Psalm 10

Introduction:

There are two kinds of atheism in the psalms.  One is a theoretical atheism, the kind that we normally think of when we use the words atheist or atheism.  It is described in Psalms 14 and 53, for instance.  These psalms are almost identical.  they begin with the well-known words, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” This person really believes that God does not exist though the psalmist says he is a fool to think so.The other kind of atheism is a functional or practical atheism.  The practical atheist might acknowledge that there is a God, might go to church and may even take an active role in church affairs.  However, the practical atheist lives and behaves as if God did not exist.  It is his person that Psalm 10 describes. vs.4

6 Characteristics of Practical Atheism:

• vs.2 - The first characteristic of the practical atheist is Pride.

Pride... the recurring source of the root of all sin.

• vs.3-4 - The second characteristic of the practical atheist is a Boasting Tongue.

It makes perfect sense that a heart filled with pride produces boasting.This is a pretty decent test of the heart.I once heard about a party game where the guests were all given 5 paper clips.  All throughout the evening, whenever someone heard you talk about yourself they were allowed to take one paper clip from that person.  The person who won didn’t say a word the entire night.Boasting comes naturally to us... pride is hard wired into our systems.  How often do you steer conversations back to yourself?  And, why do you do it?

• vs.5 - The third characteristic of the practical atheist is that they have a false sense of prosperity and self importance.

“Some, like foolish children, are made to keep a great stir in the world for very trifles, for a vain show; they think themselves great, honorable, excellent, and for this make a great bustle, when the world hath not added on cubit to their stature of real worth” (Richard Gilpin - 17^th century English theologian)In this verse lies one of the most problematic issues that so many believers struggle with even today, as David did.  It’s the question of why God allows the wicked to prosper in this world.Of course, we can always say, “They’ll get theirs in the end.”  But how much real comfort does that give to a person who is suffering, watching their unsaved business associates or family friends prospering in the very area where they struggle.Why does God allow the wicked to prosper?Let me ask you another question... which is worse... falling from a chair or falling from a 10 story building?Let me add to this question... which would you rather be pushed from?Understand, that as the Psalm develops the metaphor that the author returns to is one of God building up the wicked for a fall.And it’s important to understand the concept of God’s Omniscience here... God knows who will chose Him and who, no matter what the circumstance, no matter what the message, no matter who is the messenger, will reject Him.With that knowledge God sets up the wicked for a fall.While being pushed off of a chair of our own creation is painful and wildly unpleasant, how gracious of God to not allow us continue building upon our accomplishments, health, self-worth, finances, etc. if it will mean a bigger, more destructive fall for our lives.Could it be that the righteous suffer and sometimes go without because God cares?Spurgeon once said, “It is hard to pray with a stiff neck and an unbending knee.” The author builds on this idea in vs.6

• vs.6 - The fourth characteristic of the practical atheist is that they have a false sense of security.

I think, one of the greatest actualizations of this mindset and the resulting fall comes from Benito Mussolini at the conclusion of WWII.  After Mussolini was shot at and nearly killed on one occasion he laughed and said, “The bullet has never been made that can kill me.”  A few short years later Mussolini was killed by two bullets to the chest.

• vs.7 - The fifth characteristic of the practical atheist is vile speech.

I was reading C.S. Lewis’ “Reflection on the Psalms” book recently and I came across a quote concerning this idea of vile speech that I though offered an interesting point, “I had half expected that in a simpler and more violent age when more evil was done with the knife, the big stick, and the firebrand, less would be done by talk.  But in reality the psalmists mention hardly any kind of evil more often than this one, which the most civilized societies share . . . It is all over the Psalter.  One almost hears the incessant whispering, tattling, lying, scolding, flattery and circulation of rumors.  no historical readjustments are here required, we are in the world we know.” (pg.75)

• vs.8-11 - The final distinct characteristic of the practical atheist is violence.

Portrayed, by the author, with three images: an assassin (vs.8), a lion (vs.9), and a hunter (vs.9).Verse 10 describes the result of the wicked persons violence while verse 11 describes the conclusion the godless man draws from the result.

The Believer’s Response to Practical Atheism:

• vs.12 - Ask God to intervene on behalf of the righteous.
• vs.13 - Remind yourself why the wicked behave and respond to God the way that they do.  Those who do not have a saving knowledge of God live in darkness and must respond to that darkness without true light.
• vs.14,15 - Worship a God sees, hears and knows the plight of the righteous.  Worship a God who is just in His judgments.  Commit yourself to God the Father.
• vs.16 - Think on the coming Eternal Kingdom of YHWH.  This is actually the focus of the entire passage, as we’ll discuss in a moment.

Conclusion:

• vs.17-18

Like many other psalms, this one concludes with eager anticipation that God would indeed take action and would respond to the pleas of the writer.  The psalmist verifies that God is in control and will continue to act on behalf of those who cannot help themselves. (vs.16-18)

The Prophetic Nature of Psalm 9 and 10

• Psalm 9 and 10 are also prophetic in character as it looks to the future of the coming of the lawless one... namely the Anti-christ.
• This is not only seen in the language but perhaps more clearly seen in the irregular acrostic of the Hebrew Alphabet that connects the two Psalms.
• In Psalm 9 only one letter is omitted, the fourth letter, the daleth.
• Four, in scripture, is the number of earth and world order.
• Ten, the number of letters used in the acrostic in Psalm 9, is the number that depicts human responsibility (i.e. the 10 Commandments)
• In Psalm 10 there is an intentional gap in the acrostic of 6 letters, signified by 6 verses that are without a letter.
• The number 6 is the number of man, and preeminently it is the number of the devil’s man.
• The author of these texts is drawing the readers attention in Psalm 9 to Israel’s trouble during a time of chaotic world order and in Psalm 10 to the bothersome idea that these troubles will intensify from within their own land. (i.e. through the rising of one claiming to be King of the Jews)
• In vs.2 the word “wicked” is the Hebrew word for the lawless man.  In 2 Thessalonians 2:7-9 the beast that comes from the ground, meaning the Anti-christ, is actually described as “the lawless one.”
• The expression, “the lawless one” or “the wicked man” occurs seven times in the two Psalms (9:5,16; 10:2,3,4,13,15) and throughout it is used in the singular tense.
• Meaning that it has to do not just with lawless men in general but with the lawless one in particular.
• It’s important to remember that, despite the author’s hopeless tone, we see the eternal Kingship of YHWH in vs.16 bring our perspective full circle.