Psalm 10:1-18 NKJV
10 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
5 His ways are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
I shall never be in adversity.”
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.
8 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.
9 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.
10 So he crouches, he lies low,
That the helpless may fall by his strength.
11 He has said in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
He hides His face;
He will never see.”
12 Arise, O Lord!
O God, lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the humble.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”
14 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.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,
18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may oppress no more.
The words of this psalm easily could come from the mouth of every Christian today, for they speak of adversity, doubt, fear, and disdain for the godless, and they lament how the godless seem almost always to get away with their godlessness. Luther says that “this psalm laments over the enemies of the kingdom of Christ who terrify Christendom with force and cunning. These enemies direct the sword of worldly tyranny over the body and the net of false teaching over the soul” (Reading the Psalms with Luther, p. 32).
Indeed, the wicked persecute the poor (v. 2), and do not seek God (v. 4). The wicked say, “I shall never be in adversity” (v. 6) and “his mouth is full of cursing and deceit” (v. 7). Take just one cursory look around this evil world and you will agree with the psalmist, which points out the amazing relevancy of God’s Word written so very long ago but addressing exactly the events of this age. The problem is that Christians fall easily and quickly into despair when they allow themselves to be consumed by all the evil around them – consumed by worry and fear about things over which they have absolutely no control! What a waste of time and effort!
Repent, dear Christian, of this waste of your God-given resources and abilities. This “bad news” is nothing new, for our Lord Jesus spoke of all these things in the Gospels over 2,000 years ago. There is nothing new under the sun, for the world, ever since the Fall, is only getting more and more evil, proving Jesus right time and time again.
So, instead of fretting and worrying, thank and praise God for His grace and mercy which He has bestowed on you in Christ who paid for all your sins. Pray with the psalmist, “Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand” (v. 12). Know that God hears your cries and will deliver you from this evil age. And while you await that deliverance, cling to His gifts of Baptism, Absolution, and Supper where He feeds and strengthens you with Himself.
Let us pray: Dear Jesus, keep us in the true and saving faith, and grant us to walk worthy of Your name. Amen.