Knowing The Word in Psalm 10

Why Do You Hide Yourself?

10 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

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

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

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

Comments

Psalm 10, which is actually the rest of Psalm 9, deals with the issue of theodicy. “Theodicy,” comes from the Greek “theos” and “dike” which mean “God” and “justice” respectively. It is a term used for attempts to justify the ways of God to humanity. When successful, theodicy resolves the problem of evil seeming to triumph over God by demonstrating that God is all-powerful, all-loving, and just, despite evil’s existence and persistence. This psalm gives a moving picture of evil growing in the covenant community. It may remind you of what it must have been like for the disciples to watch Jesus die on Good Friday. It was a terrible Friday! But in retrospect, after the Resurrection, the followers of Jesus were able to call that Friday “Good.”

Prayer

Christ is risen:

The world below lies desolate.

Christ is risen:

The spirits of evil are fallen.

Christ is risen:

The angels of God are rejoicing.

Christ is risen:

The tombs of the dead are empty.

Christ is risen:

The first of the sleepers.

Glory and power are his forever and ever.

Hippolytus of Rome, c. 190-236