Psalm 9:1

Commentary on Psalm 9:1

Text (NKJV):
“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvellous works.”

1. Literary and Contextual Background

Psalm 9[i] is a Psalm of David, traditionally understood as a song of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance from enemies. It is closely linked with Psalm 10, forming a partial acrostic poem in Hebrew. Together, they highlight both God’s justice and the believer’s confidence in His righteous rule. Psalm 9 begins with praise and thanksgiving, setting the tone for the psalm’s movement from personal gratitude to public testimony of God’s sovereignty.

2. Exegesis of Psalm 9:1

• “I will praise You, O Lord”
  David begins with a deliberate act of will. Praise is not merely emotional overflow but a conscious decision rooted in faith. In Christian theology, this reflects the believer’s response to God’s grace. Praise is the fruit of regeneration, not the cause of it. The believer, enabled by the Spirit, chooses to glorify God.
• “with my whole heart”
  The phrase underscores sincerity and total devotion. In biblical anthropology, the “heart” represents the centre of thought, will, and emotion. Wholehearted praise excludes hypocrisy and divided loyalty. This aligns with the Christian emphasis on wholehearted devotion to God, rejecting nominalism and half-hearted worship.
• “I will tell of all Your marvellous works”
  Praise naturally flows into proclamation. David commits to recounting God’s mighty acts, both in creation and redemption. In Christian theology, this anticipates the believer’s calling to witness to God’s saving deeds in Christ. The marvellous works of God culminate in the cross and resurrection, which believers are called to declare to the world.

3. Theological Insights

• God-Centred Worship: Praise begins with God, not human achievement. The Psalm reminds us that worship is directed to the Lord alone, who is worthy of glory.
• Wholehearted Devotion: The verse challenges believers to examine whether their worship is fragmented or compromised. Christian theology insists that God demands the whole person, not partial allegiance.
• Witness and Testimony: Praise is not private only; it is public. Declaring God’s works is part of the believer’s mission. This connects with the Great Commission, where believers are called to proclaim the gospel to all nations.

---

4. Application to Modern Christian Living

• Personal Worship: Christians today are called to cultivate intentional praise. In a culture that prizes self-expression, Psalm 9:1 reminds us that true worship is God-centred and Spirit-enabled.
• Integrity in Faith: Wholehearted devotion challenges modern believers to resist compartmentalising faith. Faith is not a Sunday-only activity but a whole-of-life response to God’s grace.
• Public Witness: Telling of God’s marvellous works means sharing testimonies of His faithfulness. In contemporary Australia, where secularism often sidelines faith, Christians are encouraged to speak openly yet graciously of God’s saving work in Christ.
• Encouragement in Trials: The broader Psalm shows David praising God even in the face of enemies. This teaches modern believers to anchor their praise not in circumstances but in God’s unchanging character.

---

[i] Psalm 9

New King James Version

Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Righteous Judgments

To the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.

9 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
5 You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
7 But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.
12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.

13 Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in Your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
16 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Meditation. 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 forever.

19 Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah