Psalm - 10

Psalm - 10

Introduction

For several years I had the privilege of teaching a class session for honors freshman and Saint Louis University. One of their honors professors attended the church I served and she did a series of classes each year on death and dying. She brought in her husband who was an Iraq War veteran to talk about his experiences with death on the battlefield. I was brought in to discuss my experiences with funerals. Sadly I have had crazy experiences…murder from a drug deal gone bad, infants, a teenager who was killed by police. It gave me the opportunity to speak about the difference that faith makes in handling death. Faith in Jesus Christ is THE differentiating factor between those who handle death well and those who do not.

One semester, a student asked me a profound and point-blank question…how do you reconcile a loving God with a suffering world? She continued, “it seems to me that if God is really good and loving, and if God is so powerful, as you Christians claim, either he doesn’t want to help, or he can’t help. Which is it?” Very brilliant girl.

That is our issue, isn’t it? We believe these things about God, yet when we look around at our world, we see death and suffering and injustice. Does God not care? Is God not powerful enough to do anything? This is the issue that lies at the heart of Psalm 10.

Let’s review - we saw last time that Psalm 9 and 10 are linked, as they are likely one long psalm. Together, they form an acrostic that utilizes the entire Hebrew alphabet. There is similar language used in both of them that ties them together. Psalm 9 carries the superscript that is likely for them both…this is a psalm of David. But the original Hebrew separates them. One of the connections between Psalm 9 and 10 is that they seem to be parts 1 and 2 of the same idea. Psalm 9 is all about God remembering his people. He does not forget them.

Isaiah 49:15-16 - 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,

that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me.

God remembering his people means that he rises to act on their behalf. He sits enthroned, ruling and reigning over all things. This is the promise laid out in Psalm 9.

Psalm 9:7 - 7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

Psalm 9:12 - 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;

he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

TS - but what happens when we don’t see that happening? What happens when it seems like the opposite of that is happening? When injustice prevails and God is nowhere to be seen? David now dives deeply into this very topic and helps us to wrestle with this reality.

Steve Lawson - “The success of sin brought debilitating discouragement and despair to David. But as he shifted his focus from the earthly to the eternal, his anxiety trend to assurance, his confusion to confidence and his perplexity to praise.”

We will see David go through these phases, ones that we can readily identify with:

CONFUSION OVER GOD’S SILENCE (V. 1-11) CALL FOR GOD’S SALVATION (V. 12-15) CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY (V. 16-18)

Psalm 10:1-18 - 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.

CONFUSION OVER GOD’S SILENCE (V. 1-11)

v. 1 - he begins in v. 1 with a sudden lament, phrased as this direct question to God.

v. 1 - Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? perhaps this striking and sudden question is why this psalm was originally divided into two separate ones.

The immediate trouble surrounding him is certainly an issue, but God’s seeming distance is much more so. Psalm 13:1 - How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalm 22:1-2, 11 - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

11 Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.

after questioning God’s absence and silence, even possibly accusing him of deliberate silence (hide yourself), he now goes on to describe the problem. And as we have seen already in the Psalms, there is this ongoing theme of the way of the wicked versus the way of the righteous. He will now give the definitive description of the wicked.

Martin Luther - “There is not, in my judgment, a psalm which describes the mind, the manners, the works, the words, the feelings, and the fate of the ungodly with so much propriety, fullness and light, as this psalm.” Verses 2-11 can be divided into two sections describing the wicked…both of which end with “He says in his heart…” in v. 6 and v. 11.

Arrogant (v. 2-6)

V. 2-6 - 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.”

v. 2 - in arrogance…this description of the wicked is Darwinian to its core. This is the survival of the fittest in human form.

Hotly pursue…lit. Burn. They ferociously and passionately come after the poor. We will see the motivation for coming after the poor in a little bit. Let them be caught…not the best translation…better “the afflicted are caught”…it continues the lament instead of awkwardly trying to insert a quick prayer in there. The prayer will come later.

We’ve already seen the truth that the wicked fall by their own schemes. Psalm 7:14-16 - 14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil

and is pregnant with mischief

and gives birth to lies.

15 He makes a pit, digging it out,

and falls into the hole that he has made.

16 His mischief returns upon his own head,

and on his own skull his violence descends.

Devised - so we aren’t talking about someone who stumbles into a sin where another person gets hurt. We are talking about something deliberate, premeditated. This is very much on purpose. This word is first used in Genesis 11:6 to refer to the people at the Tower of Babel who are planning on usurping God. It is most often used to evil intent. v. 3 - boasts of the desires of his soul…he boasts in pleasure. His desires and cravings are virtues to him. Doesn’t success come from your will to win? Isn’t it greed that got him to the top? These carnal desires are to be celebrated not avoided or condemned. This is the path of the wicked…any desire, no matter how heinous is to be applauded.

