The LORD is a Stronghold for the oppressed

Psalm 9:9-16

“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.   And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.  Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!  Tell among the peoples his deeds!  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.   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, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.  The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.”

If one stays out of the false news or as the President refers to it as fake news and of all the hate on the Internet, and much of it is tainted at best, and look at Scripture who are the oppressed?  I was tempted to take the easy way and see what Gil or Barnes said about the oppressed in their commentary, but the Lord wanted me to dig into the Scriptures and know the meaning of the oppressed.  This is what I found; in Exodus 23:9, God is calling the alien, the oppressed and reminding His people they were aliens in Egypt.  In Deuteronomy 24:14, God tells us not to take advantage of the hired worker, who is under resourced and needy.  And last, let me share Proverbs 14:31, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”

Yesterday, we shared our conviction of not proclaiming what God has done for us, and once more a few verses later, we are told the same theme.  Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!  Tell among the peoples his deeds!  I plan to do this, and I pray that you also proclaim His deeds. 

The Psalmist tells us the nations have sunk into the pit they have made, how true that is in today’s world.  My very wise and learned friend and brother in Christ, Carroll Ray Jr., would tell me that we are only twenty years behind Europe in making the same mistakes.  I believe it’s much shorter today than when he said that to me thirty years ago.  Never forget the heart of our God is for you and I to be His hands and feet to help the under resourced people.  I’m not sure what all that entails, but if you’re a follower of Christ do as He would have done.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice