Psalm 10 - Why Do You Hide Yourself?

1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

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.”
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.”
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.
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.”

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”?
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.

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 Theme of this Psalm is not unfamiliar to us. In fact we will see it throughout the Psalms, and that is the cry of the righteous concerning the ways of the ungodly. So often it is the case that we feel like the righteous are the only ones who go through hardships and sufferings while the wicked continue in prosperity all the while getting way with their dishonesty and disobedience. What do we do when we FEEL that way? What do we do when we feel that we have been forsaken? David demonstrates for us exactly what our response needs to be…turn to God. But that isn’t what often happens. Usually we blame God, or turn our backs on Him. But the Psalmist petitions God and we must as well. Why do we turn our backs on the only one who can truly help us and hear our cries? One writer has said, “We need to turn to the Lord first. In times of trouble and suffering, turn to God first. In times of joy and victory, turn to the Lord first. In times of frustrations and confusion, turn to the Lord first. The first step we take is so important for us and shows us where our faith lies.”

   The Psalmist goes on in this Psalm to describe the character of the ungodly. Why does it appear they prosper? One of the reasons is their Pride. (Verses 2-4). Pride and arrogance is defined as, “being concerned with self rather than with others.” As one writer said, “When we think our way is the best way, we are arrogant. When we think that people ought to be more concerned about us, then we are full of pride. When we get hurt because people are doing things unlike we expect, then we have fallen into the error of self-exaltation. “ We need to be aware and avoid pride in all of its forms. Notice, that the proud have no room for God in their lives. Is there any doubt that this is so? When our lives are full with selfishness…where is the room for God?

    Let’s talk a little bit about the perception of prosperity of the ungodly. Why do we think they prosper? Perhaps it is because they have wealth. But at what cost has that wealth come? How often we look at the ungodly and desire the riches they enjoy. How many times have we said, “I’ll tell you what, if I had that kind of money, boy I could do a lot of GOOD things with it.” (An easier statement to say than to do for the one who does not have wealth).  I would suggest one of the reasons they have that wealth is because their life has been spent in pursuit of those riches. That has defined their lives. What are riches? Something temporary that man worries about acquiring but which you can’t take with you when you die! Therefore the things that truly have meaning and purpose in life have been neglected. Families have been ignored in the effort to maintain more. Children grow up without truly being raised by their parents, because mom and dad are consumed with the idol of covetousness. Because they worship the god of self and wealth, they are miserable in their existence. How poor they truly are!

    I love verse 16, “The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.” Don’t forgot who has the real power – GOD! The Psalmist tells us that God sees and that he is judge. Therefore, don’t give up in frustration feeling that you have been neglected by God, don’t give in to pride and false hope and security that the ungodly have who have pursued their own interests and not God’s, don’t be afraid of what the ungodly can do to us. Our Lord is King forever and ever! “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” (2 Peter 3:3-7).

   Judgment is certain…the outcome is certain. Therefore decide this day who you will follow: The arrogance of the ungodly? Or the path of righteousness that leads to God?