Some translations have ‘one greedy for gain curses’ translated as ‘bless.’ Meaning that the wicked bless the greedy, they applaud and encourage such sins. Boasts/curses/renounces - all are ‘characteristic perfects’ - true in the past and present, but will not be true in the future. So even in the lament of this reality the temporary nature of this rebellion against God is shown. Who do they renounce? The LORD. Yahweh. So these are not pagan Gentiles blaspheming God…these are Israelites. This is the religious wicked, not the pagan wicked. v. 4 - pride of his face…lit. The wicked, according to the exaltedness of his face. Could refer to pride in looks, but is more likely referring to the look of pride. A haughty disposition.

Wicked does not seek him…footnote translation would be better…’wicked says ‘He will not call to account.’ This fits better with v. 13 and v. 15. So to the wicked there are no consequences, it seems. There is no God to call him to account. No God to bring justice to his action. He is free to live as he pleases. v. 5 - his wicked way prospers. Prosper is lit. Strong or sure, as the world measures. This is the strong way to live. This is sure to bring success.

Now, if someone who is unsuccessful tries to throw their weight around, everyone laughs. But if someone who is rich and famous, successful in business, driving around their Maserati, wearing $5,000 suits, vacations all around the world…if they start mocking and laughing at our old-fashioned morality, people start to take notice. “Forget all that nonsense. God may exist, but your success depends on you. God doesn’t help you. Go after it, no matter what it takes. You deserve it. Only the strong succeed.” Judgements are out of his sight…meaning, if God does exist, he and his rules are inconsequential. They play no role in my everyday life. In contrast, the righteous put God and his laws always before their face: Psalm 18:20-24 - 20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

He ‘puffs’ at his foes…the sound of scorn, contempt, disgust.

Used in Malachi 1:13 of evil priests who ‘snort’ at the ritual sacrifice to God. V. 6 - he is so emboldened by his success and over-confidence that he will never be moved. Psalm 15 and 16 both state that it is the blameless who are never moved. The wicked are like chaff (Psalm 1:4) blown by the wind. But the wicked believes their own press. They’ve gotten away with it, and God hasn’t done anything about it…why stop now? And who could stop now?

During WW2 the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was shot and almost killed. He laughed it off and said, “The bullet has never been made that can kill me.” On April 28, 1945 he and his mistress were executed by Italian partisans…with bullets.

Agressive (v. 7-11)

v. 7-11 - 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.”

v. 7 - the aggression begins with words. While we’d like to think that ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ is true, we all know it isn’t. Some of the worst forms of violence happen without any physical contact.

Cursing/deceit/oppression…this is boastful and boisterous language. Words are ‘under tongue’ meaning they are at the ready. And they are only trouble.

Mischief…already saw in 7:14,16 Matthew 12:34 - out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks James 3:1-6 - Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. C.S. Lewis - “I had half expected that in a simpler and more violent age when more evil was done with the knife, the big stick, and the firebrand, less would be done by talk. But in reality the psalmists mention hardly any kind of evil more often than this one, which the most civilized societies share….It is all over the Psalter. One almost hears the incessant whispering, tattling, lying, scolding, flattery and circulation of rumors. No historical readjustments are here required, we are in the world we know.” v. 8-9 - sits in ambush…again, this is premeditated. Cold and calculated.

Murders the innocent…the unsuspecting. Like a lion…stealthy and cunning, hiding in the tall grass waiting to pounce. Draws net…switches metaphors and is now like a hunter setting a trap. Recall back to 9:15 and the call for the guilty to fall into the net they hid. v. 10 - this is now the result of their aggression…it works. They succeed. This is now how we see why the wicked have targeted the poor…because they can. It doesn’t seem there is anyone who will take up the case of the poor. Even God doesn’t seem to care. v. 11 - remains convinced of his invincibility…repeats v. 4 but with more emphasis.

God has forgotten…remember, this is the theme of Psalm 9. So he allows for God’s existence (contrary to v. 4) but not a God that intervenes. God doesn’t remember…meaning he has not acted. The wicked has gotten away with this before so why won’t they get away with it now? So maybe God will not intervene (not loving). Or maybe God cannot intervene (not powerful). What the wicked does not know, though, is how dangerous it is to presume on God’s patience:

Romans 2:4-5 - 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

TS - isn’t this a terrible description of the wicked?! Not only are they so terrible…they succeed!

Peter Craigie - “It is easy to say that God exists, to affirm that morality matters, to believe in divine and human justice, but the words carry a hollow echo when the empirical reality of human living indicates precisely the opposite. The reality appears to be that the atheists have the upper hand, that reality really does not matter and that justice is dormant. At the moment that this reality is perceived, in all its starkness, the temptation is at its strongest to jettison faith, morality and belief in justice. What good is a belief and a moral life which appear to be so out of place in the harsh realities of an evil world? Indeed, would there not be a certain wisdom in the oppressed joining ranks with the oppressors?”

TS - while that may seem like an attractive prospect, David continues to show us why that would be disastrous.

CALL FOR GOD’S SALVATION (V. 12-15)

v. 12-15 - 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.

v. 12 - arise…we’ve seen this before. It is a call for God to go to war (3:7; 7:6; 9:19). Again this comes from Numbers 10:35 where the Ark of the Covenant went before them into battle and this is the war cry.

