Psalm 10
This Psalm is so relevant today that it seems like it was written for such a time as this.
Verse 1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
As stated before, King David was always experiencing trouble. He was described in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart so of course he was target number one of Satan and other devils. His difficulties at times would have been overwhelming to the average man or woman, but he never lost faith in the LORD and he always cried out to Him for help during these very vexing times. His question above in verse one is not from a lack of faith. It is merely an expression of the emotion he was feeling at the time of the writing of this Psalm. He was feeling that God was far away and not with him at that particular moment. So David was honestly asking the LORD why it seemed that His presence was not right there with him.
Application: Every Christian believer has times during their walk with the LORD when they do not feel His presence and they wonder if He is hearing their prayers. But his promise to never leave or forsake His people is true. God cannot lie. If He said it, He meant it, and He will do it.
The people of this Earth are being robbed and poisoned by their own governments. Everything appears to be in chaos and nothing those in leadership do seems to make sense. Suffering and death is everywhere, and so many Christian believers may be asking themselves where God is in all of this wickedness and evil, strife, social distemper, and death.
Verses 2-3 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. 3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
Here King David prays that the LORD will cause the wicked to be brought down in the very schemes and actions they are using to persecute the poor and those who have no way to fight back against those doing the persecution. He states that wicked people in their pride boast about what they are doing and give support to those who are greedy and harming others for financial gain and for power and position. Notice that King David does not say, “the rich in his pride doth persecute the poor”. Why? Because most rich people are wicked, plain and simple. It is rare that a rich man or woman is righteous. Why? Because money is their god and they work to get more and more of it. And when they have more than they could ever spend in their lifetime, they are still not satisfied and so they want power and control to go with their riches, and they seek after it using their copious amounts of money to buy their way into whatever social strata or position they want. The LORD Jesus stated through the Apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” This love of and lusting after money was at the heart of David’s prayer in this Psalm and is at the heart of all the problems in the world today.
People today are being taxed out of their homes, businesses, and retirement savings. Every time the men and women of government pass a law, it takes money and/or freedoms away from the people. The power elite want what others have and they find ways to fund their pet projects or their non-profits and then they keep most of the money that is supposed to be used for projects promised or for the working of the non-profits. Greed is the operational word of corporations and government entities, bankers, investors, and gangsters.
Application: At one time, there were three economic classes of people: rich, middle class, and poor. Today there are only two economic classes: rich and poor. The middle class has been eliminated through government and corporate thievery. This is all a sign of the end of time as the Apostle John also described these two classes of people in the book of Revelation. “And he causeth all, both small and great (social and political standing or position), rich and poor (only two classes of people in the end times), free and bond (the free rich and the slave class working to survive while their money is taken through regulation and laws), to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:”. Parenthesis this writer’s.
Verses 4-5 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. 5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
King David goes on to describe the character of the wicked. They have a proud look (countenance) and they “look down” on others they perceive to be less wonderful than themselves. What does God think about these wicked people? “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19 These verses from the book of Proverbs aptly describe the character and actions of the wicked. Furthermore, they will not seek the LORD and they never even think about Him or consider that He exists. The wicked believe they are their own gods. Everything they do is painful to others. The wicked do not believe that there is a God who will judge them, if not in this world, in the world to come. They believe that all that exists is the here and now. So they covet and store up riches before they die because they do not believe in eternity after physical death.
Verses 6-7 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
The Hebrew word translated as “moved” is “mowt” and it means to totter, shake, slip, be shaken or be overthrown. Because of their riches and positions of power and influence, the wicked never believe they can be overthrown or have troubles. Their trust is in their wealth and they simply buy their way out of trouble. They function through deceit and fraud and they think nothing of taking the LORD’s name in vain when they curse. And lying is natural and a way of life for the wicked.
The wicked ruling elite running countries today lie to the people of those countries continually in their speeches and through the tongues of the news media reporters. And when they are found out to have lied and deceived the public, there is never any arrests, indictments, criminal charges, or trials. Case in point is when then president George Bush claimed that the country of Iraq had ‘weapons of mass destruction” and that it was a threat to the United States. He brought forth a useless war which resulted in the killing of soldiers and civilians alike and it was proven later that no weapons of mass destruction existed. A brief look at historical events in the last 50 years will show multiple cases of the power elite lying, deceiving, defrauding and causing harm or mischief to the people of the nations they control for personal gain. King David prophetically describes the sinful climate of today’s nations even though he penned this Psalm approximately 3,000 years ago. What he saw in his day is the same as what Christian believers are seeing today.
Verse 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.
Here King David describes the wicked as people who “lurk” which is translated from the Hebrew word “maarab” which means to ambush, lie-in-wait, or to use a hunter’s blind. It has the connotation of the wicked hunting the poor. The Hebrew word translated as “secret places” is “mictar” and it means secret place, hiding place, and a place for perpetration of crime. Clearly David is saying that the wicked hunt and kill the poor for their own pleasure and gain. The Hebrew word translated as “murder” is “harag” and it means to kill, slay, murder, destroy, and ruin.
