Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. (Ps9:13-14). Because of God’s past deliverances, David now called on God to respond to his affliction and give him reason to praise. The Psalmist asked the Lord to show him mercy. God deals with people in two ways. He can deal with us according to His mercy or according to His judgment. When we fall on God’s mercy, He extends His kindness to us. When we come under God’s judgement, He extends His wrath to us. In his present crisis, David fell on God’s mercy. We can do the same when people pursue us wrongfully.
“Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.” (Ps 9:19-20). The Psalmist concludes with a call for the Lord to “arise” against the foes. It is a clear call for deliverance. While David was singing, he was confident that God’s salvation would come. “Do not let man prevail.” Wickedness grows worse, and justice is undermined when the wicked succeed in their evil plots. If we want to keep our world in the correct order, evil must not exalt.
“Put fear in them, O Lord.” This is a call for the Lord to terrify the wicked with His presence. It is also a call for the Lord to act so that the wicked will be in awe of Him. Hopefully, this would lead to the salvation of the wicked as they humble themselves before the Lord in worship.
“Let them know they are just men.” Men cannot bow to the Lord if they think they are “gods”. The Psalmist pleads for the Lord to cause the wicked to know the limits of their power. David teaches us to approach God with praise and call upon Him when faced with threats and harm from evil. When the wicked come face to face with the Lord, they will be humbled by realising the limits of their power and repent.
Scriptures.
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47)
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2).
Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in mercy. (Micah 7:18).