Lift hand - intervene, do something. Act.

Specifically, an act of hostility. Used in 2 Samuel 20:21 when Sheba lifted his hand against David. This is calling on God to act against the wicked. Forget not…this is a reversal of the false assumption of the wicked. They think God will forget. But God will forget not. So it seems obvious to David what God should do now…remember his people and act accordingly.

v. 13 - rhetorical questions…why do they do this? Why would the wicked live in such fantasy? And God, their attack isn’t just on people…it’s on you. They are renouncing God himself. So God needs to act to rescue his people and his reputation. Prove them wrong!

v. 14 - you do see…you are not blind to this. You are not hidden from this. This is not hidden from you. You see it all. This is reality.

Psalm 80:14 - 14 Turn again, O God of hosts!

Look down from heaven, and see;

have regard for this vine,

have been the helper…past tense…God’s past actions prove who he is and how he will act in the future. God is consistent, as his character never changes. This is the doctrine of God’s immutability, his unchanging nature. Helper…one who comes alongside to do for someone what they cannot do for themselves. On their own, they cannot overcome the wicked. They will (v. 10) be crushed.

Psalm 46:1-7 - God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

God will help her when morning dawns.

6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

to the fatherless…the most vulnerable, the most helpless. God even wove this into the fabric of his law for Israel.

Exodus 22:21-24 - 21 “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

God takes this seriously. He protects those who are mistreated and promises, not to stop it always, but to avenge it.

James 1:27 - 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

v. 15 - break the arm…not literally…destroy their power.

Psalm 44:3 - 3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,

nor did their own arm save them,

but your right hand and your arm,

and the light of your face,

for you delighted in them.

evildoer…not just synonymous with wicked. This word adds the idea of causing pain and misery. Call it all to account until it is eradicated from the land.

TS - that is quite a prayer! One we would do well to pray for our own region, our own country.

CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY (V. 16-18)

v. 16 - the Lord is king…he trusts in God’s ultimate rule and reign over all things, even the wicked.

Forever and ever v. the nations perish…though the wicked may be terrible and wreak havoc in the world in our lives, they are temporary. Their effects are temporary. God and his reign are eternal. v. 17 - you hear the desire…and what is that desire? The prayer from v. 12-15.

Strengthen…lit. Establish, settle. The afflicted heart is unsettled and anxious. God and his sovereign rule settle the heart. Strengthen and incline…progressive imperfects…because God hears the prayer he will do this. All the more reason to pray!

v. 18 - do justice…make right, vindicate

Fatherless and oppressed…most vulnerable Man, who is of the earth…enosh fragile man.

Not really anything of substance. This gives hope and encouragement to the downtrodden and afflicted…those coming after you are of no substance, though they seem that way, though the world views them that way. They are dried up chaff blown by the wind. But my God is eternally established on his throne.

Conclusion

Colossians 3:2 -2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. God is never far off - 2 Kings 6 - Elisha and his servant v. King of Aram God is our Helper - he does for us what we cannot do for ourselves - salvation Hope that evil will be gone.

Heaven - Revelation 22:14-15 - 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. There will always be scoffers and wicked people

2 Peter 3:3-10 - 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

- Pursue personal holiness - next verse is that we should live holy and godly lives

- Theoretical v. Practical Atheism…may we never be guilty

we may never see the justice we cry out for. But God is faithful.

When William Wilberforce saw the horrors of the slave trade, he did much more than pray. He took action. He gave his first major speech against slavery on May 12, 1789. Two years later in 1791, he joined the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, so that he could formally work with others to make it happen. After 18 years of work, the Slave Trade Act was passed in 1807, banning the sale and transportation of slaves. But slavery itself was not abolished in the British Empire until August 1834. Wilberforce died in 1833, only three days after learning that the Slavery Abolition Act was guaranteed to pass. He worked for 44 years to see slavery end, but ultimately did not see it in his lifetime. After his death, over 800,000 African slaves were set free. we hope in Jesus Christ for ultimate justice and vindication

Allen Ross - “In the New Testament the Lord Jesus Christ is declared to be the Son of the Most High, the coming king, and the judge of the whole world. When he returns in glory, he will judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous in order to establish an eternal kingdom of righteousness and peace in which he is both worshiped and glorified. For that the saints of all ages have watched and prayed. In the meantime, in a world that could easily terrify them, and often manages to afflict them and even destroy them, the faithful praise God for every evidence of his care and deliverance and pray for his continued presence to be manifested in acts of deliverance.” OT book of Habakkuk…he asks God why evil is happening. God responds by letting him know that it will get worse. Babylon is coming and will defeat them and carry off their people. How respond to that?

Habakkuk 2:4 - 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 - 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Craig Broyles - “Psalm 9-10 presents a powerful appeal to God. It neither retreats from reality, using God as a security blanket, nor rejects God’s promises in view of the lamentable reality. Rather, it sets the contradictions side by side and leaves their resolution to God.”

A.W. Pink - “God is working out his eternal purpose, not only in spite of human and satanic opposition, but by means of them.”