Do you believe that there is such a thing as evil? Our culture today suggests that there is not. A recent book “Love Wins” even suggests that there is no hell or punishment for sin. I think we don’t want to accept the fact that there is evil, and most of the time it is simply because we have not personally experienced it or been affected by it. Talk to someone who has had their child abducted and murdered, or talk to a survivor of the holocaust, and you get a different perspective. Psalm 10 looks into the heart of darkness to see what goes on in the mind that is purposefully rebellious against God and has given itself over to evil. But it is also a look into the heart of God and what He feels about evil.
1
I’m sure to the Jews in Germany during World War II this refrain was often said as literally millions were captured, tortured, and butchered in concentration camps. As people called out to God for help it seemed He stood a distance from the fray and did not intervene.
David here is feeling like God is hiding when He should be active! In verse 12 he calls on God to rise up out of His hiding place and take action. But do you sometimes feel God’s absence when evil is present in your life, or when you are going through a particularly difficult time? Is it that He doesn’t care or is powerless to help? Certainly not. So a couple of things to consider:
1.God is doing a bunch of things at once and part of what He is doing may involve you going through suffering, even at the hands of evil
2.Jesus promised us this would happen.
(Luke 6:22-23) Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! Take note—your reward is great in heaven, because this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.”
Your suffering becomes a witness against evil, but God still takes care of you in it, though it may not feel like it.
(2 Corinthians 1:5-6) For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer” NIV
God may seem absent but He is nearer than you know and working in you and through you some wonderful things directly as a result of you undergoing evil. But that should not stop you from crying out to God, who hears and answers.
2
The word “relentlessly” is the Hebrew word for “flame” and the idea is someone who is hotly pursued. Those who reject God sometimes seem as if they cannot be stopped. David prays, again, that they would fall prey to their own schemes. It’s amazing to me how arrogant our culture has gotten when it comes to rejecting God and any accountability to Him.
3 – 11
Here is a very intense and troubling picture of the character of someone who is truly evil.
3 – They do whatever they desire (like greed) and boast about it. (1 Timothy 4:1-3) Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.
4 – If there is no God then why worry about what I do? If God is absent from a life then that character is pulled relentlessly away from the character of God towards evil. Man is not good by default. “There is none who does good, no not one.” (Psalm 14:3). This is called “practical atheism” the belief that God is not involved in man’s affairs so we can do whatever we want.
5 – When you reject God you do feel secure, but you are blinded to reality. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Regarding them: the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ
6 – That arrogance and blindness leads to a feeling security and more evil.
7 – Strong words here: and basically the evil confirms his character every time he opens his mouth.
8 –10 He also reveals his character with his actions—taking advantage of those who cannot defend themselves.
11 – The ultimate in arrogance, that no one will bring him to account—but it a false assumption.
12
Again, here, the call to God to rise and remember those who suffer at the hands of evil doers. As it has been said, God’s judgments turn slowly but grind thoroughly. (Revelation 6:9-11) When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slaughtered because of God's word and the testimony they had. 10 They cried out with a loud voice: "O Lord, holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?" 11 So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been, would be completed.
13 – 15
Again the reason for evil to feel free to act is a lack of accountability to God. But David observes that God sees the acts of evil people “in order to take the matter into Your hands” (vs 14) so it is right for us who feel helpless to entrust ourselves into His hands, though we don’t know His timing. Indeed we do call on God to bring that accountability that all people will have.
(1 Peter 4:3-5) For there has already been enough time spent in doing the will of the pagans: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 In regard to this, they are surprised that you don't plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation—and they slander you. 5 They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead
16
Nothing evil can survive God’s judgment. In His heaven no evil dwells. (Revelation 21:26-27)
They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 Nothing profane will ever enter it: no one who does what is vile or false, but only those written in the Lamb's book of life.
17 – 18
The truth David declares is that despite appearances in this age, God does hear when we cry—not only that but He “will listen carefully” bringing about justice when we are helpless so that in the end, evil will be utterly destroyed—halleluiah!
So when you are the victim of evil, remember that Jesus too suffered at the hands of evil men, that God knows, listens carefully to your plight, is working wonderful things in you through the suffering, and will certainly bring an accounting for every evil done to you!
Psalm 11
I don’t know about you, but when trouble rears its ugly head, my first inclination is to panic and run as far away from that situation as possible. Perhaps someone is upset at you at work or school. Your first thought might be to avoid them at all costs. Maybe you have a looming debt of some kind or a deadline you are facing—you do anything to avoid thinking or talking about it hoping that it will just go away. In this Psalm David is in a similar situation. An enemy is threatening he and his people and some of David’s advisors suggest he flee to the hills! But David knows that when you belong to God you don’t have to panic because God is present.
1 – 3
David begins the psalm by declaring his position—in good times and in bad he has taken refuge in God. But some of his advisors want him to panic and make a run for it.
