TEACHING NOTES Introduction Last week we learned from Psalm 1 that prayer is about realignment with God and His will. A healthy prayer life helps us to reject the ways of the world and align ourselves to the will of God. Today, we’re going to learn from Psalm 10 to be honest with God and trust Him when we are suffering. ‌ Psalm 10:1 1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? ‌ Why do you stand far away? = This idea is common in the prayers of the Psalms (Ps. 22:1, 11, 19; 35:22; 38:21). “Why do you stand far away?” indicates that is it not wrong to question God about His perceived absence. Even Jesus quotes Ps. 22:1 while in agony on the cross (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34). ‌ Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? = This question indicates that it is somewhat normal to feel that God is distant in times of trouble. The Hebrew word for “trouble” here is usually the word for a time of drought (lack of rain). In other words, the perceived absence of God is described as “no rain” or as if the heavens are closed. ‌ Psalm 10:2–4 2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. 4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” ‌ Arrogance of the wicked = The Hebrew here could also be translated, “the roaring of the wicked” like a roaring lion (compare to Ps. 10:9). The wicked are often proud of their wickedness while believing they are doing right and everyone else is wrong. ‌ Pursue the poor = The wicked prey on the weak, because they are an easy target and easily defeated. The wicked also love to target those who will not fight back (like Christians who are trying to love their enemies). ‌ Let them be caught = This Psalm teaches us that it is right to ask God for the wicked to “be caught in the schemes that they have devised.” While this may sound negative, it is actually a prayer for mercy. When the wicked’s schemes are caught or find out, their time of wickedness is shortened. ‌ The wicked boasts of his desires = Again, the wicked are proud of what they do. Why? Because their wickedness is driven by selfishness. To the wicked, what they do is right because it is for their own benefit. The same idea is seen in Isaiah 3:9 “For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.” ‌ The greedy curses and renounces the LORD = It is taught throughout the Bible that greed leads to a rejection of God. This is why Paul says that greed or envy is the same as idolatry (Col. 3:5). The rich young ruler rejected an invitation to follow Christ for eternal life because he could not give up his wealth (Matt. 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-30; Luke 18:18-30). ‌ Pride of his face = Heb. gobah hu ap - Literally, “the height of his nose.” The image here is of a person who lifts their nose high to look down on others. ‌ The wicked does not seek him = The wicked do not seek God because they know God will correct them and because they cannot control God. The wicked seek to be their own god and refuse to submit to anyone else. ‌ All his thoughts are, “There is no God” = We also read in Psalm 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” It’s interesting that “all his thoughts” about consumed with rejecting God. We also see this in many modern atheists. They spend all their time and energy trying to disprove God’s existence. Many atheists are angry with God, while at the same time they say God doesn’t exist. How can you be angry with a nonexistent God? Sounds like a contradiction or perhaps foolish. ‌ Psalm 10:5–6 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. 6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” ‌ His ways prosper at all times = Have you ever noticed that the wicked seem to always prosper? Think of corrupt politicians or greedy corporate leaders. No matter how wicked they are, they seem to be untouchable. This is not a new problem. If we were to ask Jesus why the wicked prosper He might say, “They have their reward.” Meaning, being prosperous in this life is all the reward they will get. In the end, they are eternally destroyed. ‌ Your judgments are on high = To the wicked, the judgment or justice of God are “out of his sight.” God’s will is “on high” or far away from the wicked. Righteousness is not even on the radar of the wicked. ‌ “I shall not be moved” = Literally, “I shall not be toppled.” In other words, the wicked believe they cannot be corrected nor defeated. ‌ “I shall not meet adversity” = The wicked believe they can control the consequences of their actions. The wise believe they are only in control of their choices and the consequences are inescapable. ‌ Psalm 10:7–9 7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 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. ‌ His mouth is filled = Paul quotes this verse in Rom. 3:14. This Hebrew phrase can also be translated, “his mount is devoted.” ‌ Cursing = Heb. alah - to curse, pronounce an oath against another. ‌ Deceit = Heb. mirmot - trick, fraud, disillusion, dishonesty. ‌ Oppression = Heb. tok - threats, violence. ‌ Under his tongue = Or “the foundation of his tongue.” The idea here is that underneath all their words is deception. ‌ Mischief = Heb. amal - trouble, selfish gain, harm. ‌ Iniquity = Heb. avon - premeditated evil. Iniquity is different from “sin” (Heb. hattah), which means “to miss the target.” Iniquity is evil that is planned ahead of time. ‌ Sits in ambush = The wicked plan to ambush “in hiding places” (concealment) to harm others. ‌ Like a lion lurking = This is the same idea we find in the story of Cain being tempted to murder Abel. In that story, God describes “sin” as a coiled snake or crouching predator. Genesis 4:7 “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is against you, but you must rule over it.” ‌ Draws him into his net = Just as nets are used to capture unsuspecting prey, the ways of the wicked try to drag the righteous into destruction. ‌ Psalm 10:10–11 10 The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. 