101 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord ? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble ? 2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted ; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised . 3 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire , And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord . 4 The wicked , in the haughtiness of his countenance , does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, " There is no God ." 5 His ways prosper at all times ; Your judgments are on high , out of his sight ; As for all his adversaries , he snorts at them. 6 He says to himself , " I will not be moved ; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity ." 7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression ; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness . 8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages ; In the hiding places he kills the innocent ; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate . 9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair ; He lurks to catch the afflicted ; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net . 10 He crouches , he bows down , And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones . 11 He says to himself , "God has forgotten ; He has hidden His face ; He will never e see it."
12 Arise , O Lord ; O God , lift up Your hand . Do not forget the afflicted . 13 Why e has the wicked spurned God ? He has said to himself , "You will not require it." 14 You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand . The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan . 15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer , Seek out his wickedness until You find none . 16 The Lord is King forever and ever ; Nations have perished from His land . 17 O Lord , You have heard the desire of the humble ; You will strengthen their heart , You will incline Your ear 18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed , So that man who is of the earth will no longer e cause terror .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 10:1-20
Commentary on Psalm 10:1-11
(Read Psalm 10:1-11)
God's withdrawings are very grievous to his people, especially in times of trouble. We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain that God stands afar off from us. Passionate words against bad men do more hurt than good; if we speak of their badness, let it be to the Lord in prayer; he can make them better. The sinner proudly glories in his power and success. Wicked people will not seek after God, that is, will not call upon him. They live without prayer, and that is living without God. They have many thoughts, many objects and devices, but think not of the Lord in any of them; they have no submission to his will, nor aim for his glory. The cause of this is pride. Men think it below them to be religious. They could not break all the laws of justice and goodness toward man, if they had not first shaken off all sense of religion.
Commentary on Psalm 10:12-18
(Read Psalm 10:12-18)
The psalmist speaks with astonishment, at the wickedness of the wicked, and at the patience and forbearance of God. God prepares the heart for prayer, by kindling holy desires, and strengthening our most holy faith, fixing the thoughts, and raising the affections, and then he graciously accepts the prayer. The preparation of the heart is from the Lord, and we must seek unto him for it. Let the poor, afflicted, persecuted, or tempted believer recollect, that Satan is the prince of this world, and that he is the father of all the ungodly. The children of God cannot expect kindness, truth, or justice from such persons as crucified the Lord of glory. But this once suffering Jesus, now reigns as King over all the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Let us commit ourselves unto him, humbly trusting in his mercy. He will rescue the believer from every temptation, and break the arm of every wicked oppressor, and bruise Satan under our feet shortly. But in heaven alone will all sin and temptation be shut out, though in this life the believer has a foretaste of deliverance.