They hate injustice. They want things Fair and just for everyone.
Injustice is everywhere we go. I think I can confidently say that almost every person alive on the planet today has or will soon experience injustice to some degree. A mere slap on the head of a child by a parent is often an injustice administered by an impatient parent. I know that from first-hand experience on both ends of that spectrum.
Injustice comes in many forms. It can be mild and hardly noticeable at times. A child can receive two cookies while another receives only one. Or an attractive woman can be excused for exceeding the speed limit while another less attractive female or male can receive harsher treatment.
When we interact with other humans there is an inherent risk that we might experience injustice during any interaction with another fellow human. It’s part of the wonderful human experience. (sarcasm alert) People treat us unfairly. In response, we double our efforts to treat others harshly in kind.
We’re not all bad — are we?
I know, we’re not all bad, but we’ve all been unkind to others at times. Often times we have been brutal.
We could try living in the forest with the bears, badgers, and bats but that would only last for so long. Knowing human nature as I do, I suspect after a while the lonely human living in the forest would blame the badgers for not respecting him. Then the human would form a plot with the bears to unjustly eliminate all badgers from the forest. Injustice is the norm when humans are involved. Sorry if I’m offending your human nature but in this matter the truth is clear. Humans are unjust toward others. But if injustice should be inflicted upon us, we will cry to the heavens and to hell and back because of it. It’s overlooked when we are unjust toward others, but if we receive it then we cry for our rights and will severely punish those who dared to be unfair to us.
In Psalm ten, we see the author express what many good people have endured for thousands of years. When evil people rule, they take advantage of others. Injustice resides in the courts, governments, and city halls in all the nations of today and throughout mankind’s history. The writer of the Psalm, King David was unjust to others. And others were unjust to him.
Are there any good people?
Let me clear something up before I go further. There are no good people per se. We all have a bit of bad in us.
I think I got an extra helping of it myself. 🙂
It’s enough to keep us out of heaven without God’s assistance to help us qualify. The Father sent his Son in order to cleanse us from our unjust ways among other glaring problems we may have.
According to the biblical record, there are no genuinely good people. Many of us try to be good to others and show kindness and respect as often as we can. But we all fail in these efforts. When push comes to shove, and it often does, we are selfish people who are prone to look out for ourselves first.
Mark 10:18
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good-except God alone.”
“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
So, with that introduction to the Psalm, let’s see how David expressed the ongoing frustration many people have with the injustice they see in their lives and those of many others.
Psalm 10:1 God, why don’t you do something about injustice?
“Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
One of the first things expressed is how it seems the Lord stands off and watches it happen. We want swift and immediate justice but that has never been the way God operates. It’s a hard lesson to learn, especially when we experience it firsthand. This is how many react to God. It turns many people away from God because they don’t take the time to understand the way of God’s character. Patience is a virtue until it’s us who are required to endure it.
Psalm 10:2 The proud pursue the poor
“In arrogance, the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.”
Proud people prey on the poor and less fortunate. Do you sometimes ever wonder why it’s only mean people who are ever in charge? Have there ever been nice dictators? David, the writer of this Psalm was considered a good man. But he was also a great warrior who cruelly defeated his enemies. He murdered a man so he could steal his wife. Good people are never in charge because, by God’s standards, there are no good people. Power corrupts all people who touch it.
Psalm 10:3 The wicked always want more injustice.
“For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.”
Wicked people desire things and boast about their plans to get what they want. They are profane with their lips and curse the God who created them, giving them life to pursue their selfish dreams. And remember, we all have a little wicked in us. The more power, position, or wealth we have the more willing we are to display our personal wickedness.
Psalm 10:4 The proud claim there is no God
“In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
The prideful person does not seek God. He puts God out of his thoughts by claiming he doesn’t exist. It works for him, but it doesn’t remove God from his heavenly throne. One day the prideful person will meet the One who supposedly never existed. That will be uncomfortable.
Psalm 10:5 The wicked prosper when injustice increases.
“His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.”
The proud are high and above the affairs of the common men and women. There is no need to be fair to the little people. Famous athletes are notorious for claiming they don’t even know the names of lesser athletes whom they hold in disdain. When the rich and famous reach those higher levels, they hold their noses, and “puffs at them,” is how David describes it.
Psalm 10:6 They think hard times will never arrive
“He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations, I shall not meet adversity.”
Pride makes a person think he or she will never be touched by adversity. Many leaders, or wealthy people, or the powerful protect themselves with armed guards and thick walls to keep trouble away from them. It works for a while, but never forever.
Psalm 10:7 A cesspool of sin and iniquity
“His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.”
Their foul language lies, and sin reveals the character and heart of the rich and famous. Never mind their lavish homes, cars, and wardrobes. Their mouths are a cesspool of filth. Their minds contrive evil on unimagined levels because they think nothing can touch them.
They are mistaken.
Psalm 10:8 The innocent are murdered as injustice takes over.
“He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places, he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless.”
