Psalm 10

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God! Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order than man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Psalm 10 is a prayer David wrote to be rescued from the attacks of the wicked. This psalm is thought to originally be part of Psalm 9.

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Again, the author is begging for help, asking God to show Himself. When I read this out of context, I start to think that David was kind of a whiner, always asking for help. But when I think about how many people came up against David, how many battles he had to fight, it’s much easier to understand his feelings. This is just another reminder to me that it is okay to pour out my heart to God. Even if it’s something He’s heard a thousand times before, He wants to hear it again.

God is never far away---even when it seems like it. I need to remind myself of that every day.

In verses 2-11 David explains several things that the wicked have done. I find myself yet amazed. Not because of what they are doing, but it is the same stuff people do today. Solomon was right: there is nothing new under the sun, including sin. Here are some of the examples:
*taking advantage of the weak
*being greedy
*living with pride (“I can do it myself; I don’t need God.”)
*foul language, threats, and lies
*failing to acknowledge God.
Verse 4 says, “. . .in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”Wow. If I hadn’t just read that right out of the Bible, I would have thought our generation was being described.

In all of this, David prays that the wicked be judged by God, that He remind them that He is God and they are not. He ends with these words: You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order than man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

What a great reminder: we are just of the earth. So there is no need for us to fear anyone. We belong to a God who is so much greater and so much more powerful than anyone else. Be assured of two things today:

#1—As long as we live on this earth we will be surrounded by wicked people

#2—God is greater than any of them, and He is in control