psalm 9

Have you ever thought that you did something or could do something, now or in the future, that would make God stop loving you?

If you have, what you are actually thinking is that men and women are more powerful than God.  Or, more specifically, that you are more powerful than God, the Creator of the Universe.

You are thinking that men and women are more powerful than God if you think you can do something that would make God stop loving you because you are saying that you have the power to overthrow God’s promises of love and forgiveness by your own thoughts, words, and actions.

It isn’t uncommon for humans to think they have power over people, places, and things. 

Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, who was responsible for the deaths of 168 men, women, and children, and the injuries of 800 more, embraced the poem “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley. 

According to Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck, in their book, American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing, McVeigh intended to include some of its lines in his last words, which he did in fact end up doing.

Invictus, the Latin word for invincible, was published by the obscure British poet in 1875 as a tribute to self-reliance. The last stanza is not only an apt picture of Timothy McVeigh, but of much of our society:

It matters not how straight the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Author Os Guinness traces our contemporary idea of human freedom, or human power to affect all things, that “began in the Renaissance … blossomed in the Enlightenment and rose to its climax in the 1960s.” 

The classic understanding of human freedom comes from the statement of Pico della Mirandola, during the Renaissance period, as he imagines God addressing Adam: 

He imagines God as saying this to Adam, his creation:

“You, who are confined by no limits, shall determine for yourself your own nature …. You shall fashion yourself in whatever form you prefer.”

Throughout the centuries this same view of human freedom—limitless potential apart from God—has been expressed by other key thinkers.

Some of those expressions from the 20th and 21st centuries are:

• President John F. Kennedy: “Man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.” (20th century, America)

• Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand: “Man’s destiny is to be a self-made soul.” (20th century, Russian-American)

• American biologist, naturalist, and author E.O. Wilson: “Humanity will be positioned godlike to take control of its own ultimate fate.” (21st century, America)

In this morning’s text, we will hear, once again from King David in the book of Psalms.

In Psalm 9, King David reveals the conclusion that he comes to after looking at both God’s power and humanity’s “perceived”power.

Psalm 9 says this:

[1] I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

[2] I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

[3] When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before your presence.

[4] For you have maintained my just cause;

you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

[5] You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

[6] The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;

their cities you rooted out;

the very memory of them has perished.

[7] But the LORD sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

[8] and he judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with uprightness.

[9] The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

[10] And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

[11] Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his deeds!

[12] For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;

he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

[14] that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

[15] The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;

in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.

[16] The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

[17] The wicked shall return to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

[18] For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

[19] Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

[20] Put them in fear, O LORD!

Let the nations know that they are but men! (ESV)

Have you ever asked yourself, 

“Where is God?”

If you have, there is a good chance that one of the times you have asked that question was this week.

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God while the people of our nation are spewing hate at one another over a Presidential Election?”

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God while Hamas is attacking Israel?”

Or, maybe you have asked, “Where was God  over two decades ago when the Twin Towers in NYC fell?”

Well, as we have heard in Psalm 9, King David certainly asked similar questions from time to time as he was coming to the conclusion that he presents to us this morning.

When he looked at the world in which he lived, King David would have asked questions like,

Where is God while my enemies are attacking my nation?

Where is God while my life is being threatened?

Where is God when evil men get away with torture and murder?

Where is God when innocent civilians are being oppressed?

Where is God when human rights are being taken away?

And, a few years later, Jesus even asked a similar question to “Where is God?” from the cross when he, an innocent man, was being crucified for sins of the entire world.

From the cross,

[46] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, ESV)

It would be easy to come to the conclusion that all of this points to a blind and deaf god, or an uncaring sadistic god, or no god at all.

However, the exact opposite is true.

As King David pointed out in the middle of his own questioning of God’s whereabouts and God’s ways, “the LORD sits enthroned forever…he judges the world with righteousness…the LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed [in their time of trouble].”

You see, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God entered the flesh and lived among us.   He did so for my good and your good.  God’s time in this world, in the person of Jesus, gave him experience with human trouble and human feelings so that he could relate to you, sympathize with you, empathize with you, in the hardest and most difficult times that you will face and while you are asking questions that seem to have no immediate answers.

We are reminded of this good news in the book of Hebrews when we are told:

[14] …we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16, ESV)

Jesus knows the things you are thinking while the world seems to be falling apart.

Jesus knows how you feel when you are being personally attacked.

And, in all of that Jesus assures you that he, through his life, death, and resurrection has canceled the power of man.

Humanity thought they could get rid of God by crucifying Jesus on the cross, but God was powerfully triumphant when he defeated the power of sin and death by walking out of the grave on the first Easter morning.

Humanity cannot overthrow God. 

Humanity cannot take a step or make a move without God allowing it (and I admit that some of those things that God allows will be hard to understand this side of Heaven).

Proverbs 16:9 let’s us know this truth when it says:

[9] The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps. (ESV)

What Psalm 9 is making clear is that God is always in control and cancels the power of humanity.

The Recovery Bible makes the following comment:

“If we think we can control our own destiny or the destinies of others, we have a terrible surprise in store.  One day God will step in and demonstrate who is truly in control. Since God is ultimately in control, the only wise plan is to follow God’s plan.”

Returning to where we began…

Sixteen years after Henley first published “Invictus,” the British preacher Charles Spurgeon offered another philosophy of life. On June 7, 1891, in the closing words of his final sermon, Spurgeon urged people to submit to a better “Captain” for our soul. Spurgeon said:

Every [person] must serve somebody: we have no choice as to that fact. Those who have no master are slaves to themselves. Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ. Either self or the Savior. You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters; but if you wear the uniform of Christ, you will find him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls …. If you could see our Captain, you would go down on your knees and beg him to let you enter the ranks of those who follow him. It is heaven to serve Jesus.

The apostle Paul’s words from Romans 8:31–39 preach good news to us when he says:

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

A social media post that I saw yesterday said:

“Caesar is now a salad dressing but Jesus is still King.”

Go in peace this morning and trust in the promise that Jesus cancels the power of humanity and forgives your sin of trying to be stronger than God.

Pray with David this week:

[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

[14] that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

November, 10, 2024.

Prayer:

Mighty God, 

The forces that are arrayed against us in this life far outmatch our little strength. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powerful spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Our enemy is strong and crafty, and if we try to stand against him in our own strength we will inevitably fail. Yet, Father, we confess that we often trust in our own wisdom and strength, as if we were mighty and self-sufficient. We go through life oblivious to the dangers around us and not heeding the warnings of your Word. When we find ourselves defeated yet again, we complain and moan as if you had let us down, when the fault is entirely ours. Instead of praying and asking for your help, we grumble and resent our weakness. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you that you have entered the battle on our behalf, leaving the safety of heaven to engage the challenges of living as a human being. You felt all of our human weaknesses, yet you endured without sin, because you constantly entrusted yourself to your Father’s mighty power. Thank you that you were triumphant for us, redeeming us and giving our souls complete safety in you. The strong forces that are arrayed against us can never separate us from you, and so our ultimate victory is secure. 

Holy Spirit, thank you that you are at work strengthening us daily. When you give us the grace to stand, depending upon you, help us to remember that the strength is yours and not ours. When you leave us to ourselves and we fall, show us your good purposes in that, too—help us to learn our own weakness, to become more watchful and distrustful of ourselves, to pray more frequently and fervently, and to become more eager for the final day of our victory in Christ. Thank you that he is even now interceding for us and that he will continue to do so throughout our earthly warfare, until he welcomes us into his closer presence. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace this morning knowing that trusting in the promise that Jesus cancels the power of humanity and forgives your sin of trying to be stronger than God.