Jesus Christ referred to Psalm 8:1-2 in "have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?" (Matthew 21:16 RSV). The writer of Hebrews (and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin on his way home from the moon in 1969) quoted Psalm 8:4 "What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him? Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:6-7 RSV).
"To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith [i.e. a type of harp]. A Psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy Name in all the earth! Thou whose glory above the heavens [see Heavens Below, Heavens Above] is chanted by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.Psalm Chapter 9
When I look at Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers [see Christ The Creator], the moon and the stars which Thou hast established; what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou dost care for him? Yet Thou hast made him little less than God [see Children Of God], and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Thou hast given him dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy Name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1-9 RSV)
Psalm 9 is a prayer of thanks by David for the victories delivered to him - right from his defeat of Goliath (see the Fact Finder question below).
"To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy Name, O Most High.Psalm Chapter 10
When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before Thee. For Thou hast maintained my just cause; Thou hast sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. Thou hast rebuked the nations, Thou hast destroyed the wicked; Thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever. The enemy have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities thou hast rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
But the Lord sits enthroned for ever, He has established His throne for judgment [see The Throne Of God, From Heaven To Earth]; and He judges the world with righteousness, he judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know Thy Name put their trust in Thee, for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.
Sing praises to the Lord, Who dwells in Zion! [see Who, What or Where Is Zion?] Tell among the peoples His deeds! For He who avenges blood [see Why Blood?] is mindful of them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord! Behold what I suffer from those who hate me, O Thou who liftest me up from the gates of death [see Through The Gates Of Hell], that I may recount all Thy praises, that in the gates of the Daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Thy deliverance. The nations have sunk in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid has their own foot been caught. The Lord has made Himself known, He has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. [Higgaion. Selah]
The wicked shall depart to Sheol [see Sheol and Hades], all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor [see No Class Struggles In Christianity] shall not perish for ever. Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before Thee! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! [Selah]" (Psalm 9:1-20 RSV)
Although David sometimes succumbed to the same behavior, David did so out of human weakness, not evil intent. Centuries later, the apostle Paul (see Paul's Ministry) experienced the same inner struggle i.e. "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25 RSV)
"Why dost Thou stand afar off, O Lord? Why dost Thou hide Thyself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of the desires of his heart, and the man greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride [see The Two Kinds Of Pride] of his countenance the wicked does not seek Him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God." His ways prosper at all times; Thy judgments are on high, out of His sight; as for all His foes, He puffs at them. He thinks in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity." His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. He sits in Ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the hapless, he lurks in secret like a lion in his covert; he lurks that he may seize the poor, he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. The hapless is crushed, sinks down, and falls by his might. He thinks in his heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it."
Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thy hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God, and say in his heart, "Thou wilt not call to account"? Thou dost see; yea, Thou dost note trouble and vexation, that Thou mayest take it into Thy hands; the hapless commits himself to Thee; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless. Break Thou the arm of the wicked and evildoer; seek out his wickedness till Thou find none. The Lord is king for ever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. O Lord, Thou wilt hear the desire of the meek; Thou wilt strengthen their heart, thou wilt incline Thy ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more." (Psalm 10:1-18 RSV)
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