Psalm
10 reminds me of a couple of kids I knew growing up. One in
particular, I teased and tormented and even physically abused. He
probably wondered why God would allow such a rotten person to live.
There are times when we see evil prosper and wonder why God does not
act to stop it. We question if God is even aware of the cruelty
around us. The Psalmist wonders out loud, “Why,
O Lord, do You stand far off?
Why
do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?“.
He continues describing what he sees, “In
his
arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak… he blesses the greedy
and reviles the Lord… in all his thoughts there is no room for
God“.
I am quite sure that was what my poor little friend must have been
thinking about me. It is even worse when you see the cheaters
succeed. “His
ways are always prosperous… he sneers at all his enemies… His
mouth is full of curses and lies and threats“.
As we read that, most of us immediately think of someone that
describes. Amazingly, it is not us! Like a slow-motion nature
movie, the psalmist describes the attack. “He
lies in wait like a lion in cover…
he
lies in wait to catch the helpless… they fall under his strength”
and the victim is left to say to himself, “God
has forgotten“.
We find ourselves shouting with the psalmist, “Arise,
Lord!
Lift
up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless“.
We then either question God’s ability, or root for God to harm
someone. Have you been there?
The
psalmist asks, “Why
does the wicked man revile God?”
and he concludes, the wicked man thinks that God “won’t
call me to account“.
But the writer affirms, “But
You, O God, do see trouble and grief“.
God does not miss anything. He does not sleep, He does not make
mistakes, God even knows the heart attitude behind every action. The
psalm continues, “The
victim commits himself to You;
You
are the helper of the fatherless“.
In truth, most people turn to God when they are beyond their own
power. It is not easy to admit that we need God. Perhaps whatever
trouble you are dealing with is part of God’s plan to draw you to
Himself? Are you ready to allow God to be Lord of your life? And
what about our tormentors? The writer prays, “Break
the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call
him to account for his wickedness“.
I wonder if my childhood target and his family prayed for my
destruction or my salvation? Here is what I know, on the evening
when I received Jesus Christ as my Savior, God used that young boy to
remind me of my need for His mercy. I read Romans 2:4 and I wept as
I understood how patient God had been with me. “Or
do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and
patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward
repentance?“
Psalm
10 ends and Psalm 11 begins with a related thought, “You
hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and
You listen to their cry…
In
the Lord I take refuge“.
David writes from the perspective of one under attack. “The
wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to
shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart“.
David says with certainty, “The
Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; His eyes
examine them“.
This may shock some, but we read, “The
wicked and those who love violence His soul hates“.
Today we speak very little about what God hates for fear of
offending someone. Instead we smile as we watch people believe the
half-truth that God is love. David reminds us, “For
the Lord is righteous, He loves justice“.
Justice means that sin is not overlooked. The debt of sin must be
paid! Jesus died to pay the debt I could not and Isaiah 53:5 says,
“But
He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by
His wounds we are healed“.
Personally, it was when I read Romans
5:8 that I was brought to my knees. “But
God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us“.
Tormentor or tormented, God desires to restore you today.