Psalms 9 & 10

As I read these two psalms consecutively I was stopped in my tracks. The first is a 20-verse praise offering - I can feel the triumph of David and practically see him marching along, shouting for joy, drawing hearty cheers of agreement from the crowds, the pitch and volume of his voice growing higher and louder, swelling in exuberance as he proclaims the victory of the LORD. Fear is driven out by God's truth extolled in this joyous song:

"The LORD reigns forever (v. 7)...He will judge the world in righteousness, he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you (v. 8-10)...he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted...The LORD is known by his justice (v. 16)..."

David concludes this celebratory song with this plea for continued justice:

"Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men." (v. 19-20)

Then the first verse of Psalm 10 suddenly brings us crashing down, seemingly bursting the bubble of victory - an "incongruous juxtaposition" to quote one of my favorite uses of "big" words:

"Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"

Wait a minute. What happened to the glorious victory we were just celebrating? What happened to our forever, just, avenging stronghold who strikes terror in our enemies? David spends the next ten verses uttering a lengthy complaint - a despairing whine about wicked people and their ways. Mighty warrior turned victim. Can you relate? I sure can. Sometimes I feel like Supermom (insert puffed out chest and victory dance here), and the next day or even the next moment I am reduced to inadequacy at every turn. Thankfully, David doesn't end this Psalm on a sour note, but rather he points us toward our true strength and salvation, modeling for us how to lift our heads and call upon the LORD to dispel our fears:

"Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless (v. 12)...But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless." (v.14)

There is indeed inconsistency between Psalm 9 and Psalm 10. But do not be deceived into thinking it is an inconsistency with God or His word. I believe God purposefully placed these two psalms in sequence (in fact, the Life Application Bible notes that they may have been originally a single acrostic poem, and in the Septuagint they constitute one psalm) to show us our own human inconsistencies (circumstantial, emotional et al). God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, let alone in Psalms 9 and 10, and throughout the Bible. By the concluding verses of Psalm 10, David once again is praising our Lord God, perhaps with a slightly different tone than in his previous song, but nevertheless with words of promise and truth and encouragement to those who find themselves fearful of man or circumstance:

"The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. Your hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."

Thanks be to God! Amen.