Relax and Enjoy the Guitar Solo

Scripture:
The Lord has made himself known;
he has executed justice,
snaring the wicked
by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah
Psalm 9:16

Observation: The psalmist makes this declaration - past tense! - that the Lord has already made himself known to the entire world, that as a result of such knowledge the wicked have already identified themselves by their actions, and thus the Lord's justice has already been executed against the wicked. And with that ... it's time to relax and enjoy this truth!

"Selah" is known to be a direction in the psalms to 'pause and reflect', likely an interlude where the singer/reader is to consider the deeper meaning of what was just said. "Higgaion" is a lesser-used word that apparently means to have a musical interlude. Together, after the psalmist makes the declarations of verse 16, the reader is to sit back and enjoy a musical interlude, when they can deeply think upon how the Lord has done these things.

Application: Personally, I would like to think of "Higgaion Selah" as ... a time to celebrate with a jammin' guitar solo!

I pray so often for the Lord to "deal with" the evil people of this world, and here is the word of the Lord declaring that, in fact, he has already delt with them. The Lord has made his instructions known, he has made the punishments known, and he has made the path to redemption and salvation known. Those that reject all of this clearly self-identify themselves by their words and actions of rejection, and are therefore already judged and sentenced. Yes, they can choose a new path, accept Jesus as their Lord and savior, embrace the love the Yahweh, and therefore receive the ultimate pardon. However, if they don't, justice already awaits them.

And this is a cause for joy for those of us who live this life pursued and put down by such enemies. I pray for God's judgment, and he tells me it is already done. I pray for God's condemnation on the wicked, and he declares that yes, he has already condemned them. I even pray that they might know the Lord, and he reminds me that they actually do know him but have chosen their paths of wickedness.

Higgaion Selah ... relax and enjoy the music while you pause and reflect on THAT!

Prayer: Lord, your love and mercy go hand-in-hand with your judgment and justice, and I love them both. You have judged my own wickedness in the past, but I thank you that now I live by faith in Jesus. May I remain blameless in your eyes, but also may I seek your path every day, avoiding any form of wickedness done by the work of my own hands. As for those who pursue such wickedness, I do pray that they would change their direction. However, I also know you have made yourself known to them in so many ways already. Yes, their actions make the lives of your faithful believers, including myself, more difficult here in this life, but may we all also dance knowing you are in control, your justice prevails, and it is finished, past tense. Amen.