John Gill Commentary Psalms 9

I will praise [you], O Lord, with my whole, heart
This is what is called in the New Testament making melody in the heart, or singing with grace in the heart, (Ephesians 5:19) (Colossians 3:16) ; and yet does not signify mere mental singing, but vocal singing, the heart joining therein; for the word here used for praise signifies to confess, to speak out, to declare openly the praises of God in the public congregation, as David elsewhere determines to do, (Psalms 111:1) (Psalms 138:1Psalms 138:2) ; the heart ought to, be engaged in every, part of divine service and worship, whether in preaching or in hearing, or in prayer, or in singing of praise; and the whole heart also: sometimes God has nothing of the heart in worship, it is removed far from, him, and gone after other objects; and sometimes it is divided between God and the creature; hence the psalmist prays that God would unite his heart to fear him, and then he should praise him with all his heart, with all that was within him, with all the powers and faculties of his soul; see (Psalms 86:11Psalms 86:12) (103:1) .

This phrase is not expressive of the perfection of this duty, or of performing it in such manner as that there would be no imperfection in it, or sin attending it; for good men fail in all their performances, and do nothing good without sin; hence provision is made for the iniquities of holy things; but of the heartiness and sincerity of it; and in such a sincere and upright manner the psalmist determines, in the strength of divine grace, to praise the Lord;

I will show forth all your marvellous works ;
such as the creation of all things out of nothing, and the bringing them into the form and order in which they are by the word of God; and in which there is such a display of the power and wisdom of God; and particularly the formation of man out of the dust of the earth, in the image, and after the likeness of God; the sustentation of the whole world of creatures in their being, the providential care of them all, the preservation of man and beast; and especially the work of redemption: it is marvellous that God should think of redeeming sinful men; that he should fix the scheme of it in the way he has; that he should pick upon his own Son to be the Redeemer; that ungodly men, sinners, the chief of sinners, and enemies, should be the persons redeemed; and that not all the individuals of human nature, but some out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation: as also the work of grace, which is a new creation, and more marvellous than the old; a regeneration, or a being born again, which is astonishing to a natural man, who cannot conceive how this can be; a resurrection from the dead, or a causing dry bones to live; a call of men out of darkness into marvellous light; and it is as wondrous how this work is preserved amidst so many corruptions of the heart, temptations of Satan, and snares of the world, as that it is;

to which may be added the wonderful works yet to be done, as the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, the destruction of antichrist, the resurrection of the dead, the last judgment, and the eternal glory and happiness of the saints; and doubtless the psalmist may have respect to the many victories which he, through the divine power, obtained over his enemies; and particularly the marvellous one which was given him over Goliath with a stone and sling: these the psalmist determined to make the subject of his song, to dwell and enlarge upon, to show forth unto others, and to point out the glories, beauties, and excellency of them:

and when he says "all" of them, it must be understood of as many of them as were within the compass of his knowledge, and of as much of them as he was acquainted with; for otherwise the marvellous works of God are infinite and without number, (Job 5:9) (9:10) .

I will be glad and rejoice in thee
Not in himself, in any attainments or works of his; not in his wisdom, riches, and strength, nor in his warlike exploits, but in the Lord; not in second causes, in horses and chariots, in armies, and in the courage and valour of men, but in God, as the author of deliverance, victory, and salvation; not in God only as the God of nature and providence, but as the God of all grace, and as his covenant God and Father; and because of the blessings of this covenant, as forgiveness of sin, a justifying righteousness, &c. for he rejoiced not in his own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ, as well as in his person, grace, and sacrifice;

so the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, "I will be glad and rejoice", (Krmymb) , "in thy Word", the Logos, the essential Word of God, of whom there were many types, promises, and prophecies in the former dispensation; two words being here used express the greatness of this joy, and especially the latter word denotes a very vehement joy, a joy unspeakable and full of glory; such as arises from a sight of Christ the object, and which the psalmist had now in view; and this was not a carnal and worldly joy, but joy in the Holy Ghost;

I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High ;
that is, to the glory of his name, his being, and perfections, as displayed in his marvellous works, and in the revelation of his word, and especially in his son; and under the character of the "most high" God, the supreme Being over all creatures, angels and men; see (Psalms 7:17) .

When mine enemies are turned back
As the Philistines were, when Goliath their champion was dead; and as the men that came to apprehend Christ, David's antitype, went backwards and fell to the ground, through the superior power of Christ; and as sin, Satan, and the world, and at last antichrist, are made to retreat from the Lord's people, who are more than conquerors over them through Christ that has loved them.

"They shall fall and perish at your presence"; they shall stumble at one thing or another which divine Providence will throw in their way to hinder them from executing their designs, and so fall before them they meant to destroy, and perish at the presence of God as wax melteth before the fire; see (Psalms 27:2) (Psalms 68:1Psalms 68:2) ; so antichrist shall be consumed with the breath of Christ's mouth, and the brightness of his coming, (2 Thessalonians 2:8) ;

and this is the ground and foundation of the psalmist's joy, and rejoicing, and singing praise to God as it will be the reason of the joy of saints in the latter day, (Revelation 18:22) (Revelation 19:1Revelation 19:2) .

For you have maintained my right and my cause
Or vindicated and established his righteous cause; God had pleaded and defended it, and by the flight, fall,and ruin of his enemies, had clearly made it appear that his cause was just and good;

you sit in the throne judging right ;
God has not only a throne of grace on which he sits, and from where he distributes grace and mercy to hispeople, but he has a throne of judgment, which is prepared for it, as in (Psalms 9:7); where he sitsas the Judge of all the earth, and will do right; nor can he do otherwise, though his judgments are notalways manifest in the present state of things.

And the vindication of the psalmist's innocence anduprightness is another reason of his joy and gladness.

You have rebuked the Heathen
The people of the Philistines, as the Targum and Kimchi explain it, though some Jewish writers ^F1 understand it of Amalek the chief of the Heathen nations; but it rather refers to Gospel times, and to the rebukes of the Heathen, by the preaching of the Gospel, for their idolatry and superstition; and especially to the latter day, and to the rebukes of the antichristian states, the Papists who are called Gentiles; which will be with flames of fire, and will issue in their utter extirpation, upon which a profound peace and prosperity will succeed in the Christian churches, according to (Isaiah 2:4); which is a prophecy of those times;

you have destroyed the wicked ;
the wicked man; for it is in the singular number, "labben", as Aben Ezra observes, or who is meant by him; Goliath, according to the Targum and Kimchi; or Esau, as other Jewish writers ^F2, that is, his posterity the Edomites.

And each of these were figures of antichrist, the man of sin, the wicked one, whom Christ will slay with the breath of his lips, (Isaiah 11:4);

you have put out their name for ever and ever ;
that is, the glory and reputation of their name, a good and honourable one, which they sought to transmit to the latest posterity; for though the names of wicked men may continue, as Pharaoh, Judas, and others; yet they continue with a scandal and reproach upon them that shall never be wiped off, their names rot and stink; see (Proverbs 10:7); the whole of this denotes the utter ruin and shameful end of the enemies of Christ and his church, and which is matter of joy to the saints.

FOOTNOTES:

• F1: Jarchi in loc. & Pesikta in ibid. in v. 1.
• F2: Ibid.