One of the most contentious articles that have hit the public square recently has been that of Father Raymond J. de Souza, (National Post • Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010). What he describes as an orgy of violence in Iraq, so far just in this month of November terrorists have set off a series of bombs, murdering well over 100 people. An al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group stormed into the cathedral of the Syriac Catholic Church, Our Lady of Deliverance, during the evening Mass. They immediately killed the priest offering the Holy Mass--three priests in all were murdered. They began shooting members of the congregation, and held hostage others who took refuge in a locked room. When the security forces stormed the church, the jihadists killed as many as they could, and some of them set off the suicide bombs on their belts. All in all close to 60 worshippers were killed. It has now come to this, where Christians are killed at prayer by Muslim fanatics.
Citing historical fact, Father de Souza noted that Christians have been in Iraq from the earliest centuries, long before there was an Iraq or, one might note, there was Islam. Jihadists have launched a campaign with genocidal intent, aimed at driving out every last Christian from what they consider to be an Islamic land. It is now clear that the only place such jihadists envision for Christians in Iraq is the grave.
The Catholic archbishop has been killed. Priests have been riddled with bullets upon leaving their churches. Ordinary Christians, trying to live a quiet life, have been subject to harassment, threats and violence.
Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan said after these latest killings: "Christians are slaughtered in Iraq, in their homes and churches, and the so-called ’free’ world is watching in complete indifference, interested only in responding in a way that is politically correct and economically opportune, but in reality is hypocritical,"
Indeed, the international community issued the usual boilerplate condemnations, most of them refusing to identify those responsible.
Father de Souza said that: the blood on the altar makes it clear. No amount of goodwill, no amount of dialogue... nothing will dissuade the jihadists. So let us not abnegate ourselves over the dead bodies of our fallen brethren in Christ. Let us speak frankly of those who want to kill us.
Those Christians on Sunday heard the jihadists shout Allahu Akbar-- Allah is great!, in the church. Can there be any greater irony than to kill the innocent at prayer, while shouting that God is great?
(http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/wrath+upon+their+heads/3774404/story.html)
Today, more than 200 million Christians around the world face brutal opposition and persecution for simply naming Jesus as their Lord and choosing to serve Him. Their daily reality includes discrimination, intimidation, attacks, fines, imprisonment, unimaginable torture, and even death for their faith.
While we here in the West may not identify with their hardships, we identify with their calling – and are called to pray on their behalf.
Psalm 10 begins in despair for a people facing persecution. Injustice is rampant and God seems disinterested. At this point the psalmist’s is walking more by sight than by faith. His perspective will change as he slowly turns around and shifts his focus from empirical observations to theological facts. This is not an easy turn-around, especially since he is surrounded by so many practical atheists (cf. vv. 4, 11, 13). But hope will begin to dawn for the helpless (e.g., v. 12). In view of such kinds of general observations, the psalmist’s expressions in Psalm 10 exemplify how true believers seem to live in two different worlds at the same time.
Taken together, Psalm 9 & 10 exhibit some of the features of an Acrostic Psalms. It is one of the nine Acrostic poems (“Alphabetical Psalms”). These are Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 (Gingrich, R. E. (2005). The Book of Psalms (Book One) (17). Memphis, TN.: Riverside Printing.).
An acrostic poem is, a poem which ranges through the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with each line or verse beginning with the appropriate letter in sequence. Thus Psalm 9 features ten out of the first eleven letters of the Hebrew alphabet—the letter corresponding to “d” being missing—while Psalm 10 begins with the twelfth letter, with seven of the remaining letters appearing in sequence in the rest of the psalm (Davidson, R., M.A. (1998). The vitality of worship : A commentary on the book of Psalms (40–41). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Edinburgh: W.B. Eerdmans; Handsel Press.).