He will think nothing of taking the life of innocent people. The souls of other humans are toys for the powerful and proud. It’s chilling to see how easy life is snuffed out by the hands of other humans. The powerful in this case could be a young gang-banger who wants to impress the gang leader. Put a gun or knife in the hands of such a person and we know the results. Innocent people die every day because of injustice. Every day the innocent die, but if we are honest, many others die in their own efforts to get the upper hand on others.
Psalm 10:9 The lion hunts to eat.
“He lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket, he lurks that he may seize the poor, he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.”
A lion hides in the thick brush stalking a gazelle. The lion hunts to eat. The proud, and powerful hunt for sport and feed their sick hearts. Cruelty breeds more of the same. The beast must be killed in the end. The Lord will handle that. We don’t like to talk about God’s wrath, but this ongoing injustice must be stopped. The world cries for justice but ignores the Lord who promises he will solve it.
Psalm 10:10 Are the helpless hopeless?
“The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.”
The helpless have no answer or protection from the rich and powerful. Their only help will come from the Lord. Part of the agony of life is waiting for that justice. Sometimes it only comes in eternity. Eventually, the Lord Jesus will step through from the other side and say Enough!
Psalm 10:11 Has God forgotten fairness?
“He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
It’s hard to ignore the obvious when injustice and unfair treatment occurs. It happens around the world every day, in every country and society. The Bible says the meek will inherit the earth. Darwin’s theory of evolution says the strong will survive. The two thoughts stand in stark contrast. God’s truth will survive, not the strong. The strong who take advantage of the weak will face punishment in the end. It’s fair and just. God is a just God and he will see to that.
Psalm 10:12 Get up Lord. Help us!
“Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.”
Here David cries along with many others who suffer through injustice. Get up Lord, please answer the cry of the afflicted. How long must we wait? Unfortunately, it always happens in God’s timing. That’s a hard pill to swallow. We don’t like to wait. Part of it is our own sense of vengeance. We want others to suffer as we have.
Psalm 10:13 The wicked keep cursing God. They love injustice.
“Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?”
The wicked people curse God. They say he doesn’t exist and they will never have to give an account for their sins. If there is no God, then there is no such thing as sin, they imagine. The good people who try to live by God’s standards cry for justice.
Psalm 10:14 God takes note of the problem of injustice.
“But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you, the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.”
David knows that God sees all this. God keeps a record of the wrongs done against the helpless. David knows that the Lord has helped orphans in the past. With this knowledge, he assures himself it will happen again. This is a foundational truth we all must try to understand. The Bible records God’s acts of mercy in the past. We count on God’s faithfulness to act according to his good character in the future. But we must remember to wait patiently. Also, we should remember that God is merciful to the unmerciful wicked. He gives them many chances to change their ways.
Psalm 10:15 The broken arm of the powerful
“Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.”
A day will come when the strong arm of the powerful will be broken. Not soon enough, we can say, but still, we need to wait. God determines the time.
Psalm 10:16 God will outlast them
“The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.”
Every nation and leader will perish. God will outlast them all. All the injustice will be accounted for and justly punished. The wicked can curse and avoid their guilt but it won’t last forever.
Psalm 10:17 God hears the cry of the afflicted
“O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.”
God hears when the afflicted cry for help. He gives them strength if they pursue it. But that strength often comes through a lot of prayer and reading. It’s important that we understand the plan and paths of God. We need to let him mold our hearts to be like his. When we cry for immediate justice for ourselves, we are misunderstanding the mercy of God. Our justice can wait for God’s plan. It builds our character.
Psalm 10:18 The orphan will be vindicated.
“To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”
The Lord will clear up every injustice. He will satisfy the hungry orphan with bread. The people who have imagined the terror and put their evil plans in motion will have their just punishment in the end.
White Stone Watcher
Hello readers,
I’ve served as a children and youth pastor for over three decades. It was a great honor and pleasure to serve the Lord in that way. It’s been my prayer, that many of them will learn of Jesus’ love and decide to commit their lives to follow Him.
I wrote the fiction story, ‘White Stone Watcher’ for them and their parents. In the story, we see a young man, and his best friend, Amanda. They face the normal challenges that today’s kids face at school. But with one huge difference.
Their challenge is twelve feet tall to be exact with an enormous set of six wings. Just like the prophet Isaiah saw in the throne room of God. He’s a Watcher, an angelic being who is still invisible to Amanda. The messenger from God is about to lead both of them on a spiritual journey. They find they can’t escape the unseen war that rages all around them. They will become key players that God will use in the battle between the Sons of Darkness and the Children of Light.
I invite you to pray about a youth that might enjoy and benefit from this story. As the world grows darker, our youth must become aware that the Lord is calling them to join the Children of Light in the fight for what is righteous. We’re all involved, whether we realize it or not. If they won’t go to church, maybe they’ll read a book about someone just like them facing challenges at school.
God is calling them.
Praying for the youth, and spiritual awakening.
Let me know what you think.