Mensa Otabil - The Righteous Judge
- Watch
- Donate
We’re still looking at Psalm 9, and we’re examining this Psalm of David that exalts us to worship God in the midst of our attacks and the enemy pursuing us. We look at verses 4 and 5, and it says, «You have maintained my right and my cause; you sat on the throne judging in righteousness. You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.» David knew God as Judge; he knew God as Shepherd. He called Him «the Lord my Shepherd,» but he also knew that this Shepherd was also a Judge. That’s one of the things we know about God: there’s not just one attribute of God. He’s merciful, but He’s also a Judge. God does many things to us and for us, and how did David know God as Judge? By experience. He had encountered and seen how God had vindicated those who brought their cases to Him in prayer. He had seen weak people, poor people, widows plead their cases before God, and he had seen how God vindicates them. So he knew that God judges matters that are presented to Him, and this knowledge of God gave David confidence whenever he was mistreated or wronged. He knew that God was a Judge, and he could trust God. He could go before God and plead his case.
Do you have confidence in God as your Judge when you’re mistreated? When somebody is really treating you badly, do you trust God to be your Judge? Conversely, when you are mistreating people, do you remember that God is the Judge? That He will fight for the weak whom you are oppressing? That He will fight and vindicate those whom you are wrongly treating? God is a fair Judge; He’s not a partial Judge. There are three statements I want to bring to your attention as we look at these verses. The first one: David says, «You sat on Your throne judging in righteousness.» The image here is of God, who sits on the throne just as a judge sits in his seat in the court and judges a matter. The reason why the judge sits in a seat in a court is because he wants to hear both sides; he wants to hear this side and the other side. That’s what God does. God is not an arbitrary Judge. God is not a partial Judge. God does not just favor people because He likes them, but God favors people because their case is right. So, He sat on His throne. Remember, God on His throne is not just a ruler; He’s not just answering prayer, but He’s also judging. Yes, there is a judgment day at the end of time, but there is a continuous judgment that God presents as the Lord.
The second thing David said is, «You have maintained my right and my cause.» God judges in favor of the righteous and the person whose cause is right because God is fair and God is right. Another way of reading it would be, «You have given fair judgment in my favor.» David knew he was a servant of God; he was the anointed of the Lord, but he knew that God would not favor him simply because he was king or because he knew how to praise God. You can’t bribe God with praise and worship. You can’t do the wrong thing and go to church, lift up your hands, and worship God, thinking that because you are a great worshipper and you dance in church, God will side with you. No, you can’t bribe God with praise. You can’t bribe God with an offering. David understood that the only way God would judge for him is when he was right and his cause was right. When you plead a case before God, it has to be the right case-not right in your own eyes, but right in God’s eyes.
The third thing is David says, «You have destroyed the wicked.» David is telling us the outcome of God’s judgment: He destroys the wicked. In other words, those who are wrong never win in God’s courts; they never win. When you go to God’s court and you’re wrong, you will lose your case. If you look at verse 5, there’s intensity; he says that He rebuked them, and then destruction and total extermination follow. So, the sanctions are progressive. That’s what we learn about God: He sits on the throne; He’s a fair Judge, and when you are wrong, He doesn’t side with you. So you better be right when you present your case before the Lord.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are the God who judges righteously. I trust Your judgments in all my dealings. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»