시편 Chapter 10

Translation: ESV

1

Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Key Message

When God seems silent, bringing that confusion honestly before God is an expression of faith.

▸Psalm 10 begins by honestly expressing a faith crisis in which God seems silent and far away.

Psalm 10 begins by honestly expressing a faith crisis in which God seems silent and far away. The question 'Why do you stand far away?' theologically challenges God's absence — Scripture permits even the deepest doubts and confusions of the believer to be brought in prayer. This is not despair but an appeal directed toward God.

Related Verses

O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you 'Violence!' and you will not save?
4

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."

Key Message

Practical atheism — the belief that God does not observe — is the wicked's fundamental attitude and the cause of moral licentiousness.

▸The fundamental problem of the wicked is, alongside arrogance, the practical atheism of 'there is no God' (Elohim bal dorosh).

12

Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.

Key Message

Even when God seems to be silent, boldly seeking his intervention is the believer's prayer — God does not forget the afflicted.

▸This verse, transitioning from lament to petition, urges God to take action.

17

O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Key Message

God not only hears the desires of the humble but also strengthens their hearts — prayer is a process in which God transforms the pray-er.

▸This verse, where lament transitions to assurance, declares that God hears the desires of the humble (anavim).

18

to do justice for the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Key Message

God is the righteous judge for the most vulnerable — orphans and the oppressed — and will surely judge threats against them.

▸The conclusion of Psalm 10 ends with the promise of God's judgment for orphans and the oppressed.