Psalm Category: Lament

Central Thought: Psalm 10 is a cry for the fullness of God’s kingdom. The psalmist desires to see the wicked judged and the righteous delivered.

Key Word: Darash (vv. 4, 13, 15). This Hebrew word means “to seek” or “to require.” The psalmist employs this word in clever ways in Psalm 10. He uses it to demonstrate the nature of the wicked (they do not seek God, v. 4). He also uses darash in verses 13 and 15 to counter the arrogance of the wicked who think they will escape God’s judgment. In these verses it is clear that God will require an answer of them; He will “call [them] to account” (NIV).

Psalm 10

Psalm 10 is a vivid lament in which the psalmist gazes at this world, where wickedness seems to prosper, and asks, “Where is God?”

An Absentee Landlord? (v. 1): The psalmist commences by interrogating God regarding His apparent aloofness from the suffering of the afflicted. The psalmist is wondering if God is an absentee landlord. However, despite the poignancy of the psalmist’s lament, he is no atheist. By crying out to God, he acknowledges God’s existence; and the implied expectation that God will answer his cry shows he believes that God is just.

Arrogant Atheism (vv. 2-11): The impetus for the psalmist’s lament is the arrogant practical atheism that he sees all around. Verses 2-6 enumerate the internal lawlessness of the atheist. He is driven by greed, gives no thought to God, and believes nothing will shake him. Verses 7-10 enumerate the external lawlessness of the wicked man. He abuses the tongue, oppresses the innocent, and preys upon the helpless. Do you see similar patterns of behavior around you every day?

The wicked man concludes in verse 11 that God is indeed an absentee landlord. Do you see the connection between verse 1 and verse 11? In verse 1, the psalmist questions whether God has forgotten the suffering of the afflicted and in verse 11 the wicked declare it as fact. For a moment, it appears as though the psalmist and the wicked man have come to the very same conclusion. Remember, while the psalmist is recapitulating the words and deeds of the wicked in verses 2-11, these words and deeds are actually voiced by the psalmist as the substance of his own lament. It is possible, based on verse 1, that when the psalmist voices verse 11 he is tempted to agree with the conclusions of the wicked. Witnessing wickedness has led many to disavow God. For example, Jewish novelist and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, declared the following regarding his experiences in Auschwitz, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust.”

The Psalmist’s Response (vv. 12-15): However, note how quickly the psalmist is jolted from the false conclusion of the wicked. He immediately enters into a divine summons. He calls upon the living God to “arise” and “lift up [His] hand,” both of which are military calls to battle. The psalmist believes God will act because He does not forget the helpless (v. 12) and He will remember the acts of the wicked (v. 13). The psalmist reminds himself in verse 14 of God’s character by affirming that God sees suffering and is a refuge for the oppressed. Finally, in verse 15, the psalmist cries out to God for justice by asking God to “break the arm” of the wicked (render them impotent) and to call them “to account” (punish them). Do you see what the psalmist is asking for here? He is praying, “Thy kingdom come.”

Seeking Consummation (vv. 16-18): In verse 16, the psalmist acknowledges God’s sovereignty and His everlasting kingdom. In that light, “the nations will perish from his land” (NIV). The psalmist is looking for a coming King who will set all things right. This eschatological aspect is heightened in verses 17-18, where the psalmist expresses his desire for a Deliverer who will free the oppressed, the helpless, and the orphan.

This request for a Deliverer, and the question, “Where is God?” were both answered some 2,000 years ago when an unassuming rabbi entered the synagogue in Nazareth, stood up, took the scroll and read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

––Anthony T. Selvaggio