Psalm Saturday: Psalm 10

Psalm 10

Why, O Lord, do you stand afar off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

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

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"?
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.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
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At many times throughout the book of Psalms, David seems to ask the question, "O God, where are you now?". If we're honest with ourselves, I think we have to admit that there have been many times that we've asked ourselves the same question. Where is God when our loved ones die tragically? Where was God on September 11? Where is God when thousands of girls are forced into sex slavery? Where is God when sin is rampant and holiness is scarce?

For David, his specific "where is God" concern centers upon the poor and needy. In David's time, there were many rich, arrogant, wicked people who preyed upon the poor and needy. They would tax the poor, place them in cycles of debt, and work them as if they were slaves. On top of that, the rich lived extravagant lives of luxury and excess while the poor thirsted and starved on the streets, begging for drops of water and morsels of food. And for David, God seemed to just sit there and do nothing about it.

Where was this "God of the poor"? Where was the Lord of the lowly, the One who brought the slaves out of Egypt? Had he forgotten his promise? Had he turned his back on the world, allowing sin and wickedness to reign freely? Were the poor and broken to be forgotten forever?

Our situation today is almost an exact replica of David's time. The same things happen, and we ask the same questions David did. Why does God allow wickedness to prevail.

Well, the good news is that he won't. Verse 16 states that "The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land." God is forever. The world is not. Holiness is forever. Wickedness is not. One day, one glorious day, wickedness will cease, and we will live in holiness in the presence of our God. He will ultimately prevail.

However, for our present time, we must live in this world of sin that mankind has created. We must suffer the consequences of the fall from grace. And as long as we live on this earth, wickedness will exist and seem to be too strong for goodness and mercy. But wickedness won't win, and we shouldn't lose heart. God is still the God of the lowly and oppressed, the God of the meek, and the God of the pure in heart. Even in the darkest of hours, holiness will light up the darkness.

Don't lose heart. The battle is not yet over. Be comforted by Jesus' words in Matthew 5:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."