Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 10

"Verses 4-11: The psalmist calls on God to punish the unbridled

disrespect and scorn of the wicked, which has reached such a pitch that it seems as if God winks at evil (94:2). The wicked mistake God’s patience with evil for disinterest in the victims (14:1). Their boldness grows as they no longer sense any accountability for their actions (Eccl. 8:11).

Psalm 10:1 Why standest Thou afar off, O LORD? [why] hidest Thou [Thyself] in times of trouble?
“Why …? Why …”:
*Two “whys” of lament boldly blurt out the psalmist’s question: God, why do you remain aloof?”
The question “why” sometimes signals a feeling of frustration or forsakenness.
The psalmist here shows his own impatience and despair.

Psalm 10:2 The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
The pride of his heart which makes him forget God, despise the poor, and oppress others.
In his exaltation; persecutes the poor.

Psalm 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.
“Covetous … abhorreth”:
The wicked’s modus operandi is the opposite of what God demands..
The word abhorreth goes further than to just dislike.
In this particular Scripture above, it means to scorn or detest.

Psalm 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue [is] mischief and vanity.
He stops at nothing that may serve his ends.

Psalm 10:8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
That he may avoid the shame and punishment of men.
Which is the only thing that he fears.
"Are privily set": Hebrew; hide themselves.

Psalm 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: He hideth His face; He will never see [it].
When Cain killed Abel, he thought no one would know.

Psalm 10:12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Thine hand: forget not the humble.
“Arise”: The battle cry (of Numbers 10:35), also comes back again (compare Psalms 7:6; 9:19).
“Lift up Thine hand”:
This is an idiom for God’s strength and power especially as it is used in the context of retaliation.

Psalm 10:15 Break Thou the arm of the wicked and the evil

[man]: seek out his wickedness [till] Thou find none.
The “hand” of God (verses 12, 14), is more than sufficiently strong to shatter the arm (another figure for power), of ungodly men.
We see a cry from the Psalmist for God to hurry up and bring judgement on these evil ones." 

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