THE WICKED WON'T WIN! - PSALM 10

Christian Standard Bible (Psalm 10) Psalm 10NEED FOR GOD’S JUSTICE 1 LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble?2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue their victims; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. 3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings; the one who is greedy curses and despises the LORD. 4 In all his scheming, the wicked person arrogantly thinks,“There’s no accountability, since there’s no God.” 5 His ways are always secure; your lofty judgments have no effect on him; he scoffs at all his adversaries. 6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—from generation to generation I will be without calamity.” 7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue. 8 He waits in ambush near settlements; he kills the innocent in secret places. His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless; 9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket. He lurks in order to seize a victim; he seizes a victim and drags him in his net.10 So he is oppressed and beaten down; helpless people fall because of the wicked one’s strength.11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he hides his face and will never see.” 12 Rise up, LORD God! Lift up your hand. Do not forget the oppressed. 13 Why has the wicked person despised God?He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.” 14 But you yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into your hands. The helpless one entrusts himself to you; you are a helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked, evil person, until you look for his wickedness, but it can’t be found. 16 The LORD is King forever and ever ;the nations will perish from his land. 17 LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their hearts.You will listen carefully, 18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more.

BIG IDEA: GOD’S JUSTICE IS AFFIXED TO HIS WILL.

THESE HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT DAYS FOR OUR WORLD.

WHEN WE SEE INDISPUTABLE EVIL, SOMETHING ON THE INSIDE BEGINS TO QUESTION...

QUESTIONS ARISE WHEN EXPECTED OUTCOMES ARE ABSENT.

BELOVED, EVEN WHEN OUR QUESTIONS ARE INAPPROPRIATE, I BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN STILL HANDLE THEM.

EVEN WHEN OUR DOUBTS GET THE BEST OF US, AS LONG AS WE KNOW TO WHOM TO TAKE OUR DOUBTS, WE CAN FIND OUR HOPE AGAIN...

WHEN I SEE THE VIOLENCE AND INJUSTICE ON ALL OF MY SCREENS, I AM REMINDED THAT HUMANITY IS STILL HUMAN. STILL FINITE. STILL LIMITED IN VISION. STILL DEPRAVED - AND MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, STILL IN NEED OF REDEMPTION...

MONEY AND POWER NO MORE MAKE YOU RIGHTEOUS (RIGHT BEFORE GOD), THAN BEING IN A GARAGE MAKES YOU A CAR!!!

THOSE WITH WEALTH, PARTNERED WITH OVER-INFLATED EGOS AND GOD-COMPLEXES, SURROUNDED BY YES-MEN, WILL ALWAYS FIND THEMSELVES PARTAKING IN WICKEDNESS!!!

YET IN THE FACE OF INVASION - THE PEOPLE OF UKRAIN ARE DEFIANT… “BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED!”

REMINISCENT OF OUR MOTHER POLLARD, AFTER WALKING WEEKS DURING THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT, PROFESSING: MY FEETS IS TIRED, BUT MY SOUL IS RESTED!!!

BUT THESE QUESTIONS STILL LOOM. MY SON ASKING, “IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR 3?” BOTH ASKING, “WHY ARE PEOPLE SO MEAN TO EACH OTHER?”

THEIR QUESTIONS - OUR QUESTIONS, ARE BOTH IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE QUESTIONS IN OUR PASSAGE:

1 LORD, WHY DO YOU STAND SO FAR AWAY? WHY DO YOU HIDE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE?

THE PSALMIST LIKE US HAS A TENDENCY TO MISTAKE THE SILENCE OF GOD FOR THE ABSENCE OF GOD!

SCRIPTURE TEACHES THAT GOD’S WAYS ARE NOT SUBMITTED TO OUR WILL…HIS WAYS ARE NOT OURS.

SO, WE MUST BRING TO BEAR, OUR HISTORY WITH GOD, WHEN ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TIMING OF GOD!

HE DIDN’T DELIVER DANIEL OUT OF THE LION’S DEN, UNTIL THE DEN WAS FILLED WITH LIONS....

HE DIDN’T DELIVER THE HEBREW BOYS OUT OF THE FIRE FURNACE, UNTIL THE FURNACE WAS TEN TIMES HOTTER..

HE DIDN’T DELIVER THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL OUT OF THEIR SLAVERY AND OPPRESSION, UNTIL THEY BELIEVED HE COULD....

WE MUST NEVER MISTAKE THE SILENCE OF GOD FOR THE ABSENCE OF GOD!

AND SO WE DISCOVER IN THIS FIRST SEGMENT OF PSALM 10, THAT THE LORD CAN HANDLE OUR LAMENTS...

YES, THE LORD LISTENS....

