Psalm 9 Jan. 4 For the Chief Musician. Set to The Death of the Son. A Psalm by David. 1I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. I will tell others of all Your marvellous works. 2I will be glad and rejoice in You, I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish in Your presence. 4For You have maintained my just cause. You sit on the throne judging righteously. 5You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked, You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin. The very memory of the cities which You have overthrown has perished. 7But Yahweh reigns forever, He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8He will judge the world in righteousness, He will administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness. 9Yahweh will also be a high tower for the oppressed; a high tower in times of trouble. 10Those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek You. 11Sing praises to Yahweh who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what He has done. 12For He who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted. 13Have mercy on me, Yahweh. See my affliction by those who hate me, and lift me up from the gates of death; 14that I may show forth all Your praise. In the gates of the daughter of Zion I will rejoice in Your salvation. 15The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made. In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken. 16Yahweh has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands.        Meditation. Selah. 17The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God. 18For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. 19Arise, Yahweh! Don’t let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 20Put them in fear, Yahweh, and let the nations know that they are only men.        Selah.  

Commentary

 9:4 God’s judgment is ongoing; it’s not that God is somehow passive and not paying attention now and will open the books and consider everything when Christ returns. He is passionately involved in our issues and judges them as they happen.
9:8 He will judge the world in righteousness- Quoted in Acts 17:31 about how God will judge the world through Jesus when He returns to earth.
9:16 Yahweh has made Himself known; He has executed judgment- In observing how God has judged people and nations, we come to know Him better (see too :20). This is why the final judgment of individuals will be in a sense public; the whole purpose of the judgment seat will be for our collective as well as individual benefit, to teach us of the essence of God and prepare us to enter eternity. If we simply entered eternity at Christ’s return without this educational process of participating in and observing the judgment process, we would simply not appreciate His grace as we should.