Psalm 11

Some sort of crisis has presented itself to David.  It’s big enough that it looks like the very foundations of his society are about to crumble, and it has his closest advisors worried, ready to run.  But David seeks asylum in God.  What he knows of his God prevents his own panic, and can prevent ours.

Verses 1-2.  Someone is trying to convince David to leave and hide in the mountains.  But this strikes him as ridiculous, as incompatible with his faith.  The bow and arrow here probably represent the false words and accusations of enemies, ready to strike down God’s anointed, David. 

Verse 3. ‘foundations’ is probably a metaphor for the very order of society, established institutions and civil order.  Anarchy is upon them. 

Verse 4. David has been walking with God for years, and knows that ultimately, even his throne is in the hands of the true king, whose throne is unshakable.  His faith is fixed on the sovereign Lord, not human institutions.  It is easy to find comfort and even salvation in good, godly institutions.  They are gifts from above, for sure.  But our confidence is not in good schools, godly elected leaders in government, or even a great church.

Eyelids/see and test - This denotes careful examination.  First, God beholds, looks intently, gazes at.  This is divine investigation, full awareness of all human activity.  Second, God tests, literally as the smith purifies gold or silver. God’s knowledge of us is not passive, but evaluative. Think of the way you watch your children when you have specifically directed them to do something.  You watch their motives, their method, their every move, not out of spite but out of love and desire to see them grow into a right and true character. God tests us, and it’s often painful.  ‘The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.’ Proverbs 17:3.  We don’t like to think about this, the fact that God may actually SEND pain into our lives.  But he is much more concerned with the state of our hearts than our current enjoyment of circumstances.

Verses 5-6. “The Lord may have been testing David’s faith with the threat of anarchy and persecution, for in the Bible they are often God’s way of proving the faith of believers” (Ross). Eventually the wicked will be judged, as we see in the two images of judgment here: fiery coals and burning sulfur, and a scorching wind.  In the middle East, the hot wind blows over the desert and turns all living things into withered plants over night.  This is the future of the wicked.  

Verse 7. This is ultimately our confidence - the character of our God.  Our future is seeing his face. As Van Gemeren states, “To see the face of God is an expression of deliverance from adversity, of close communion, and of the reality of God’s blessed presence in this world and in the world to come.”

Food for thought:

1. What human institutions (marriage, church, public/private/home school) are you tempted to put ultimate trust in instead of God himself?
2. Where might God be testing you right now?

Psalm 10

Oftentimes it seems that those who ignore God, or live as if he does not exist, abusing the weak and exploiting others, prosper wildly, seemingly unchecked.  Meanwhile those who acknowledge and worship him, caring for the “least of these” may be seriously struggling.  “It is a function of the Psalms to touch the nerve of this problem and keep its pain alive, against the comfort of our familiarity, or indeed complicity, with a corrupt world.” (Kidner)  This is Psalm 10 - predator and prey, strong and helpless, and a God who is decidedly on the side of the underdog.

Verse 1. This is the question our hearts very often want to scream out to God, especially when we know the situation is something close to his heart.  Though he is never far away or hidden, he certainly can feel that way to us.

Verses 2-4. Powerful, wicked people are using the weak in their schemes to get what they want.  This may be a tyrannical ruler in a country far away, but it may also be a ruthless businessman down the street who ruins others’ investments while walking away with a fortune. They purposely avoid God, believing they will never be brought to justice.

Verses 5-6. Because God has not yet judged them, they become more brazen, bold, confident.  Think of the slumlord who charges a ridiculous rent to the new immigrant or refugee living in his property.  He does so well he buys more buildings to exploit more people. 

Verses 7-10. Their attacks are sudden, secret, stealthy. And the afflicted person is no match for these planned ambushes.  One cannot help but think again of young girls sold into sex trafficking.  Also the title pawn business comes to mind, charging ridiculous amounts of interest on loans to the already working poor.

Verse 11. Once again, the wicked utterly disregard the Lord.  “They mistake God’s patience with evil for God’s lack of interest in justice and the innocent victims of injustice” (Van Gemeren)  Maybe it’s the computer hacker team who manages to steal the credit card numbers of thousands of people.  Perhaps it’s the sex offender who slowly reels in another child victim. 

