Practical Atheism, Scene 1

A number of years ago Dr. George Gallup, president of the American Institute of Public Opinion, wrote a report of his research into the religious beliefs of Americans entitled "Is America's Faith for Real?" He was struck by a strange anomaly. On the one hand, the answers to his questions indicated that America is unusually religious. But on the other hand, the same research showed that America's religious beliefs make little difference in how people actually live and act.
Praise the Lord! Section 5

The second part of Psalm 9 is a prayer for future deliverance based on the praise of God for past deliverances recounted in part one (vv. 13-20). This section begins and ends with prayer, just as the first part began and ended with praise. There are two petitions.
Praise the Lord! Section 4
Yesterday we looked at the first thing for which David praises the Lord in this psalm.  Today we consider the other two.
 
2. The working out of justice and right judgment on earth (vv. 7, 8). As the chief executive officer and judge of Israel, David was responsible for seeing that justice was done in civil matters. Therefore, it is appropriate that he should praise God for having established the divine throne for judgment and for ruling justly.
 
Praise the Lord! Section 3
The tone of Psalm 9 is set by the first two verses, which declare David's intention of praising God verbally, with words and in song, and with his whole heart. This exuberant note of praise begins and ends the psalm's first section (vv. 1-12). Right here we need to stop and apply David's example to ourselves, for it is often the case that we do neither of these things. 
Praise the Lord! Section 2

Before we begin a careful study of this first praise hymn, there is a technical problem that we need to look at, involving this psalm and Psalm 10, which follows it. It arises from the fact that in some versions of the Bible, Psalm 9 and Psalm 10 are printed together as one psalm. Is that right? Does Psalm 9 belong with Psalm 10? Were they originally one? Should they be put back together as one psalm? Or should they be kept separate?