Verses 1b through 3 are a quote—we don’t know if it is verbatim or just the gist of what they said, but essentially they are saying all is lost so we need to make a run for it and abandon the place God has put us because we are no match for our enemy.
But David has another reality he wants to remind them of:
4
First David says God is with them in Jerusalem—in the temple (or the Tabernacle at this point) and that God is on the throne and He is paying attention—careful attention. The Lord says “I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)” He also said “All authority has been given to Me on heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18)” and “You may ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it” (John 14:14).
To know God is with you, He is listening, and that He is in control are the three elements we all need when facing trouble. Next David talks about the difference between the righteous and the wicked:
5 – 7
Remember, now, it is actually God who makes us righteous: (2 Corinthians 5:21) He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. In pretty strong language David is saying that God actually “hates” those who seek to destroy the innocent. They might have a bow and arrow, but what is that compared to “burning coals” and “sulfur” and “a scorching wind.”? The people of Sodom and Gomorrah could have shot all the arrows they wanted against God, but they could not escape their judgment just as those who reject God and are in such rebellion against Him that they follow the way of Lucifer to steal kill and destroy will not escape God’s judgment.
And I love how it ends. Though the wicked will see the fire, those who have been made righteous by the blood of God’s Lamb Jesus will see His face. God is in charge and nothing can happen to you outside of His control. No matter how bleak the outlook is, don’t run away in panic but run to God in faith and trust, knowing that in the end you have a personal relationship with Him and that you will one day actually see His face, and it will be smiling from ear to ear!
Psalm 12
There’s an old ad that goes “people judge you by the words you use. To make a powerful impression you need a powerful vocabulary. You need Verbal Advantage!” People may judge by our vocabulary, but God judges by words as well—even words never spoken but thought in the heart. In this little psalm, Psalm 12, David laments those who speak and sound great, but whose words do not reflect the condition of their heart. A Sheminith, by the way, which means “8”, could refer to an 8 stringed instrument or an octave.
1
As David looks around him and hears what they are saying, it seems as if there is no one left who loves God. We don’t know what was happening in David’s day, but I know for myself recently I had that same thought, seeing the results of the latest Pew Research poll that finds fully 20% of Americans have no religious affiliation and for the first time in our history, less than half call themselves Protestants. The talk in our culture today is less and less about God and more and more about the self-interest and self-awareness and self-fulfillment and self-aggrandizement. But a culture that leaves the Lord behind gets left behind and that’s not a fun or fulfilling place to be in the end.
2 – 4
It seems that David couldn’t trust what anyone said anymore. People said nice things to each other but their hearts were bent on evil intent.
The Apostle John said: (1 John 1:6) “If we say ‘We have fellowship with Him,’ but walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.” So your words need to match your character. You can’t claim to be a Christian unless you are subjected to the Lordship of Jesus (who is the light of the world).
Secondly the people were boastful about their condition. I see this more and more. No one fears the Lord anymore. The idea in verse 4 is that they are not accountable to anyone!
5
Now David lets God speak. The results of being proud and boastful is that violence and injustice are done to the innocent, and this causes God to rise up and remove the helpless to safety.
6
God’s words, as contrasted with man’s words, are completely pure, without a flaw of defect of any kind. People are really abandoning God’s Word as revealed in the Bible, right and left. It is either just a piece of literature or something to be used as good advice. But it is the story of God redeeming a fallen world through His Son Jesus Christ and it is as true today as ever!
7 – 8
Here is a stark contrast—those that trust in God’s Word are “protected” not so much that we won’t have to deal with those who boastfully reject God, but that they cannot touch our faith and trust. Verse 8 is amazing: I see around me that the human race apart from God will go to any length to exalt anything that is not like the Lord. They call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20).
People do judge you by your words, and in this culture, if you say you have faith and trust in God you are maligned. One day, all the words we have spoken will come back to us.
(Matt 12:34-37) For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. 35 A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. 36 I tell you that on the Day of Judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
But it’s not just words from the mouth but words from the heart that matter:
(Matthew 7:21-23) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?' 23 Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!'
Our words must speak what is in our heart and God knows. You can’t snow God. And notice, just doing good doesn’t get you into God’s heaven, it is being good by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. So what is “the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21)?
(John 6:40)For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Do you long for the safe place of the Lord (verse 5)? Do you love God’s Word (verse 6)? If you believe what God says rather than what the culture says then you can have a relationship with God through Jesus and feel safe and secure, never “wandering” again! You can join a family that may be not as visible in the culture but is safe and strong in the Lord!
I find three interesting parallels in these psalms:
In Psalm 10 the claim is that there is no God. Psalm 11 people say run from trouble because God can’t or won’t help. Psalm 12 says the faithful in God seem to be absent. It’s a pretty bleak picture but it is what humanity declares. But it isn’t true. Just because God doesn’t personally come down right now is not evidence that that there is no God. He is returning and He will make everything right. For now, hold tight to Him in everything, run to Him, speak of His glory, love His Word, and trust in His timing!