Verses 12-15.  Asking God to ‘arise’ is asking him to act.  The Psalmist knows that God has been the ‘helper of the fatherless’.  He knows God cares for these weak and defenseless people.  The word here for ‘helper’ often describes God; it means that he is able to do for people what they cannot do for themselves.  The writer prays that God would break the power of the wicked.  

Verses 16-18. The hope of this unjust world lies in the Lord. The fatherless and the oppressed are the class of people who are most easily wronged.  ‘you encourage’, ‘you listen’ - these are progressive imperfects, meaning this is what God is now already doing as a result of having heard the pleas of the psalmist.  He is still the eternal king of glory, in charge, the ultimate victor.  He is just and will bring the wicked to account.  They will answer to the judge for what they do.  And those children of God who are preyed upon will be rescued.  

What does this mean for OUR prayers? It means God cares about the foster children in our congregation.  And so our prayers for them should be bold, confident.  It means God is on the side of the widow and the orphan in countries where they are ruled by horrible, despotic rulers.  And so our prayers for them should hold God’s promise and his own words before him, asking him to do something about what he cares about.  It means that God hears us when we are the victims, the helpless, the ones at the mercy of the merciless, whatever that might look like.  

Food for thought: 

1. When you pray for such issues as justice for the oppressed in some category, do you expect God to act? Have you decided he doesn't care? 

2.  What are some things you know God cares about after studying this Psalm that you can take to him and hold him to his word?

Psalm 9

Psalm 9 is an incomplete acrostic psalm, using the 11 hebrew letters aleph-kaph.  Some scholars have argued that this may have been imposed on the psalm, but it bears mentioning if for no other reason than to remind us again that this is not a letter or prose.  It is an artful song, lyrics to be sung to a God who hears.  While beginning as a song of thanksgiving, it turns into a prayer for the righteous judge to act.

Verses 1-2. David exhorts himself to praise the Lord, not only as a therapy to forget his troubles for a moment, but to deepen his trust in the Lord. (Van Gemeren)  David knows that the right ordering of his world and heart begins with worship.  And so whether he feels the particular inclination to sing to God at that very moment or not, he pushes himself to do it.  Are we not the same in our need?

Verses 3-6.  Apparently the Lord has won some victory for David. Not only has he won, but God has “blotted out their name”. These are present perfect verbs, meaning they have continuing results.  God continues to rebuke, destroy and blot out their character and evil nature, removing even the memory of their acts. 

Verses 7-10.  God is absolutely sovereign and will judge those who oppress others.  This is what makes him such a refuge.  He WILL WIN, and will stand by “those who seek you” - literally “your seekers”.  Here again we are named with a wonderful name; we are God’s seekers, to be added to the title “beloved”. 

Verses 11-14. afflicted - the poor, wretched, weak, helpless, humble.  They are overwhelmed by their sense of need and inability to deal with their situation (Van Gemeren).  This is us.  This is also the small girl who lives in the trash dump in India, the child in the US who is at the mercy of the state to find them a permanent home, and the woman who is told a lie and sold into prostitution in Thailand. The sovereign judge has not forgotten the cry of the afflicted.  And those who trust in him will be delivered, some not until the day they meet their righteous judge.  

Knowing that he will be heard, David again pleads with God for his help.

Verses 15-18.  The verbs here are prophetic perfects, meaning that David has such confidence in God acting again for him as he has in the past, that he speaks of sure victory over his enemies. 

return to Sheol - Note here that those who hate God will not just be sent to death, they will return to it; it is their native land.

Verses 19-20. The word used here for man is one that emphasizes his frailty.  Man is dust, a vapor that rises and is gone.  Only God gives man his dignity.  God’s judgement reveals the reality of God to the world.  And only when we realize our own weakness and helplessness can we really understand who God is. 

Food for thought:

1. When do you worship and thank God? Do you do it outside of Sunday, not just singing songs, but marveling at him, thanking him for things?  Do you make yourself do it when you don’t feel like doing it? What would it be like to choose to worship at some point this week when your heart and mind want to do anything but that?
2. How does God’s concern for the afflicted (verses 11-14) change your perspective on the suffering in the world? Or does it? What does this mean for how we pray for those who suffer?