Psalm 10
Psalm 10
begins with a complaint against God. Why
is God so far away? Where is God’s
justice against the evil of this world?
Doesn’t
this complaint sound familiar? Have you
ever heard anyone say, “How can there be a God in heaven who allows so much
evil to exist in this world?” Or maybe
someone has asked, “Why doesn’t God step in and do something about the way that
this world is going?” If you’ve ever
heard someone talk this way – or maybe you’ve talked this way yourself! – then
you know how the psalmist feels when Psalm 10 is being composed.
In many
ways, this psalm isn’t about providing answers.
Notice that the psalmist has no answer to the questions. The psalmist does not intend to make excuses
for God or justify God’s position.
Rather, the psalmist’s intent within Psalm 10 is to validate those of us
who occasionally feel like God is far off.
This is a normal feeling that does need to be validated as a part of the
human condition.
However, notice
that while the psalmist validates the human experience of feeling as though God
is far off, the psalmist does not say that God is actually far off. In fact, rather than speak out against God
the psalmist instead gives praise to God.
The Lord is King forever. The
Lord hears those who are afflicted. He
strengthens their hearts. The Lord
assures that justice is done.
In ending
the psalm this way, the psalmist is giving a clear message to the reader. It is normal to feel as though God is far
away from time to time. It is normal to
wonder if God is really always beside us – especially when things are going
poorly. But here is the truth. God is there.
God hears us. God does
justice. We may feel like He isn’t
there, but He absolutely is. The psalmist
validates our feelings, but convicts us of the truth.
Psalm 11
Psalm 11
takes much of the emotion in Psalm 10 and pushes it one step further. Here the psalmist encourages God to act upon
the wicked. The psalmist does more than
simply acknowledge God’s presence; he attempts to inspire God into action.
While we
can debate the ethics of asking God to reign down justice according to our
discernment, what we cannot argue is the truth that the psalmist ascribes to
God. God does see all things. God is capable of reigning down wrath and
judgment upon us. He does hate the
wicked. He does hate the one who loves
violence. The Lord does love righteous
deeds. The Lord does invite the
righteous into His presence to behold Him.
We may
feel like the Lord is far off. We might
even feel inclined to invite God to mete out justice. But true faith instead leads us to focus on
God and God’s characteristics. It is far
more important that we bend our will to God’s ways than to invite Him to see
things our way.
Psalm 12
Psalm 12
gives us a good balance in our relationship with God. Yes, David does focus once more one the
negative aspects of humanity and the despair that he feels towards human
beings. David speaks of humanity as
being a people who utter lies to the neighbor, a people who speaks double-talk
and flattery, a people who make great boasts, a people whose tongues prevail
over what should rule our life, a people who plunder the poor and who make the
needy groan, and a people who are both wicked and vile. David’s perspective on humanity is grim.
However,
David is not depressed by this reflection on humanity. David is inspired by God’s promises. David knows that God promises to rise up and
defend those who need His defense. God
promises to be a shelter for those who turn to him. In spite of the overwhelming evidence against
humanity and our internal sin, David is drawn to God and His promises. David demonstrates that the follower of God focuses
on God’s truth and His character regardless of what the world puts in our path.
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