psalm 10

david starts off with why, o Lord, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? but i wonder if He really is far off when trouble is looming over us, or if we just feel like He’s far away because we don’t like what’s going on.  i’m not at war or anything, but i know that when i tend to be feeling particularly self-pitiful i feel like God is far away and just not doing everything He could be doing to make me feel better at that moment in time.  gee, how self focused am i?!

and ok…i’ll come back to what this psalm is teaching me about God…because in all honesty that’s what i’m doing this study for, but i have to get on this soap box for a second.  and i promise, its relevant to the psalm…so it’s fair game.

this psalm kinda rants about the evil, selfish, mean ways of the wicked man.  but it talks about how those people say things like “nothing will shake me, i’ll always be happy, and never have troubles” (verse 6) and dadgummit it really sometimes seems like that is the honest truth.  it’s not always true i know, but it really seems that way.  the most selfish, arrogant, rude people are ones that seem like everything just falls into perfect place for them.  my friend cathy and i were talking about this last night at bible study.  how it seems like some people never have to go through anything bad or hard or tragic in their lives and some people have it constantly.  now i know that all people who’ve had lives full of prosperity are not always rude selfish jerks.  i know quite a few of these people that are wonderful, amazing, loving, giving, gentle people.

but the people i’m thinking of are like sharpei from high school musical. (sorry disney…) who are schemers and try so hard to have everything their way, no matter who gets hurt.  and they make me so stinkin mad.

i’m saying this because i think that when you’ve had a rough go of it, you become grounded in a way that you can not begin to understand if you haven’t had rough stuff happen to you.  i think that maybe david was ranting about this so much (he went on about it for 10 verses) because he was seeing this behavior, and knowing that God doesn’t accept or bless it, and not understanding why they were prospering…which i have to admit i’ve wondered myself.  the thing we have to remember though is that prospering on earth is not an indicator of what life will be like after we’re through with our bout on earth.  i think david just wanted for God to show His Justice right then …i can almost see him just throwing his arms up and saying “God…seriously, you’re letting them act like this and get away with it?!?”  in verse 12 he says Lift up Your hand o God.  don’t forget the helpless! like, he knows that God could smite them right then and there…he’d already turned lot’s wife into a pillar of salt for crying out loud…david knew about that story.  he’s like “C’mon God …take care of this!”

but of course, being david, he refocuses on who God is, taking away his neurotic emotion that was making him act so crazy.  He goes to the truth.  this is what i want to learn how to do too.  especially when satan attacks me where there are holes in my armor.  i want to be able to rant to God, and then say, alright…but THIS is who You are…and i’m confident in it.

i love the last 5 verses ( really just 4….i like 14-18, but skip over 15)  so i’m gonna write them here…don’t skip over this part, it’s really the only part that matters of this whole thing anyway.

but You, o God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it and take it in hand.

the victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.

the Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from His land.

You hear, o Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry

defending the fatherless and the opressed in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

check it out in the message or the nlt they’re both great too. maybe even better than the niv.

WOW!  in my brain that is like i hear the hallelujah chorus go off!  it starts off with david, who is just hopeless and exhausted  and just tired of these old jerky fools having their way with whoever they come into contact with and just continuing to prosper!  it’s like he gives up a little bit, but then…dun dun duuunnnn…the white horse arrives.  there is suddenly hope again. david says…no, i’m not going to buy into this lie that you forget the poor, hurting, less fortunate people.  i know Your heart God.  i know that You hear them.  i know that You hurt with them.  i know that You hear their cries…and their hopes…and dreams.  i know that You give them home and by golly you will put an end to this whole mean guy winning thing.

and it’s so true.  when it’s all said and done, the mean guy won’t win.  we already know Who has won.  we know the end of the Story.  God knows the cries of the ones who are suffering.  He hears them…and victory is theirs.  i can own victory because in Him i’m victorious…whether or not i get what i long for on earth.  man can not terrify me…or you forever.  He will overcome man.  and i want to be able to declare with david, maybe even through tears or yelling or whatever, that God DOES hear…see…know…remember…

God does know about the injustice that happens in the world…He sees the whole, big picture.  and somehow in that big picture i’m not like where’s waldo.  He sees me without any trouble.  He doesn’t have to search.  i don’t blend in.  He sees me too.

and He’s gonna take care of it. all.  and in that i can put my hope.  david did…and he was called by God, a man after His own heart.

i love that when a psalm starts with a cry it always ends with a declaration of God.  take that satan. where there was no hope now we have Hope.