As in Psalm 9, we assume David’s authorship. Commentators describe this psalm as a communal lament (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1986). Vol. 13: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72. The Preacher’s Commentary series (94). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.). Verbal and ideological affinities with Psalm 7 (cf. Ps 9:16 with 7:16; 9:20 and 10:12 with 7:7) suggest a political and social climate common to both poems: it is probably due to the long years of agony for the kingdom of Judah (600–587 BC) (Terrien, S. (2003). The Psalms : Strophic structure and theological commentary (144). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
When we hear about daily reports of suffering and persecution, God seems far away and disinterested. Yet, when we look beyond the surface of seeming injustice we can begin to understand God’s workings for the persecuted Church and ourselves. In this we can hear 1) The Tyrants Boast (Ps. 10:1-11) and 2) The Victims Prayer (Ps. 10:12-18)
1) The Tyrants Boast (Psalm 10:1)
Psalm 10:1 [10:1]Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (ESV)
Times of trouble are created not merely by the presence and plots of enemies, but by the apparent absence of God at the time when the need of God is sensed most urgently. It seems that God is at a distance and concealed, when his presence and visibility are immediately required, and so the psalmist expresses his question: Why? He requires not merely deliverance, but asks for the judgment of those wicked persons who press in on him
David humanly feels that after God has delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage and from the clutch of foreign foes, God has now has seemingly removed Himself as the Protector of Israel. The Lord who is “a very present help in trouble” appears now to be hiding Himself. This human complaint is also shared by Isaiah (Isa 45:15) and by Job 23:9), (and all those today suffering persecution in Islamic, Communist, Hindu and Buddhist regimes) (KJV Bible commentary. 1997 (994–995). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Verse two show the attitude of the wicked:
Psalm 10:2 [2]In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. (ESV)
They are arrogant for they think they can pursue the afflicted in absolute immunity from any reaction by God; the psalmist asks that their immunity be punctured by the return of their own evil plots upon themselves (see also 9:16). If God’s power were self-evident, the wicked would keep their innermost desires to themselves and robbers would not dare to curse, but the problem facing the psalmist is the apparent absence of God; the wicked, also perceiving that apparent absence, do not even bother to hide their innermost desires and lusts, and the robbers openly curse, thinking themselves safe from any retribution for their evil.
The contrast to the wicked are shown in the character reference mentioned here as the poor. These are the poor in spirit (the humble before God) whom Jesus mentions in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:3) (KJV Bible commentary. 1997 (995). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Illustration: It is true that sin is a self snare. In a move against the Mafia’s control of the Fulton Fish Market in New York City, the case was broken open when investigators discovered that the mob boss had transferred $168,000 from a high interest fund to a low interest bank account so that he could get free bonus TVs. Why would a man who was squeezing millions in cash payoffs from the fish market bother with free TVs? The answer is greed—and his greed trapped him (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1986). Vol. 13: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72. The Preacher’s Commentary series (96). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
In verse three we see the wicked’s modus operandi which is the opposite of what God demands:
Psalm 10:3 [3]For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. (ESV)
The wicked are depicted here as practical atheists. It is not the theoretical issue of atheism which is raised here, but practical or functional atheism, which is a much more dangerous and sinister matter for the theist. The functional atheist is not concerned so much with the theoretical question as to the existence of God; rather, he lives and behaves as if God did not exist. Indeed, the functional atheist may well admit the theoretical possibility that God does exist, but affirms by his speech and behavior that such existence is irrelevant. The functional atheists, of whom the psalmist speaks, are the most dangerous species of human being. Ultimately, their character is determined not simply by dispensing with belief in God, but more specifically by dispensing with the concepts and precepts of morality and justice, The weak are there to be exploited or oppressed; the stronger may be recognized, though only for safety’s sake. Their goals are entirely self-centered, and in seeking to attain them, they do not hesitate to oppress and exploit their fellow human beings.
• In the face of evil we are tempted to ask 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?
David’s statement in verse 4 is another way of saying that pride separates us from God.
Psalm 10:4 [4]In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God." (ESV)
We cannot seek God at the same time we seek ourselves. We cannot serve two masters. This is why, as one who suffered great persecution under the hands of the Nazi’s, Detrich Bonhoeffer said:, “When Jesus calls a man, He bids him come and die.” Only with the death of the ego will we truly seek God. For the wicked, however, not only is God not the object of his search, God doesn’t even enter his mind (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1986). Vol. 13: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72. The Preacher’s Commentary series (96). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)
In verse five we see the confusion where God seems to be rewarding the ruthless.
