God, Where Are You?
10: 1 : Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble?
• Here, the psalmist asked a question well known to those who follow God: the concern, the anxiety, over the seeming inactivity of God. The psalmist felt that God was afar off and did even hide in times of trouble. It can feel, at times, that God is indifferent towards our troubles. That God is not FOR US.
• Quote: “The presence of God is the joy of his people, but any suspicion of his absence is distracting beyond measure…. It is not the trouble, but the hiding of our Father’s face, which cuts us to the quick.” (Spurgeon)
• Times of trouble: According to Maclaren, this was a rare word in the ancient Hebrew vocabulary, used only here and in Psalm 9:9. “It means a cutting off, i.e., of hope of deliverance. The notion of distress intensified to despair is conveyed.”
Jeremiah 12:1 | LORD, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?
• It is going to look like the darkness is winning; it is going to look like bad guys always get out of trouble. Thus, it is tempting to join the side that looks like its winning.
• “God is to me the Great Unknown. I believe in him, but I find him not.” (Adoniram Judson)
The Attitudes & Actions of the Wicked
10:2-11: The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.”
• The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor: This explains why the psalmist was so troubled by the seeming inactivity of God. He sees the wicked, proud man who not only persecutes the poor and approves other sinners (blesses the greedy), but he also sins against God (renounces the LORD…does not seek God…God is in none of his thoughts).
• Men do not seek God; this is a great sin. Men do not think about God; this also is a great sin. ignoring God is an expression of our independence and perceived equality (or superiority) to Him.
• Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised: This was the prayer of the psalmist regarding the wicked. In other psalms this is a confident expectation (such as Psalm 9:15); here it is a heartfelt prayer.
• His ways are always prospering: Here, the psalmist protested to God; not only did the wicked man seem to enjoy constant prosperity, but he did so because God’s judgments are far above, out of his sight.
• While may sound like a complaint against God and in some sense is; yet it should more so be seen as complete confidence in God’s rule and authority. The psalmist recognized that the wicked could never prosper unless God allowed it; so he appealed to God to not allow it.
• He sneers at them…“I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity”…full of cursing and deceit and oppression: The psalmist examined and exposed the sins of the wicked man, who is not afraid of his enemies. There is pride and sin in the wicked man’s heart, in his mouth, and under his tongue. No wonder the psalmist wanted God to stop this kind of sinner!
• He sits in the lurking places of the villages: The psalmist continued his examination of the wicked man (or men) who had troubled him so. Key to the nature of this wicked man is secrecy (lurking places…secret places…eyes are secretly fixed…lies in wait secretly…he lies low).
• He murders the innocent: Another characteristic of the wicked man is seen in how he is a bully, focusing his violence against the weak (the innocent…the helpless…the poor). He isn’t manful or honorable enough to openly fight those who might effectively fight back.
• The helpless: “The pathetic state of his victims is shown in the reiterated word hapless, or ‘poor wretch’ (New English Bible), found only here (Psalm 10:8,10,14).” (Kidner)
• God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see: For the psalmist, this made the murder, oppression, and bullying of the wicked man all the worse. He did it all cherishing the thought that God has forgotten, and would never see his wickedness against the poor and helpless.
• It is common for men to think that God has forgotten their sins simply because it seems, to those men, that they were committed a long time ago. ii. We can fairly say that this added blasphemy against God to the wicked man’s many sins against mankind. We can imagine the psalmist’s blood boiling as he thought about this smiling, self-assured sinner and the pleasure he took in his sin.
Trust God to Hear Your Cries
10:12-15: Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.
Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account. But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
• Arise, O LORD: This is the cry of faith – Rise Up! Take Action! Intervene Lord! The psalmist simply called upon God to take action. “LORD, this wicked man finds comfort in the idea that You won’t do anything against him. Arise, O LORD; lift up Your hand against this wicked man!”
• Why do the wicked renounce God? The psalmist answered his own question in the next lines. The wicked renounce God because they say in their heart that God will not require an account.
• “The long-suffering of God, instead of leading such a one to repentance, only hardens him in his iniquity…” (Horne)
• Our hearts will always reveal who we really are.
• But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief: Upon further reflection, the psalmist recognized that God has indeed seen, because He sees and cares about the trouble and grief of the poor and helpless.
• To repay it by Your hand: Here is the confidence of the psalmist in God’s judgments. He most certainly will repay the wicked for their sins. God will indeed answer the helpless and be the helper of the fatherless.
• Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man: The psalmist called upon God to help the weak by shattering the wicked and the evil man, and to thoroughly seek out his wickedness until You find none.
Acknowledge the Reign of God and Trust His Justice is Coming
10:16-18: The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.
• The LORD is King forever and ever: The psalmist began with almost despair in his times of trouble; he ends with calm confidence in the reign of the LORD as an eternal King. God had long been declared the King of Israel (Exodus 15:18), even when His people rejected His rule (1 Samuel 8:7-9).
• The nations have perished out of His land: Remembering the past victories of God against the cruel enemies of His people (in this case, the Canaanites who occupied His land) gave the psalmist greater confidence regarding the present help of the LORD.
• You have heard the desire of the humble…You will prepare their heart…You will cause Your ear to hear: This continues to express the calm confidence of the psalmist. God will not abandon the poor and needy, but will help and bless them.
• To do justice…that the man of the earth may oppress no more: The psalmist ends with assurance of God’s justice applied to the wicked. What began with a sense of despair in times of trouble has ended with calm confidence in God’s justice and victory.
