where the Bible is open to Psalm number 9. The title reads, to the chief musician upon Muthlaban, a psalm of David. Now look down to verse 17. And the Bible says here, the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." And so we find in the 9th Psalm, according to the title, that it is another song meant for the chief musician and therefore for the Levitical worship under the reign of King David. This word, Muthlaban, is a compound word, probably means the death of the son. Unsure to its exact meaning, And this commentator says this, this commentator says that. So it's really purely conjecture as to what it truly means. And therefore I say this, and we'll move on, the chief musician when he received the psalm, knew exactly what David meant. So the occasion for the psalm, historically speaking, cannot be easily ascertained. It's difficult. But the psalm definitely reaches beyond David's immediate circumstances. It takes on a prophetic character. and the significance, and it is closely related to the 10th Psalm. So we'll view them together this week, next week, the Lord willing. The Selah at the end joins them, no title, at Psalm 10 joins it to Psalm 9. And so what we find in the 9th Psalm and the 10th is that truth where the righteous and the wicked are considered, they're contrasted. And so the Psalms stand together, 9 and 10, dealing with the same truth, but from two different perspectives. In the 9th Psalm, the wicked are viewed as being outside Israel. The phrase you'll find is the heathen. In the 10th Psalm, the wicked are viewed as being inside Israel. The phrase is this, one who sitteth in the lurking places of the villages. And this is the evil man. Both Psalms send forth a plea asking the Lord to arise. In the ninth, He is asked to arise and judge the wicked, verse 19. In the tenth, the Lord is asked to arise and defend the righteous, verse 12. By the end of the ninth Psalm, all the nations are to know themselves to be but men. By the end of the 10th, all men should understand that the Lord is King forever and forever." And both Psalms in verse 1 of chapter 10, he mentions times of trouble. We'll see the same phrase in the 9th Psalm in just a few moments. According to Jeremiah 30, verse 7, There is a seven-year period. It is known as the time of Jacob's trouble. So Psalms 9 and 10 prophetically look beyond David's personal circumstances to the persecuted believing Jews in the tribulation period who will endure times of trouble. The ninth has the heathen more in focus as the judgment of Jehovah descends upon the world. The 10th has the humble more in focus as the judgment of Jehovah defends that believing remnant. Divine judgment will devour some, it will deliver others. If you study Matthew 13, 9, Revelation 13, 9, you know this, If any man have an ear, let him hear. So I say to you, I say to me, what should we hear from this psalm? What should they hear in that day? Well, three things emerge. Number one, there's the song of praise, verses one and two. There's the voice of prophecy, verses three through 16. And then there is the truth of preaching, verses 17 through 20. They all come together. They're all given to the chief musician, and so I invite you to listen just a few minutes to this psalm. Number one, we find the element of praise in times of trouble. This is verses one and two. There is the allegiance of praise. Look at verse one. I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. There is the attention of David's praise. I will show forth all thy marvelous works. David did not want the attention on himself. He wanted the attention on God. I will praise all of thy marvelous works. Then there's the affection of David's praise in verse 2. I will be glad and rejoice in thee. Sounds a lot like Colossians 3. Set your affection on things above. There is the adoration of David's praise. I will sing praise to thy name. Most folks want praise. Most folks want recognition, not David. He said, I want to recognize God and His name. He is the one most high. So there's the song and sound of praise, but at this point, I believe David, by the Spirit of the Lord, is carried into a prophetic proclamation. And it begins in verse 3, carries all the way through the end of the chapter, the end of the psalm in verse 20. I have stopped it at verse 16 because of a sealaw, So we move from the song of praise to the element of prophecy in times of trouble. In verses 3 through 7, you see the throne of God's judgment. Look at verse 3. When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. Notice the word presence. So in verses 3, 4, and 5, there is the presence of God's throne. There is the vindication of God's presence in verses 3 and 4. One day the wicked will perish. at the very presence of the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 7 through 10. In flaming fire, the Son of God will reveal Himself from the heavens along with His mighty angels, along with the church of the living God, and the Bible says that He will take vengeance on them that know not God. David sees it here. But then there's the victory of God's presence in verse five. Thou hast rebuke the heathen. Thou hast destroyed the wicked. Thou hast put out their name forever and ever. Where do we read that phrase so often in the book of the revelation? Forever and ever the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever. He sits on the throne forever and ever. Again, this is prophetic. It reaches beyond Jerusalem, beyond the kingdom, beyond David, all the way into the tribulation period. The presence of God's throne gives way to the power of God's throne. Look at verse 6, O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end. Thou hast destroyed cities, most likely a reference to the beast, to the Antichrist who went on destroying, but God destroys him. and His destructions are destroyed. They come to a perpetual end. He who has destroyed cities will himself be destroyed. Yea, the enemy, the wicked, the Bible says their memorial is perished with them. Verse 7, the preparation of God's throne. He says, But the Lord shall endure forever. He hath prepared His throne for judgment. It is the throne of grace, but as we looked at last week, it's also the throne of God's government. And one day He will release judgment upon the world. The throne of God's judgment leads right into the triumph of God's judgment in verses 8 through 15. I want you to see the triumph of God's judgment. In verse 8, it is due. Why will God triumph? Well, it is due, first of all, to His righteousness. He shall judge the world in righteousness. Notice the language of David. He shall. He shall, He's looking into the future by the Spirit of God. He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. I believe it extends beyond the tribulation, even into the millennial kingdom where the throne of David is occupied by the son, that greater son of David, even the Lord Jesus, who is David's Lord and David's son. And therefore the God-man enthroned there at Zion's hill, and God ministers a bright judgment. He reigns and rules and judges the whole world in righteousness. But also in this day there will be the refuge of God. In verse 9, the Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed. A refuge, here's the words, in times of trouble. He