HEAR THE DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED

Passage: Psalms 10:1-18

Key verse: 17

NIV

Psalm 10[a]

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?(A)
    Why do you hide yourself(B) in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,(C)
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts(D) about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.(E)
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.(F)
5 His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by[b] him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”(G)

7 His mouth is full(H) of lies and threats;(I)
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.(J)
8 He lies in wait(K) near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.(L)
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9     like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;(M)
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.(N)
10 His victims are crushed,(O) they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;(P)
    he covers his face and never sees.”(Q)

12 Arise,(R) Lord! Lift up your hand,(S) O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.(T)
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?(U)
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?(V)
14 But you, God, see the trouble(W) of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;(X)
    you are the helper(Y) of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;(Z)
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;(AA)
    the nations(AB) will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;(AC)
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,(AD)
18 defending the fatherless(AE) and the oppressed,(AF)
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 10:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
  2. Psalm 10:5 See Septuagint; Hebrew / they are haughty, and your laws are far from
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Why Do You Hide Yourself?

10 Why, O Lord, do you stand (A)far away?
    Why (B)do you hide yourself in (C)times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them (D)be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked (E)boasts of the desires of his soul,
    and the one greedy for gain (F)curses[a] and (G)renounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face[b] the wicked does not (H)seek him;[c]
    all his thoughts are, (I)“There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, (J)out of his sight;
    as for all his foes, he (K)puffs at them.
6 He (L)says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations I (M)shall not meet adversity.”
7 (N)His mouth is filled with cursing and (O)deceit and (P)oppression;
    (Q)under his tongue are (R)mischief and (S)iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
    in (T)hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9     he lurks in ambush like (U)a lion in his (V)thicket;
he (W)lurks that he may seize the poor;
    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his (X)net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
    and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has (Y)hidden his face, he (Z)will never see it.”

12 (AA)Arise, O Lord; O God, (AB)lift up your hand;
    (AC)forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked (AD)renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not (AE)call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you (AF)note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless (AG)commits himself;
    you have been (AH)the helper of the fatherless.
15 (AI)Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    (AJ)call his wickedness to account till you find none.

16 (AK)The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the (AL)nations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will (AM)strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to (AN)do justice to the fatherless and (AO)the oppressed,
    so that (AP)man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 10:3 Or and he blesses the one greedy for gain
  2. Psalm 10:4 Or of his anger
  3. Psalm 10:4 Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. In his arrogance and pride (1-11)

The psalmist cries out to God, 'Why, Lord, do you stand far off?' because injustice prevails but God seems silent. The wicked man in his arrogance and pride strikes the weak and innocent, and speaks blasphemies, but his ways seem to be always prosperous. Like the psalmist, many people wonder and question about injustice in the world and God's seeming silence.

2. Call the evildoer to account (12-18)

The psalmist petitions God to act for the righteous against the wicked man. He prays that God who is the helper of the helpless may see the trouble and grief of the helpless and break the arm of the wicked man. In verses 16-18, the psalmist trusts in God who is King forever, hears the cry of the afflicted, and brings about justice to the helpless. God delays his justice patiently, 'not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance' (1Pe 3:9). Yet the day God calls evildoers to account will come. So, with patience, we should trust in God, and encourage and pray for God's people.

Prayer: Lord, we trust in you, our eternal King, and we ask you to break the arm of Satan and save the helpless.

One Word: Defend the helpless