1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me;
I'll always be happy and never have trouble."
7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.
9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover;
he lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten;
he covers his face and never sees."
12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account"?
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.
16 The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Over the last several years, I seem to have been becoming a humanitarian. I think it has to do with being a teacher and seeing how poorly a lot of people have it. Or maybe it was when I taught Pop Culture Studies specifically and focused on the cultural side of issues that we've been dealing with for decades if not centuries. Regardless, I love how this psalm deals with the issue.
If I have any critical complaint with the Psalms, it's that David (and the others, but he does it a lot) pulls a mood 180 so often. I realize that when looking to God's face, your problems become smaller (if they don't just disappear), but still. I like to see things as they happen--slowing down the moment. Psalm 10 slows it down and I don't get the feel the writer comes out of his or her spiritual funk for no reason. Instead, I feel that the writer is proclaiming a call to God to work in favor of the oppressed.
This thrills me. I think mostly because I have so many times heard the comment, "How can bad things happen to good people?" I think the question is bogus anyhow, but even if it weren't, this Psalm addresses that so well. In the first eleven verses the write is obviously distraught over how much is going on without any evident intervention from on high. But once verse twelve hits, God is brought into the equation--a God that hears, that cares, that won't let things carry on as they are. This is one of those things that seems to rely on "the patience of the saints."
Psalm 11 continues in this idea with David writing about how ridiculous it is to cower from the powers that may oppress the people of God. Verse seven makes me smile. Justice, it seems, is what everybody looks for in this world. Almost anything is acceptable, so long as justice is involved. However, whereas many would argue over what justice is and when it is right, God looks on to the poor and beaten down, those that have been looking to Him for help, but have been caught in circumstances that will not free them, and He prepares for their freedom, their salvation.
1 In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
"Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"
4 The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes the sons of men;
his eyes examine them.
5 The LORD examines the righteous,
but the wicked and those who love violence
his soul hates.
6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.
7 For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
upright men will see his face.
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