The Will to Praise | Psalm 9:1–2
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of
David.
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.
Psalms fill our worship with joy, even amid heartache. Here, both Psalms 9 and 10 were possibly one
psalm, as they are in the Septuagint translation. These psalms are a hymn of praise and a
lament, respectively. Because of these
distinctive moods, the psalms function well as two. Even so, the title of this psalm, “according
to Muth-labben,” seems to be a popular tune known translated “the death of a
son.”
As such, David clearly struggles in both psalms. Still, he praises God! In these first two verses, he gives four “I
will” statements that serve as an excellent example to us. He gives His people the grace to make such
bold proclamations when they have known suffering (1 Pt 5:8).
I will give thanks to
the LORD with my whole heart. Thanksgiving
must accompany prayer (Phil 4:6), but thanksgiving can be halfhearted. God’s people
can go through the motions, praising with their lips while their hearts are far
from Him (Mt 15:8). Directing thanks to
God wholeheartedly is one way of keeping the great commandment (Dt 6:5).
I will recount all of
your wonderful deeds. As the song
says, count your blessings! The
psalmist says that he’ll go around “proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling
all your wondrous deeds” (Ps 26:7). Remember, “Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above” (Js 1:17).
I will be glad and
exult in you. If we exult in something
other than Christ, like getting out of our current predicament, we’ll never be
glad or worship. Paul said in
Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”
I will sing praise to
your name, O Most High. Always have a
song to the Lord on your lips and in your hearts (Eph 5:19). Specifically, make melody to Elyon (or El-Elyon, “God Most High”—a name first used to describe
Melchizedek’s priestly role in Gn 14:18).
He rules the nations, even affixing borders (Dt 32:8). He is the “Great King over all the earth” (Ps
47:2) and over our problems!
