THOU HAST MAINTAINED MY RIGHT

This is the first of the acrostic or alphabetical psalms, of which there are nine (Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145). It is a psalm of thanksgiving for the Lord’s righteous rule by which He overcame the enemies of His chosen people. There runs through the psalm a note of praise, vv. 1-5, 11, 12, 14. Such praise must not be with a divided heart, v. 1. The remembrance of past deliverance, vv. 1-5, is excellent fuel for praise. The Lord has indeed rebuked our arch-enemy, vv. 5, 6, as in Zechariah 3. 1, 2, and his strongholds are now laid waste, 2 Cor. 10. 4; Col. 2. 15. Any present deliverance is an earnest of coming triumph. A day draws near when our Lord will sit on His glorious throne, a throne which is based on righteousness, Psa. 9. 4. From it all righteous judgment will go forth. For the present, however, the psalmist sees in the defeat of his enemies God’s judicial intervention on his behalf. God has pronounced and exacted sentence in his favour.

There also runs through the psalm an element of trust, vv. 7-12, 18. The oppressed, the humble, the needy and the poor have strong encouragement. The poor are those who know their need, and are utterly dependent upon God. They are “the poor in spirit”, of whose happiness the Saviour spoke, Matt. 5. 3. When we know our weakness and spiritual poverty, we have the best claim to be remembered by Him. Calamity drives us to God and makes us familiar with the secrets of His character. The more we know of God, the more we trust Him. Doubt is born of ignorance.

The psalm also sets forth the government of the enthroned Lord among the nations, a government based on righteousness, vv. 5-8, 12, 16, 17, 19. The eternal nature of God’s sovereignty is contrasted with the destruction of His enemies, the righteousness of His rule with the injustice of the wicked, vv. 6, 7. In the next verse, there is an emphasis on the word “he”. Because it is He, and not any human judge, the world shall yet see a rule of righteousness. Whatever earthly courts may do, heaven’s throne ministers judgment in uprightness. The administration will be one of perfect justice and equity. It will be universal. The psalmist has been vindicated, v. 4, this being the promise of justice that will embrace the whole world.