Psalm Chapter 10

Psalm 10:1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

Sometimes it just may seem as if the Lord is not hearing or answering prayer. There are times when it seems as if God is far away. Yet, I wonder if those are the times when He is closer than we think.

If we have received Jesus Christ in our lives and it seems as if He is far away, it may be a time of testing to try our faith or it may be something we don't understand at the present time but will understand better later in life or when we see the Lord. There are times, however that we have allowed sin back into our lives and God is trying to wake us up and get us back into fellowship with Him.

Everything that happens is not necessarily God trying to correct something wrong in our lives though; sometimes Satan is just tempting us into unbelief. No matter what the cause of the trouble, it is a time when we must hold onto faith and the rely on the written word remaining steadfast and unmovable.

A few weeks ago I went though a time that I went a whole day feeling awful. Not physically but spiritually. I didn't feel the presence of God. Nothing bad happened but I just went the whole day feeling like He was just not there like before. The next day was different. I felt the presence of God and that He was close. I said to the Lord, that I was glad He was back. Then in my spirit I felt God say that "I never left." Everytime I think back to that time, I get the chills. I'm not a person that constantly hears from God like some say they do and I didn't hear an audible voice but I did hear Him speak by the Holy Spirit those three words.

We must exercise faith and not depend on feelings. I believe the feelings will come eventually but we are not to depend on them. The just shall live by his faith.

I heard a testimony in church many years ago where something happened to an individual that I can relate to as a mother of five children. This dear lady went through a divorce with a bitter custody battle concerning three children. The lady spent all she had and some that she didn't have but the courts awarded custody to the father. The father had the most money and I'm guessing the courts were thinking of the one that could best support the children. If anything else was involved I do not know.

Even though her heart was torn into pieces, I see a joy on her face that is beyond anything I have ever witnessed on someone going through such a hard battle. She radiates with the love of God. She testifies of how God is sustaining her through all this pain.

How this turned out later, I do not know. It wasn't a church that I regularly attended and it was in a different city than I live in, but I do know that if she stayed faithful to God, she will be okay. Her testimony shows us that God is present with us even when it seems things are not going our way. I somehow believe something good will come of the one in the testimony above.

Psalm 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

This has been the case for thousands of years but there is a day of retribution if the wicked do not repent. God will reward the innocent and those oppressed by the wicked but the wicked shall be turned into Hell and all who do not seek the Lord for forgiveness.

Psalm 10:3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

We see this everyday. We see greed, selfishness, covetousness and ungodly living. We see the wicked speaking against those that live righteous while commending those that live wickedly. They call evil good and good evil.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

One example of this, is the attitude some have toward those that oppose abortion. They esteem the opposition as evil and think them selves as good for upholding the right of a woman to choose.

Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Pride is the ingredient that hinders us to seeing and understanding the ways of God. Pride blocks the door and keeps truth from entering in our hearts. We must lay aside pride and humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and repent of sin. Pride sees self as good, humility sees self as in need of God.

Psalm 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.
6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

We see the traits of the wicked here:

proud
mischievous
deceitful
unfair, grievous judgments
cursing
vain

There are many other traits, those are only a few.

Psalm 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.
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.
10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

Here shows those that lie in wait to murder. In other countries this happens almost everyday. We hear in the news constantly about the murder of innocent.

In the United States our laws forbid this from happening at this present time but if it wasn't for the law, there would be those that would murder the innocent and those that stand for righteousness. I will add that the innocent unborn children are murdered in the United States. Since writing this bible study years ago and presently updating it in 2025, violence in the United States has increased. We have progressed downhill because of the 1963 ruling prayer and bible study out of public schools.

Psalm 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

How mistaken they are that think God does not see. God sees and knows all. Except we repent, we shall perish eternally.

Luke 13:4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Unless we come to Christ for forgiveness of sin and forsake that sin by the power He gives us, we will perish.

Psalm 10:12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
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.
15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

As surely as anyone sits here and reads these words, Jesus will return and judge the earth with righteousness. He hears the cries of the innocent, he hears the cry of all that are oppressed and enslaved. He hears all the cries of the innocent that are slain for the word of God. God will judge those that mistreated the innocent, ignored the starving and persecuted His people. This would include innocent children, believers in Jesus, both among the Gentiles and those among the nation of Israel, the brethren of the Lord.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Although the above scriptures were written about the future time when Jesus judges the nations, we can take it to heart as individuals and do what we can to help. These things were not written for nothing. Not one word of God will fail to be fulfilled. It will all come to pass just as He said it would. We must not take it lightly or ignore it's warnings. Individuals may not have the same power to help all, it would depend on their own circumstances and income, but we need to learn to care for others without neglecting our own families God put in our care.

I will add here that just giving people's tax money to other nations do not usually reach the poor in those nations but only make the leaders rich. There are other ways to help through missions and legitimate charities. Also trading with other countries may help. This is not an area I'm too familiar with but if God lays it on our hearts it is something to research and find out about.

Since writing the paragraph above, it is coming out now that our tax money is going to waste, fraud, money laundering and many things that we would not want it spent on. Very little if any is helping the poor. Sad.

Revelations 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

When the day of God's judgment comes we see the day of mercy close. Here are those crying out for God's judgment.

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Beloved, we do not have to face this wrath. Through Jesus Christ we can be free from sin and inherit eternal life. We can receive the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever. DC

Psalm 11

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