1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. Psalm 10:1-2
It is no secret anymore that nefarious men and women and organizations are plotting in the shadows to neutralize and preferably eliminate all that is good and right and normal in this world.
We are quick to complain that God stands silent and unaffected in the midst of all this evil. Make no mistake, the wicked will be caught in the very traps they set. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Proverbs 16:18
His mischief will return upon his own head, and his violence will descend upon his own pate. Psalm 7:16
But this certain fate does us no apparent good as we wait for our long-suffering God to extend his grace to the wicked. Only He could be so merciful!
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord. 4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, “There is no God.” Psalm 10:3-4
Those of us who fear the Lord cannot conceive of how the wicked could spurn God as they do! How do they play with fire and not get burned? They read their manifesto out loud, post it for the world to see, and set out to enact it in broad daylight, when it is diametrically opposed to the will and purpose of God. It’s easy when in one’s mind resides the conviction “There is no God.” What’s more, the wicked boast of their wickedness. They possess no pretense in their machinations. It’s full on, in your face, contempt of all godliness.
5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his adversaries, he snorts at them. 6 He says to himself, “I will not be moved; throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.” 7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. Psalm 10:5–7
As we might not wish to make one misstep out of God’s will, and we consider all His judgments sacrosanct, the wicked “snorts at them!” The Hebrew word pûwach (to puff) borders on being an onomatopoeia. As we might “pooh-pooh” an idea as being foolish, so does the wicked man God’s ways.
He also says one thing and does another. “Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.” (v. 7) It’s easy to forget, “Though evil is sweet in his mouth, he hides it under his tongue” (Job 20:12), and, “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; poison of a viper is under their lips.” (Psalm 140:3)
8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the hiding places he kills the innocent; his eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. 9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; he lurks to catch the afflicted; he catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. 10 He crouches, he bows down, and the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones. Psalm 10:8–10
Again the Psalmist uses imagery of a lion (as in Psalm 7). We must always be alert. The wicked are hell bent in their quest to ambush us. We must be vigilant to evade their mighty “claws.” We must be “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he has hidden His face; He will never see it.” Psalm 10:11
Or so the wicked thinks. It may not be until he’s made to stand before the Almighty in that final day, but the Lord sees all. Not only that, 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. 13 Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.” 14 You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, seek out his wickedness until You find none. Psalm 10:12–15
Now more than anytime in the history of the world can one actually see evil at work 24/7 across the globe. It is possible to sequester yourself under some rock, I guess, but it’s harder and harder to keep from witnessing uncensored and unabashed wickedness. What used to be the reporting of news is now designed to mislead and engender fear. We wholeheartedly agree with the Psalmist, “Arise, O Lord, lift up Your hand!” (v. 12) We are left with only one option, and that is to rely on God to handle it! We therefore exclaim as if he’s not aware of our plight, saying, “You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into your hand.” (v. 14) We are the unfortunate. We are the orphans in a sense. We can’t break the wicked’s arm, but He can! He is capable of rooting out evil “until You find none.” This is our constant prayer. Never lose sight of how mighty the Almighty is! He’s got this.
16 The Lord is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land. 17 O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear 18 to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror. Psalm 10:16–18
Nations and empires come and go, but “the Lord is King forever and ever.” My God hears me, strengthens me, and vindicates me. He will vanquish terror and the terrorists. He is our first and last resort. He is not “of the earth.” (v. 18)
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39
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