messiah could trust in the words of the Lord, for they are pure as refined silver. The Lord will preserve His Word and those who believe it.
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Ancient versions of Psalms (based on Massoretic and manuscript evidence) divide them into five sections that correspond to the first five books of the Bible.
(Psalms 1—41) Genesis: Written concerning “the true David,” the Messiah. Just as Genesis shows God’s “good work” in giving man dominion (Genesis 1:27-31) and in promising to send a redeemer (Genesis 3:15), these 41 Psalms show the Messiah overcoming his enemies with God’s help. The final Psalm ends with blessing God and “Amen and Amen.”
Background
Psalms 9 and 10 form a unit and are linked together by an irregular acrostic arrangement. This is the first Psalm that has an acrostic, where a Hebrew letter is used to begin a verse.