Psalm 10 is a continuation of psalm 9 and the two are often referenced together.

I could sort of relate to this psalm, but at the same time I learned something as well.

Let me explain…

Interested in knowing Why? this series on Psalms…
check out the 1^st post.

Psalm 10

¹ Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

² In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
³ For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
⁴ In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
⁵ His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
⁶ He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
⁷ His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
⁸ He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
⁹     he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
¹⁰ The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
¹¹ He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

¹² Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
¹³ Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
¹⁴ But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

¹⁶ The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
¹⁷ O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸ to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

My 3 Thoughts

1. You’ve heard it and so have I… When things are going bad, some people – Christians & non-believers alike – ask the question “Where’s God?” … put another way, “If God exists, why do bad things happen?”
   • I look at some of the things going on around the world today, I’m unable to understand them and part of me can also say “God, where are you?”… “God, why do innocent Ukranians suffer the way they are suffering?”
   • But if we take into account what we read yesterday, in Psalm 9, we know that David doesn’t ask the question from a place of pure doubt… he knows where God is… He is seated on his throne, in the heavens. He continues to reign. He maintains control.
   • It doesn’t necessarily give us an immediately clear answer… but it allows us to strengthen our faith… whether it is evident or not… God is in control.
2. The Wicked: The next section of the psalm (verses 2-11) deal with the ‘wicked’ or the ‘ungodly’, their seeming impunity and the internal discourse they maintain.
   • David notes the extent to which there are people who take advantage of others around them, who treat them poorly and even he who ‘murders the innocent’. It seems as though they continue to prosper in life, and do not receive their their ‘just desserts’.
   • There’s Ukraine among other situations… someone who murders the innocent with seeming impunity. David doesn’t seem to understand it… yet, and here’s the important part, he doesn’t let that impact his faith in God.
3. The Call to God: The last part of the psalm (verses 12-18) recount David’s approach to God.
   • He affirms that God does see (v.14) and he does hear (v.17) the needs of the afflicted. He goes on to affirm that God will incline his ear to do justice to the fatherless and the afflicted.
   • When he talks about ‘breaking the arm’ of the oppressor, he’s not necessarily speaking of his literal arm, but simply breaking his power… his source of strength… his ability to harm, threaten or inflict injustice.

Food for Thought…

One of the Bible commentators says this of this psalm’s first verse:

• “The question of why God stands far away does not stem from doubting God but from believing that he is reliable and just. It is this faith that leads to perplexity over how God can tolerate such conditions among his people.

Let’s not let the injustices of the world diminish, in our eyes, God’s ability to save and deliver. Rather, let the sight of those things fuel our prayer that God reveal himself in his true nature… the God of justice to those in need.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today!
See you tomorrow!