For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 10 – The Ways of the Wicked

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, ‘Nothing will ever shake me.’
    He swears, ‘No one will ever do me harm.’

7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9     like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, ‘God will never notice;
    he covers his face and never sees.’

12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
    Why does he say to himself,
    ‘He won’t call me to account’?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
    you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
    the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

A. Find Out:

1. Where does the Lord appear to be to David? v.1
2. What are the characteristics of the wicked? v.2-11
3. What does the wicked do? v.2-11
4. What does David ask the Lord to do? v.12,15
5. How does he see the Lord? v.16
6. What does the Lord do? v.14,17,18

B. Think:

1. Make a list of a) the characteristics and b) the actions of the wicked, seen here in v.2-11
2. How does David seek to spur the Lord on to action?
3. How does faith eventually break through in this Psalm?

C. Comment:

     As David thinks about the wicked, it seems to him, for a moment, as if the Lord stands at a distance, for He doesn’t seem to be there when things are going badly. Lord where are you, is a familiar cry. David is very much aware of the wicked around him, the arrogant, proud, and haughty who attack the weak, who do evil and revile the Lord, who seem to “get away with it” so often.

     So David calls on the Lord to rise up and come and deal with them, but as he does that he is suddenly conscious of the Lord’s activity towards the weak. He helps victims, He helps the fatherless, He helps the oppressed. Yes people do get into all of these conditions but the Lord sees, understands, and comes to help. That is a theme that arises again and again in Scripture: God who helps the underdog.

    Also as David calls on God to intervene, faith is released, and he proclaims the truth concerning the Lord’s kingship. Yes the Lord IS King and so the enemies of Israel WILL be dealt with. When we become over-aware of the wicked, we do well to get it in perspective and remember the Lord who reigns, who permits their activity – for the time being!

D. Application?

1. Sin does create evil activity, but the Lord moves in the midst of it, to redeem men and women.
2. The Lord IS king!