Today the world is encumbered by justice systems that are corrupt. Laws are framed to protect the guilty rich and the poor rarely receive justice at the hand of Bar Association lawyers and judges. Furthermore, there is an entire group of “innocents” who are kidnapped or sold and trafficked for the sex slave business which is more lucrative than the illegal drug business, gambling, and any other business of vice in the world today. This child trafficking is universal and many of the victims of this crime are killed. In the secret places, some underground, these children are tortured and murdered. Why? Because of the love of money and for the satisfaction of lust and power by the adults engaged in this vilest of crimes. Furthermore, Satan demands two things in the worship of him and his system: sex and the shedding of blood. With the rise of witchcraft and Satanism, ritualistic human blood sacrifices are occurring every day. King David, as a prophet, has described the state of mankind perfectly in this Psalm.
Verses 9-10 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. 10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
King David uses the analogy of an lion catching pray. A cat of any size uses stealth, concealment, and surprise to catch prey. As it is the business of the rich/wicked to persecute the poor, they make good use of stealth tactics, concealment, and surprise to relieve the poor of their resources, possessions, and land. An example is back in the day (April 1933 to be precise) when then President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office, the American people were fed a lie and told to turn in their gold and that they could get it back a few months later. After most of the people went to their local banks and gave up their gold which was and is legal tender, FDR passed a law prohibiting the people from even asking for their gold back. They were given Federal Reserve Notes which are still used today and which have no value other than what the system gives them. The people were robbed of their wealth. The Federal government employees used stealth as they formed their lies and manipulated a trusting public, they concealed the truth, and they surprised the trusting public by passing a law that made it impossible for them to claim their financial resources back from the banks.
Application: Spiritually, Satan is compared to a lion. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8 The name, Satan, comes from the Hebrew word, satan, pronounced “saw tawn” and it means the adversary or one who withstands. An adversary is an opponent. So Satan’s primary business is that of opposing the LORD and opposing His people. He hunts people and uses the same technique as a lion. He presents temptations that draw people into the net of sin, and he never attacks from the front or straight on so that Christian believers and unbelievers alike can see him coming, but he hides and uses stealth tactics such as lies and false promises and works through other people to confuse and draw men and women into compliance with his evil intentions.
Verse 11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
The wicked seem to not believe that God knows what they are doing, probably because as stated above, they never give God a thought and they don’t believe that there is a God and that there will be judgement and a place called Hell. They work secretly behind closed doors and in dark places thinking that their mischief and evil deeds are hidden.
Verse 12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
In Scripture the hand is representative of power and strength. Here King David is praying the LORD to take action on behalf of the humble. The Hebrew word translated as “humble” is “anav” and it means poor, humble, afflicted, meek, and needy.
Verse 13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
King David’s question is why do the wicked despise and abhor (regard with disgust and hatred) the LORD? He answers the question by stating that the wicked have the attitude that if there is a God, He will not investigate them or require anything from them.
Application: One of the prevailing beliefs among the rich/wicked is the philosophy of deism. The belief is that there is a higher power who created everything, but then that power abandoned the creation to mankind to run and govern. This higher power or supreme being does not intervene in the affairs of the world. And of course, there are people who are better able to manage the affairs of the world and these people are superior to the rest of mankind. Therefore, they tell people what to eat, what to buy, what to vote for, how many children to have, what medical stuff they should have, what drugs to take, what to believe and so forth. They are the secret societies, the religious cults, the power elite, and bankers, and all those who are controlling people. And these men and women believe they have the right to govern and interfere in people’s lives and that they will never be held accountable for the damage they do by a holy and righteous God.
Verse 14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
King David paints a grim picture in the verses above, and what was true back then is true now as Satan has never changed his tactics. But David brings hope to this picture in that he points out that the poor have a helper, and that is the LORD God Almighty. He states later in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Verses 15-16 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. 16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
To “break” the “arm” of the wicked and evil man means to wreck, crush, or quench the strength of the wicked so that they can no longer do wickedly and cause harm to others. King David states that the LORD is King and He will be for all time and eternity and He will destroy the heathen or those who rebel against Him. Prophetically the land referenced above is not this fallen Earth, but is the spiritual Kingdom of God which is in Heaven and which is the home of all Christian believers throughout the Earth.
Verses 17-18 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: 18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
King David was assured that the LORD had heard his prayer and that He would care for the poor and the humble. The LORD would judge the plight of those being oppressed and that this oppression would end. Again, this is prophetic in that there will come a time when the LORD will return to judge the righteous and the wicked, when time will be no more, and when all will be in eternity, the wicked in eternity in the Lake of Fire, and the righteous in eternity in Heaven where there will be no more oppression and no more pain, but only peace, love, joy, and the presence of the LORD Jesus Christ.