11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” ‌ The helpless are crushed, sink down = The Hebrew word for “sink down” here is helkaim, which means “to be unhappy.” In other words, the wicked crush others to make them unhappy. The wicked love to tear others down in an effort to make themselves feel superior. ‌ “God has forgotten, he will never see it” = The wicked falsely assume that God is not watching or perhaps God doesn’t care. Since they chose to act as if there is no God, they also assume there are no consequences for their sin. ‌ 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”? ‌ Arise, O LORD = Heb. qumah YHWH - In the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), the word anastethi or anastasis, which means “resurrect.” The same word is found in Psalm 82:8 “Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!” Ancient Christians understood Ps. 82:8 as a reference to the resurrection of Christ and His defeat of evil powers. ‌ Lift up your hand = In the Bible, the “hand of the LORD” refers to His strength and power to act. This is also why Christ is described as the right hand of God. This is a prayer for God to get involved in our suffering. ‌ Forget not the afflicted = Psalm 9:12 says, “For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” And Psalm 9:18 “For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.” ‌ “You will not call to account” = The Psalmist asks God why the wicked are so foolish to think that they are not accountable. The Hebrew word for “call to account” literally means, “seek with care” or “investigate.” The wicked assumes that God does not care about the oppressed. ‌ Psalm 10:14–15 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. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. ‌ But you do see = While the Psalmist begins by questioning God’s perceived absence, now he turns to the hope of what he knows is actually true. God does see the suffering of His people. God does see the iniquity of the wicked. The same was true of Hagar, who called God El Roi or “the God who sees” (Gen. 16:13). ‌ You note mischief and vexation = Or “you look upon harm and grief.” ‌ That you may take it into your hands = God pays attention with care to our suffering so that He can get involved and do something about it. ‌ To you the helpless commits himself = While the wicked do not seek God (Ps. 10:4), the helpless or unhappy are committed to God. This tells us that we should not be surprised that those committed to God suffer. Everyone in the Bible who were committed greatly also suffered greatly. Jesus would be the best example of this truth. ‌ The helper of the fatherless = While those committed to God often feel helpless, they are committed to a God who “the Helper.” Jesus even calls the Holy Spirit “the Helper” or “the Comforter” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26). It also needs to be noted that God is repeatedly described as the God of orphans, widows, and the poor. In contrast, the other gods are describes as the gods of the powerful and influential. ‌ Break the arm of the wicked = This may seem like an intense prayer. However, it is not wrong to ask God to bring justice on the wicked. We might think it is mean to ask God to break the arms of the wicked. However, if someone is trying to choke your child to death, you would have no problem do whatever it takes to stop their wickedness. ‌ Till you find none = The Hebrew phrase here could also be translated, “until the wicked are worn out or used up.” In other words, we’re asking God to bring the wicked to the point where they are tired of their own wickedness. Ultimately, this is a request for God to stop the wicked from harming anyone else. ‌ Psalm 10:16–18 16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. 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. ‌ The LORD is king forever = Here the Psalmist reminds himself of God’s ultimate rule and reign over all creation. This is a good reminder in times of trouble. When the wicked are prospering and you are suffering, we must remember that God is still in charge of everything and sees everything. ‌ Nations perish from his land = Even wicked nations are under the rule of God and will not ultimately succeed against Him. From the perspective of the Psalmist, all the other nations had rebelled against their Creator to worship other gods (evil spirits). Israel was God’s nation and all the other nations were against them. But the Psalmist knows that all the nations are in God’s hand and will be judged. ‌ You hear the desire of the afflicted = This is why we must continue to pray when we are suffering. God listens to the afflicted and wants to get involved. ‌ Strengthen their heart = Our hearts are deceitful, wicked, and sick (Jer. 17:9). But our hearts are also weak and vulnerable to despair and depression. Therefore, we need to spend time in prayer so we can be strengthened in heart. This prayer in Psalm 10 teaches us to share our struggles with God, remind ourselves of God’s concern and power, so we can be strengthened. ‌ You incline your ear = The Bible shows repeatedly that God is compassionate to those who are suffering and listens to their prayers. God not only listens, but He is “inclined” to listen. The Hebrew word for “inclined” here is taqsib, which means “to listen attentively or intensely.” ‌ To do justice = In the Bible, justice is not centered on punishment. Modern justice is often focused on crime and punishment. But in the Bible, justice is about restoring order to chaos. Obviously, suffering and wickedness is chaotic and unstable. God desires justice because chaos is not His will for us. ‌ So that the man may strike terror no more = In this context, the wicked are bringing suffering and oppression on the weak and poor. This Psalm is a prayer that asks God to put a stop to the wicked. ‌ How Psalm 10 Guides Prayer: ‌‌10:1-11 teaches us to be honest with God. ‌‌10:12-18 teaches us to renew our trust in God. ‌‌ How to Respond ‌Prayer: Ask God to reveal what needs to change. ‌Repentance: Agree with God and repent of sin. ‌Worship: Thank God for what He is doing in you. ‌Communion: Take Christ in and renew faithfulness.