Applying The Psalms (Psalm 10)

When God Delays

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

Psalm 10:1

     One of the most difficult times for faithful saints is when trouble strikes and God does not immediately come to our aid. In the case of the psalmist he compared it to God hiding when He was needed most. This becomes especially troubling when evil seems to be entirely unfettered to run rampant, even trampling good people striving to remain faithful to their God. Why doesn’t God destroy all evil right now? Why does God allow wickedness not just to exist, but even prosper?

     History is replete with instances of God sending His terrible “days of the Lord” upon wicked nations and people. Where are the wicked empires of Babylon, Persia, and Rome? They each faced their days of God’s wrath and faded into the dusty annuls of history as a result. Yet many faithful people were forced to suffer tremendously during their wicked, tyrannical reigns. Undoubtedly those hurting souls poured their hearts out before God on a daily basis asking why He permitted such wickedness to exist? Take a moment to read the three short chapters of Habakkuk to see an extraordinarily faithful man discussing these very things with God.

     When God delays there are certain things we need to keep in the forefront of our minds:

1. God, in His unsearchable wisdom, acts in His time (Eccl. 3:11; 1 Timothy 6:15).

2. God’s delays do not mean He has answered “no” to our prayers. 

3. One cannot claim to have lasting faith until that faith has been tested. God’s delays             provide the testing grounds (Hebrews 12:3-7).

4. God loves His children and will never allow them to be tried beyond their ability to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

5. The ultimate reward for perseverance is beyond description (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

     So take heart!  When God acts it is always to the benefit of His people!       

The False Security Of The Wicked

“Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, ‘You will not call to account?’  But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands…”

Psalm 10:13-14

     One would have been hard pressed to find a more favorably situated nation than that of Edom. Their cities were high upon the mountains and nearly impossible to attack (Obadiah 1:3), they were very wealthy (Obadiah 1:6), they had many friends (Obadiah 1:7), they were known for their great wisdom (Obadiah 1:8), and they were mighty in war (Obadiah 1:9). They were also exceedingly wicked (Obadiah 1:10-18). 

     I encourage you to take a moment to consider the verses referenced above. Did you notice how God took every reason for their arrogance and used it against them? None could reach their heights? God would see them brought down. They gloried in their wealth? God would see them pillaged. They boasted in their wisdom? God would remove it. They were confident in their mighty warriors? God would see them dismayed. God ultimately destroyed everything Edom glorified in and felt secure because of. Being brothers to Jacob they undoubtedly knew God. However, they responded to Him precisely as the psalmist described in Psalm 10:13. They renounced God and confidently asserted that He would never call them into account for their attitudes and actions. The fact that they no longer exist demonstrates the folly of their conclusions.

      The simple truth is that there is no reason for the ungodly to ever feel secure. They may build their cities upon the highest mountains, accumulate great wealth, build massive walls, recruit the wisest, and train the mightiest. If they renounce God they will be destroyed (Psalm 2). Should they be permitted to live a full life and never have to answer for their actions while living, things will change the very moment after their deaths (Luke 16:22-23).

     God’s people should take great comfort in knowing that God does indeed see the behavior of the wicked and judges it accordingly. He knows when the wicked do violence to the righteous and He will call them into account for it in His time. When He does He will “break the arm of the wicked and evildoer” (10:15).