God is Just and God is Merciful | Bible in One Year

God is Just and God is Merciful | Bible in One Year: Wisdom Psalm 9:13-20     13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!         Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,     14 that I may declare your praises         in the gates of Daughter Zion,         and there rejoice in your salvation.     15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;         their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.     16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;         the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.     17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,         all the nations that forget God.     18 But God will never forget the needy;         the hope of the afflicted will never perish.     19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;         let the nations be judged in your presence.     20 Strike them with terror, Lord;         let the nations know they are only mortal. Commentary Rely on the justice of God David knows that God is a God of justice: ‘The Lord is known by his justice’ (v.16). He also cries out for mercy: ‘Have mercy… that I may declare your praises’ (vv.13–14). In this psalm, the desire for justice and the desire for mercy come together. David prays that God will have mercy on him by executWisdom

Psalm 9:13-20

    13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
        Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
    14 that I may declare your praises
        in the gates of Daughter Zion,
        and there rejoice in your salvation.

    15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
        their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
    16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
        the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
    17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
        all the nations that forget God.
    18 But God will never forget the needy;
        the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

    19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
        let the nations be judged in your presence.
    20 Strike them with terror, Lord;
        let the nations know they are only mortal.

Commentary

Rely on the justice of God

David knows that God is a God of justice: ‘The Lord is known by his justice’ (v.16). He also cries out for mercy: ‘Have mercy… that I may declare your praises’ (vv.13–14).

In this psalm, the desire for justice and the desire for mercy come together. David prays that God will have mercy on him by executing judgment on his enemies: ‘Arise, O Lord… let the nations be judged in your presence’ (v.19).

We sometimes think of justice in a negative way, as primarily about punishment. But justice is also profoundly positive. In Hebrew, the word for justice (mishpat) carries the sense of putting things right. It is because of God’s justice that David can be confident that ‘the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish’ (v.18).

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that you are a God of justice. Thank you that one day there will be justice for all those who face injustice in our world today. Thank you that one day there will be justice for the poor and the oppressed.

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