If America Forgets God! Psalm 9:17 Independence Day! Happy Birthday America 242 years old. This message asks the question. What happens when a nation forgets God? David wrote this psalm to God Himself (generally regarded as the “Chief Musician”) to a popularly known tune in his day (in Hebrew, Muth Labben). In this psalm, David celebrates the help and goodness of God with a big vision for the nations. While most believe the title Muth Labben refers to a tune, others suggest that it refers to an instrument upon which the song was played. In verses 17-18 God will deal with both the wicked and the humble. The phrase “and all the nations that forget God” can be considered just another way of describing the wicked mentioned in the previous line. Yet it is a useful repetition, reminding us of the inherently great sin of forgetting God. The forgetters of God are far more numerous than the profane or profligate, and according to the very forceful expression of the Hebrew, the nethermost hell will be the place into which all of them shall be hurled headlong. Forgetfulness seems a small sin, but it brings eternal wrath upon the man who lives and dies in it. There are few more painful things than feeling forgotten and feeling disappointed. To those in such pain, God makes these wonderful promises; that they shall not always be forgotten, and their expectation will not perish.