kjv@Psalms:10:1@ Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
kjv@Psalms:10:2@ The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
kjv@Psalms:10:3@ For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
kjv@Psalms:10:4@ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
kjv@Psalms:10:5@ His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
kjv@Psalms:10:6@ He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
kjv@Psalms:10:7@ His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
kjv@Psalms:10:8@ He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
kjv@Psalms:10:9@ He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
kjv@Psalms:10:10@ He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
kjv@Psalms:10:11@ He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
kjv@Psalms:10:12@ Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
kjv@Psalms:10:13@ Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
kjv@Psalms:10:14@ Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
kjv@Psalms:10:15@ Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
kjv@Psalms:10:16@ The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
kjv@Psalms:10:17@ LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
kjv@Psalms:10:18@ To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
If the Reprobate Mind can reduce God down to nothing then there is no requirement made of him from God, he can do as he pleases. Nothing can be in the form of atheism or agnosticism or this unconditional love fluff.
This is a composite outline of a wicked man, what the is thinking, what he does. You'll notice his preoccupation with the poor. The poor are easy for him to take advantage of. It does not mean necessarily that he is trying to physically kill them, it could be swaying them to his political advantage, swaying them against better judgement and against the godly, trapping them in their own desires and hungers, charging tremendous usury that they will never get out from under, feeding off the charity resources that were meant for the truly needy, etc.
We saw in kjv@Psalms:10 a preoccupation of the wicked with the poor. Here we see the object of this preoccupation: warring against the righteous. The question applies to the foundations of our society. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The righteous have been told that their faith is personal, to be separated from government, but it is government where the foundations are laid. David asks "How can you say to my soul flee as a bird...?"
David was a king and a politician. Can you imagine a king or politician now days saying something like this? or publishing it in a song book? In the kings house especially there is such an importance to setting the mood and timber of those serving and surrounding the throne. Not every ruler is strong enough to to do this as it creates many enemies but, it certainly has great advantage.
David frequently considers not only his own mortality but God's eternity. Here he includes our universe as well. The earth and heavens were made to perish and be replaced. The children of His servants shall continue and their seed be established. By sequence, it tells me that our final dwelling is somewhere beyond this present universe.
This is my favorite psalm, the first that I attempted to memorize as a young Christian. It explains the Lord's doings in a way that I can understand and is compact/concise. It is perfect for meditation as well.
An illustrative way to to look at the creation all around us to find God behind and within it all. Interesting that such a lengthy section dwells on water often used to poetically to symbolize judgement. That the earth would be refreshed by it, that the birds and fouls and beasts would gather round it's springs, that the raging floods of it would be later rebuked and contained, that it would nourish and grow the grasses and trees essential to all all life.
All this He did for the purpose that they might observe His statutes and keep His law. We might say well they didn't really do that, at least not for long. Is that to say that God was wrong or had failed? That God could have found a better way? Or is that to say that it was and is the right way? That by us failing to do this by our own means serves to draw us toward His son the true fulfillment of statute and law? Surely God's doings each and every one are perfect and without failing.
They sacrificed sons and daughters to devils. If the notion is true that all paths lead to God, we would have to say no they sacrificed unto other forms of the same God. Then why would God be so angry and show His displeasure in so many ways? One must ask where do other forms of gods come from? How do they develop the forms of influence that they do and sway so many well intended people? Would they of sacrificed if they had known that behind these gods were literal devils? How is it that despite all these God given miracles and large wondrous mercies that they would still sacrifice to devils and learn of others idolatrous works?
Then they cried unto the Lord. Over and over we see men working themselves into desperate situations. Most of their own making, some as a consequence of the stormy waters where they conduct their business. God brings them low, they cry out, God does merciful acts to deliver them. To observe this is to understand the lovingkindness of the LORD. Where then do we stand today? What can we do? Well just as frequent is the refrain "Oh that men would praise the LORD...."
Vain is the help of man. It is said "I get by with a little help from my friends". There is certainly a time and place for this type of help. There is a time and place for a much greater help though as well. I can not think of what I would do facing those times had I not had my faith and God going forth in front of me. Friends can surely be comforting as well as discomforting. They can think that they are saying the right things and they can speak before thinking too. We take that for what it is. But there are times when sheer valor is required, we need our foundation set upon the Rock; that would be most all the time now it seems.
This world is filled with the truly poor and needy. There are countries we can think of that are in a constant oppressive state, countries where it's own refugees are congregated in camps just across it's borders, some for years and decades. We pray for them of course but, what to pray? There are people in the name of the Lord that are standing up for these people but they are lied against, falsely detained, immobilized. We pray for them but, what? There are those that are at the root of this. What shall we pray for them? David must have been square in the middle of some of these skirmishes. Is it wrong for him to pray this? Wrong to sing about this in the congregation? Will the wicked man ever change his ways once he has tasted blood in the waters?
2012 - pBiblx2 Field Wise Bible System Version 2.0.9d - GPL3
