Psalm 10

A Bible Devotion from Psalm 10

The Lord is King Forever and Ever

Why. O Lord, do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? . . . The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

The 10th Psalm, verses 1-2 and 16-18, NKJV

This is a very interesting Psalm and one that is extremely practical for us today. The theme, again, is the state of the wicked and the response of God. As we work our way through the 10th Psalm, let us ponder this question. Is God Just?

This Psalm gives a very detailed account of the wicked. In our culture, we tend to think of the wicked as the axe murders, etc. We really don't have a realistic view of the wicked from God's perspective. Here are some traits applied to the wicked:

The wicked persecutes the poor.
The wicked boasts of his heart's desire.
The wicked blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
The wicked is proud and does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
The wicked are always prospering; he sneers at his enemies.
The wicked thinks he will never suffer adversity.
The wicked's mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and sin.
The wicked murders the innocent secretly; he secretly fixes his eyes on the helpless.
The wicked sets snares to catch the poor.
The wicked says, God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.

That is a rather disturbing list, but we must say, an accurate description of the wicked. What is even more disturbing is the fact that many of those who demonstrate these traits in our day are the popular, great athletes, movie stars, and the list goes on. As a matter of fact, many of these are people our children "worship" every day!

So, what should be our response? How can we protect our children from the wicked who thrive everywhere our children go?

'First of all, teach your children the truths of God's Word, and teach them the importance of always comparing people in light of God's Word. We are not to compare people with other people, but rather, we must compare people to God.'

Second of all, pray for the wicked, for such were we before God shone His light of salvation upon us. Often we are quick to condemn people as though there is no possibility of change. Remember, the Apostle Paul murdered Christians before the Lord reached down and saved him!

Thirdly, we must examine our own hearts and honestly compare our hearts to God's Word, not to those around us. Just as we should not compare people to other people, we must not compare ourselves to other people. How do we look when we compare ourselves to God?

Today, as you go about your life, pray that God will keep you humble, especially regarding the wicked around you. Pray that God will enable you to see your own sins so that you may come before Him in repentance, seeking His help to overcome your sins. Last of all, pray for the wicked that God would fill their hearts with His love and salvation.

Let us remember that there is hope--not because of us, but because of the Lord. The psalmist ended Psalm 10 with these glorious words of praise to God.

The LORD is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land.
LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Who is the man of the earth? Satan! God will do justice, for at the end of time Satan, all of his angels, and all of the wicked who have refused to come to Christ, will be cast into the eternal lake of fire, forever!Why? Because God is a God of justice. Where sin goes unpunished there is no justice!The Lord is King forever and ever!

Amen! So come quickly Lord Jesus!

Next: Psalm 11, The Lord is in His Holy Temple