Mensa Otabil - The Lord's Judgement
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We’re back to Psalm 9, and we’re reading verses 15 and 16: The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation: I love the Scriptures. I just love the Scriptures because as you take time to ponder the words of the Scripture, there’s so much about God and His relationship with us that comes to us and speaks to us presently, where we are in our own journey of life. And that’s what we learn as we follow Psalm 9.
Now, yesterday we talked about David appealing to God’s mercy; he falls on God’s mercy. But then he tells the Lord not to show the same mercy to those who are doing wrong, and they come under God’s judgment. So it’s either you’re receiving God’s mercy or receiving God’s judgment. David speaks about the nations that have come against him, which tells you the extent of the conspiracy against him. It’s not just a friend who hates him or some neighbor who is trying to do him in; this is an international conspiracy. These are nations that have come together, conspiring to destroy David and Israel, so this is quite a big attack coming against him.
There are two main things I want you to pay attention to: that God is known by the judgment He executes. God’s judgments make Him known. Verse 16: The Lord is known by the judgment He executes. So one way of knowing God is to understand how He decides between matters-His judgments, how He decides this is right and this is wrong, and that one is right and that one is wrong, and what He does about it. One way of knowing God is to observe how He makes judgments, how He decides on cases. When you read the Bible, you begin to understand clearly what God likes and what He doesn’t like, and this is a clear example of what God likes and what God doesn’t like. God’s judgment can come in different forms, but in this particular verse, David is talking about retributive judgment or retributive justice. This is when God does something in justice against a person that is equal to the crime they purportedly committed or the crime they’ve committed, and so we see God’s judgment coming here.
The second thing I want you to note is David shows us that the wicked are ensnared in their own devices. The wicked who are coming against us get entrapped in the same trap that they have set, and that’s what David is teaching us. That is also one of the reasons why frequently in the Bible God says, «Leave judgment to Me; leave vengeance to Me. I know how to deal with this stuff. Don’t occupy yourself praying against your enemies and fighting against people and working yourself up in a frenzy because God knows how to deal with these matters. Just trust Him, and He will handle it well.» So the psalm says that the wicked who came against David get snared in their own trap.
There are two references that the psalm makes: One, it says they’ve sunk into the pit they made; and two, they are caught in the net that they hid. These are two different traps; one is a pit that is dug and sometimes covered so that you don’t know when you’re stepping, and you misstep and fall into the pit. The other is a net that catches your leg and ties you up. Whatever it is-whether it’s a pit or a net-God will deliver His people from them. So if an enemy has set a trap for you, God’s judgment says they will fall into it. You don’t need to push them into it; they’re going to fall into it anyhow because that is God’s retributive justice. They’re going to fall into the trap. Just relax in the peace of God, relax in the favor of God, relax in the mercy of God. Trust Him to take care of business; trust Him to handle the case. Be at peace, possess your soul, praise the Lord, and honor Him because He will do the right thing by the righteous. That is the God we serve; He’s a God of justice.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, You are the righteous judge; overturn every plan of wickedness against Your children in Jesus' name. Amen, and amen.