Psalm 10:5 [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.
The verb for “prosper” means literally “to be strong, firm, stable.” The wicked are on top, they are in charge, they are steadfast (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1986). Vol. 13: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72. The Preacher’s Commentary series (97). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
There is great danger for the Christian community with the counsel of this person. When this arrogant person drives a Maserati, wears designer suits, and flys off for vacations to all the hot spots of the jet-set world, ... he laughs at us for our old-fashioned morality. “Forget all that,” he says. “There may be a God; but if there is, he doesn’t have anything to do with practical life. If you’re going to get ahead, you’re going to have to do it yourself. God won’t help you. And in this world only the strong succeed. If you’re not successful, it’s your own fault. The poor are poor because they want to be.” (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms (Pbk. ed.) (85). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.)
The wicked person lives in apparent freedom from either divine judgment or human oppression. Divine judgment never seems to touch him, and when human adversaries arise, he is sufficiently powerful to snort at them in rage and ignore their threat. He lives by two mottos, which are entirely unjust and unfair from the perspective of the righteous sufferer. “I won’t slip”: yet (by way of contrast) the afflicted slipped into trouble so easily, though they did not deserve it. The problem with the wicked was that they deserved to slip, but did not, and thus their ungodly motto appeared to be true. And they had another motto: “happiness without misfortune”.
Please turn to Job 21
The issues of Job and all righteous sufferers are raised. Why is it that evil persons appear to live in a state of happiness with impunity, while the righteous so frequently suffer?
Job 21:7-16 [7]Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? [8]Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. [9]Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. [10]Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. [11]They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. [12]They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. [13]They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. [14]They say to God, ’Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. [15]What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’ [16]Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me. (ESV)
• It was not merely affliction which disturbed the righteous, but the apparent absence of values. Based upon experience and observation of the way people lived, appeared to indicate that the wicked were right: God did not appear to call the wicked to account, and the afflicted continued in their affliction.
• Iran and North Korea operate like this. With the possession of or friends with nuclear weapons, they isolate their citizens with Iron despotism, apparently free from any effective condemnation.
The psalmist’s questioning insinuation is, “Has God also abandoned His own standards for retribution and reward?” (Cf. other why-do-the-wicked-prosper inquiries in Job 20:2ff.; Jer. 12:1).
In both speech and action, the wicked person was a source of trials to others. His speech was deceitful; his words created oppression and endless trouble:
Psalm 10:7 [7]His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
“Deceit” (or “treachery”) is crafty speech, hiding the truth for evil ends (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1986). Vol. 13: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72. The Preacher’s Commentary series (98). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)
• Totalitarian regimes like Iran, and Venezuela enjoy parading their deluded rederick using international venues like the UN in attempts to humiliate western socities and further persecute their own citizens.
The languange in Psalm 10, alludes to the simple villager, or the innocent passer-by, was never safe, but in constant danger of being ambushed or slain. The Hebrew poetry conveys the implication that the trouble and iniquity which are “under his tongue” are a source of pleasurable taste and genuine delight to the wicked person; The wicked person not only speaks evil, but positively delights in it!
With two metaphors and a simile, the poet describes still further the nature of the wicked person.
Psalm 10:8-9 [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.
The wicked person is a robber, waiting in ambush for the innocent (v 8c; cf. v 8a–b); (b) he is like a lion in hiding, waiting and ready to pounce; (c) he is a hunter who has set his net to catch the prey. But while this poetic language illustrates vividly the nature of the wicked, it also illuminates the mental anguish of the righteous.
For all the things which the wicked person did, and appeared to get away with, were precisely the things which the righteous person had been taught to avoid, from the days of his childhood education. In the proverbial instruction of the wise men, the young were explicitly instructed to avoid the company of violent persons, who sought to gain personal profit through ambushing the poor and innocent (Prov 1:11–18). Again, it was the apparent injustice of the situation which weighed so heavily on the psalmist’s mind.