THE PSALMIST SPEAKS OF

THE WAY OF THE WICKED:

THE IMMENSITY OF THE TEXT AND THE BREVITY OF OUR TIME WON’T ALLOW ME TO EXTRACT EVERY WAY OF THE WICKED IN OUR PASSAGE, BUT A COUPLE DESERVE HONORABLE MENTION!

WICKED FOLKS BELIEVE THEY’RE ACCOUNTABLE TO NO ONE - EVEN GOD!

3 FOR THE WICKED ONE BOASTS ABOUT HIS OWN CRAVINGS; THE ONE WHO IS GREEDY CURSES AND DESPISES THE LORD

4 IN ALL HIS SCHEMING, THE WICKED PERSON ARROGANTLY THINKS, “THERE’S NO ACCOUNTABILITY, SINCE THERE’S NO GOD.”

IF YOU CAN RECALL DURING OUR WEDNESDAY MORNING PRAYER TIME, WE DISCOVERED THAT WICKED PEOPLE ARE WICKED BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE, POWER, AND PURPOSES OF GOD UPON THIS WORLD....

AND SO, WICKED FOLKS MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN POWER STRUCTURES AND THE SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT...

SCHEMES - STRATEGIES - SYSTEMS…

AND MOST OFTEN AT THE CORE IS GREED: DESIRE FOR MORE OF WHAT THEY ALREADY POSSESS...

THE PSALMIST HELPS US TO GAIN A GLIMPSE INTO THEIR MINDS, WHEN HE SAYS, THEY ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD’S JUDGMENTS HAVE NO EFFECT ON THEM....

A SECOND WAY OF THE WICKED IS:

WICKED FOLKS INFLICT HARM UPON OTHERS TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE!

2 IN ARROGANCE THE WICKED RELENTLESSLY PURSUE THEIR VICTIMS; 8 HE WAITS IN AMBUSH NEAR SETTLEMENTS; HE KILLS THE INNOCENT IN SECRET PLACES. HIS EYES ARE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE HELPLESS...

YES, THEY’RE HEARTLESS AND RELENTLESS...

THEY PURSUE AND THEN THEY POUNCE UPON VICTIMS…

THERE’S NO RIGHT-NESS TO THEIR ACTIVITY - IT’S ALL SELF-SERVING...

IT’S ALL SPIN - WORDPLAY - MANIPULATION…BECAUSE AT THEIR CORE, SAYS THE PSALMIST, IS THEIR OWN ARROGANCE!

THEY’RE ALWAYS SEEKING NEW GROUND TO CONQUER - NEW TERRITORY TO CLAIM - NEW VOTERS TO SUPPRESS!

BUT BELOVED, DESPITE THE PSALMIST’S LAMENT - DESPITE HIS QUESTIONS…AS HE CONTINUES TO WRITE AND TO PRAY, HE MAKES HIS WAY BACK TO BELIEF!

FRIENDS, WE MUST MAKE OUR WAY BACK TO BELIEF!

THIS IS THE POWER OF FAITH!

AS OUR ANCESTORS MADE THEIR WAY TO PRAISE HOUSES - LITTLE WOOD-FRAMED HUTS, WHERE AN ELDER IN THAT COMMUNITY WOULD HOST THOSE IN NEED OF RENEWED FAITH AND HOPE… HOPE BEYOND THEIR PRESENT PREDICAMENT - HOPE BEYOND THEIR PAIN...

THESE PRAISE HOUSES WERE HAVENS OF HOPE!

THE PSALMIST KEEPS WRITING AND PRAYING…HOPING AND WAITING...

THEN IN VERSE 12 HE DECLARES: RISE UP, LORD GOD! LIFT UP YOUR HAND. DON’T FORGET THE OPPRESSED.

NOT ONLY DOES THE PSALMIST HIGHLIGHT THE WAY OF THE WICKED!

HIS FAITH TAKES HIM TO

THE WAY OF THE LORD!

THE PSALMIST’S RENEWED FAITH REMINDS HIM OF JUST WHO GOD IS!

AND SO, HIS CONFIDENCE IN WHAT GOD CAN DO GIVES HIM A MORE REFINED FOCUS...

REMEMBERS THE OPPRESSED!

THE LORD NEVER FORGETS THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED...

DESPITE THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED AND THE MISERY OF THE OPPRESSED, THE LORD SEES ALL.

THE PSALMIST NEEDED TO FIND HIS FAITH TO REFOCUS UPON THE LORD…

BREAKS THE OPPRESSOR!

15 BREAK THE ARM OF THE WICKED, EVIL PERSON, UNTIL YOU LOOK FOR HIS WICKEDNESS, BUT IT CAN’T BE FOUND...

ARM SYMBOLIZES POWER...

DESTROY IS SO THAT WICKEDNESS WILL BE LOST (CAN’T FIND IT).

DOES THE WORK OF JUSTICE!

HEARD CRY (17)

STRENGTHEN HEART (17B)

DOES JUSTICE (18) SET CAPTIVES FREE!