will provide a place in the wilderness to protect those persecuted, believing, fleeing Jews in the time of Jacob's trouble. And He will give them a place to be protected from the Antichrist. But then also due to the Lord's retribution, verse 11, Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Zion. Declare among the people His It's not seen here. It's not revealed here. It's revealed in other places like Joel, Zechariah, Revelation chapter 6 through 19. But the doings of God in this day will be filled with retribution. He will punish the wicked. And all of the wrath of God that comes against the world, we're not there yet. God willing, we'll look at it. But in the book of the Revelation chapter 6, the Lamb opens those seals. that reveal and release the wrath of Almighty God. Retribution. But then verse 12, due to the Lord's remembrance, there will be the triumph of His judgment when He maketh, this is God, the Lord, when He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them. Did not the blood of Abel, which was shed and spilled upon the ground, did it not? Did it cry out to God? It did. Read Revelation 8, the prayers of the martyred saints under the altar, cries to God to vindicate and avenge their blood in the earth. God will shed the blood of the wicked. I think about the Valley of Megiddo, the Battle of Armageddon, where for how many miles, is it about 200 miles or so, the blood will flow at the depth of the horse's bridle, which on average is four and a half feet. That's a lot of blood to be shed. But God will give them blood for the blood that they have shed. He will not forget. He will remember. And then the verse concludes with this glorious truth, He forgeteth not the cry of the humble. Amen. But then I see that the Lord's remembrance shows us the Lord's rescue. David seems to be back in his own personal circumstances. And he says, have mercy upon me, O Lord. Consider my trouble, which I suffer of them that hate me. Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death. Now we seem to be back in the tribulation period. God will release a host from the bottomless pit according to Revelation 9. But David says that I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in thy salvation. There's the word, RESCUE. A host will be saved in that day during the time of Jacob's trouble. Not those who rejected the gospel before the coming of Christ. We can see that in 2 Thessalonians 2, but there will be those who have an opportunity to repent and believe. But then we come to verse 15, and not only the throne and the triumph of God's judgment, but notice the testimony of God's judgment. In verse 16, the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands, Hyggean Sila." Four things in that verse. There's the statement, the snare. The sound is that word Hyggean. It means a solemn sound in the music that calls for serious meditation. But then there's the stop, Sila. Think about it. God will destroy the wicked, but he hears the cry, thank God, of the humble." Now, beyond the Sela, I believe we see the element of preaching. The poet who was singing to the prophet who is seeing to now there's the preacher who's standing And what does he say in verse 17? The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Verse 18, For the needy shall not always be forgotten. There's that truth again. The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. You see, as it's been said by someone, truth seems to be ever on the scaffold and wrong upon the throne. One day God will right all these wrongs. Truth will prevail. Justice will prevail. We'll see that in a minute. But the preacher's vision is this, in verse 17, divine destruction is coming to some. The wicked will be turned into hell. and all nations that forget God. We won't go there, but Matthew 25 speaks about the judgment of the nations. Jesus Christ will judge the nations, determining who goes into His kingdom, and many will be thrown into the pit. into everlasting fire, unquenchable fire in that day. But then there is the truth of divine deliverance is coming to some, the needy, the poor in verse 18. I'm not telling you you're gonna go to heaven because you're poor. I'm telling you if you'll get saved and repent and recognize how poor you really are in the sight of Almighty God, He'll save you and you'll get born again and bring you into His family. But in this day, that poor persecuted believing remnant will find their expectation will not be cut off. Jesus will return and He will split the eastern sky. We'll see that in the 10th Psalm. But then not only the preacher's vision, but the preacher's voice. Listen to what the preacher says. So many people today want to squelch the voice of the preacher. But David says, Arise, O Lord, Let not man prevail. Let the heathen be judged in thy sight. This is the preacher's prayer. He voices a prayer. Arise, O Lord. He voices his petitions. Let not man prevail. In other words, let justice prevail. And then he says, let the heathen be judged. Let judgment begin. Let justice prevail. Let judgment begin. He voiced his prayer, voiced his petitions. But then in verse 20, he voices his plea. This ought to be all of our plea today. Put them in fear, O Lord. Why? That the nations may know themselves to be but men. I forget the old boy's name, but he works for Google if he's not dead already. It was several years ago. But one of Google's engineers made this statement that he would one day become a god. And he stated that we were very close to ridding the world of its belief in the existence of God. They really believe with all their artificial intelligence and all their brain power and all their money and all of their technological advances, they really believe that man will ascend and ascend and ascend and become a God. That is the spirit of Antichrist at work in the world. David, the psalmist, as poet, prophet, and preacher said, God put them in fear that they may know, the nations may know themselves to be but men. But here's the preacher's virtue. At the very last, what does he say? See that? The preacher of the psalm He said, right here we need to pause. We need to ponder these truths. So what's the application? Have you believed on Jesus Christ? Are you born again? If not, you having heard the gospel, you will enter this time of trouble beside the Jews as a Gentile, and you will go through it, you will believe the lie, you will be sent strong delusion, and you will be damned, away from the presence of God forever and ever in a place called hell. filled with unquenchable fire. Thank God if that's not the case with you, you're born again, you know somebody who's on their way to hell. Thank God hell was not prepared for you and I, but for the devil and his angels. It's not ours. It's not God's design for us to go there. It's designed for the devil and his angels who rebelled against the Father and the Son and the Spirit of God and holiness and truth and righteousness. So, beyond that prophetic view personally. Are you in a time of trouble? David was. I didn't deal with that aspect. But what did he find? I can still sing the song of praise in my trouble. I can still listen to the voice of prophecy in my trouble. I can still receive the truth of preaching in my time of trouble. If he could, we can. Amen?