The wicked plot and lie in wait, but now, as the psalmist points out, comes the real calamity
Psalm 10:10 [10]The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.
Why this evil? Why do dictators rise with a Machiavellian contempt for human life? Why do major industries market sex and violence to pre-adolescent children through toys and music? Why do international corporations exploit cheap labor and natural resources in the Third World, leaving land and people stripped bare? David concludes:
Psalm 10:11 [11]He says in his heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it." (ESV)
The wicked are successful in catching their righteous prey! It was bad enough that they were wicked; that they should be successful compounded the problem. And again, the imaginary words of the wicked person illustrate his philosophy of life. God forgets such evil acts, if he sees them at all (hidden his face); more probably, he doesn’t see a thing! (will never see it ). The apparent inactivity of God, which gives such great confidence to the wicked, is the same apparent inactivity which creates such grave concern for the psalmist.
Although historically there were many domestic oppressors in David’s reign to whom these verses can be applied, nevertheless it is hard to escape the conclusion that these verses prophetically describe the deceitful career of the Antichrist. Through pride and boasting, the Antichrist will attempt to deceive the entire world, oppressing the righteous, lurking in hiding places for the saints (Rev 13–19). (He is the one ultimately behind all persecution) (KJV Bible commentary. 1997 (995). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Now we hear:
2) The Victims Prayer (Ps. 10:12-18)
In Psalm 10:12 we hear the battle cry:
Psalm 10:12-13 [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"? (ESV)(cf. Pss. 7:6; 9:19).
At last the psalmist breaks free from the oppressive weight of his meditation on the wicked, and he does it by proclaiming words reminiscent of an ancient battle cry: “Arise, O LORD” (cf. Num 10:35). It is as if he has had enough of sitting trembling in the trenches; he is going to arise and face the enemy and asks God himself to arise with him. But the strength to conquer lies with God alone: “Lift up your hand.”
The lifting of the divine hand symbolizes not only the strength of God, but also a declaration of God’s hostility against his enemies (2 Sam 20:21). And the psalmist, in his prayer that God arise, provides two grounds which require the divine action: he asks that God forget not the afflicted, whose hope is in God, but who is in danger of perishing (see 9:19), and that God remember the wicked, who spurn him and live as if God did not call human beings into account for their evil actions (v 13; see also v 3)
In Psalm 10:14 the psalmist’s confidence increases as he reflects upon the “facts of faith,” rather than the empirical evidence which surrounds him:
Psalm 10:14 [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. (ESV)
The fact is that, whatever might seem to be the case, God has seen what is going on and will continue to observe it. In reality, He is not at a distance, not concealed (v 1), but merely biding his time; eventually God would act and the hand raised in hostility and power (v 12) would exact requital. Thus the present action of the “helpless,” and the former experience of the “fatherless/orphan” (both of whom symbolize the afflicted), would not be in vain
God here is pictured as Helper or Advocate again, but this time in association with orphans. He is the Defender par excellence of the defenseless (on the imagery, cf. Ex. 22:21ff.; Deut. 10:18ff.; 1 Sam. 1:17; Jer. 7:6).
The “hand” of God (vv. 12, 14) is more than sufficiently strong to shatter the arm (another figure for power) of ungodly man.
Verse 15 has a startling plea:
Psalm 10:15 [15]Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. (ESV)
When the Psalmist asks for God to “Break the arm”: that is, make them powerless, so that they can no longer torment the godly (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (952). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
The psalmist asks God to break the power of the wicked persons to execute their evil acts. The powerful “hand” of God would break the seemingly powerful “arm” of the wicked.
When the Psalmist asks God to “Call his wickedness to account” That is, do precisely what the wicked deny you will do (v. 13; see also vv 4, 13); he prays that the wicked, who have boasted so long that God does not call to account, be proved wrong. That God do this action "till you find no more" That is, until there is no more wickedness to account for. This points back to the mistaken belief of the wicked who may have thought that God did not see them in their evil, or could not find evidence of their sin, the psalmist now has confidence that nothing could be concealed from his omniscient and omnipresent God.
In Psalm 10:16 the confident mood of this great climax outshines the psalm’s introductory protestations.
Psalm 10:16 [16]The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. (ESV)
The kingship of God, demonstrated so convincingly against the massive mortal might of Egypt in the Exodus (Exod 15:18), would once again cause the destruction of wicked persons and nations from the earth, which was the realm of God’s kingship
Please turn to 2 Peter 3
“The nations perish out of His land” (v. 16b), refers in its immediate context to the expulsion of the Gentiles (gôyim) from Palestine. Ultimately, however, this will be fulfilled in the judgment of unbelievers and the gathering of the re deemed into God’s eternal kingdom (Williams, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1986). Vol. 13: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 13 : Psalms 1-72. The Preacher’s Commentary series (101). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
The apostle Peter spoke of past judgments that should inform our understanding of future judgments:
2 Peter 3:3-7 [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. (ESV)
2 Peter 3:10 [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. (ESV)
• In other words, the proof of the final judgment is the fact that God has already judged the world once in the great flood of Noah’s day. God’s wrath may be delayed, but it is not canceled. The final judgment is no less certain than the former one.
In the meantime, what shall the righteous do? Habakkuk had the answer. God told him of extremely bad times that were coming. The Babylonians were going to overrun his country and carry the people into slavery. But, said God, in such times, “The righteous will live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4).
Please turn to Habakkuk 3
To live by faith in difficult times is not always easy to do, but it is what Habakkuk did and what David did too. In this psalm is as in many of these psalms, we do not see the answer the psalmist was expecting. David asked God to “break the arm” (that is, the power) of the wicked. But we do not know that David lived to see it in the cases he was troubled about. Or even if he did, we know that there would soon have been other practical atheists to take the places of those who had fallen. Still David trusted God. He lived by faith and was therefore confident of the ultimate ends of the righteous and the wicked.
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. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior (ESV)
• That was Habakkuk’s testimony, and it is David’s, too. God’s timing is not our timing. But we will be able to live joyfully even in times of trouble, if we carry our troubles to the King of Kings (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms (Pbk. ed.) (88–89). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
The psalm ends on a note of supreme confidence
Psalm 10:17-18 [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. (ESV)
God has heard; God will act. God has heard the desperate prayer of the afflicted for deliverance; he would act in strengthening their courage and continually listening to their pleas. Divine and favorable judgment could be expected for those who requested it and needed it, namely the “fatherless/orphan” (symbolizing the one with no protection) and the “oppressed,” whereas the oppressors would be terrified with a reminder that they were “mere earthlings,” or merely mortal; (cf. 9:21)
The psalmist began his prayerful lament with a desperate “Why?” He has concluded with a confidence transcending the evidence of his calamity, that God is still on his throne, still “king forever and ever” (v 16).
One startling but biblical reflection that Father de Souza made was in his closing statement in regards to the recent persecution of Christians: The least we can do is to summon a righteous anger in return.
The Christian always hopes for conversion and offers forgiveness. There must also be justice and prudence, and prudence demands that those who would kill in the name of God are best despatched quickly to their judgment. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. So Scripture teaches us, and so it must be for us, leaving vengeance to the Lord, and imploring the grace of conversion and reconciliation. But let us not neglect raising our voices to the Lord, with righteous anger and hot tears, that He might visit His vengeance upon those who did this, bring down His wrath upon their heads and exact upon them a terrifying justice in full measure. (http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/wrath+upon+their+heads/3774404/story.html)
That’s not the language of imbalances; it is the anguish and agony of the shepherd when the flock is being slaughtered. That man who is of the earth will be defeated by the man from heaven (Rev 19:11–21) (KJV Bible commentary. 1997 (995). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
One day all persecution will end, when Christ comes to vindicate His persecuted saints and forcefully establish His rule of Justice. Until that day we need to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters, be a voice for their cause, pray for their persecutors, that they may repent and should they not that God would act for those who cry out to Him. Lord, "Hear their Cry".
(Format Note: Some base commentary from Craigie, P. C. (2002). Vol. 19: Word Biblical Commentary : Psalms 1-50. Word Biblical Commentary (126). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
