The notes in my Holman Christian Study Bible for Women explain chapters 9 and 10 of Psalms are united in the Septuagint and some Hebrew manuscripts. This seems logical as the opening verse continues the prayers found above instead of a new theme. The study notes also reveal the two songs form a partial acrostic, which is a common form of Hebrew poetry.
Verses 1-11
In this paragraph, David asks God why He feels so far away—why it feels God hides in times of trouble. I understand the feeling.
Watching Mom pass away, I chose to trust in God’s strength and presence even though I didn’t feel Him in an overpowering way as I have at other times. Still, He made His presence known through the kindness of friends offering support and love. They were God’s hands and hugs to me, even though I have never felt so completely alone.
David explains the work of the wicked against him, asking God to allow them to be brought down by their own actions as he prayed in Psalm 9:15-16. In verse 4, he brings out an interesting idea.
In all his scheming, the wicked arrogantly thinks, There is no accountability since God does not exist.”
This philosophy is rampant today. People riot feeling entitled to their rage, and more so because they know they can get away with it. People abort babies because “it’s just a blob of tissue,” ignoring the Creator who is making the child in His own image. When you take God out of the equation, there is no baseline for morality. God allows evil because He is gracious and slow to anger, but this does not mean He will ignore it forever. God’s judgments may be at a distance now, but they are coming.
David closes the section with another thought of the wicked man:
He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and will never see.”
The wicked tries to reason that there is no God, but in his heart, truth whispers to the contrary. I believe a true atheist is a rarity. Atheists work so hard to “disprove” God’s creation. In moments of honesty, they choose to dismiss God. In doing so they validate the truth of His existence.
Verses 12-15
David asks God to act, reminding Him the helpless are trusting Him to do so. Verse 14 reads,
You are a helper of the fatherless.
I imagine myself as a child being bullied. As my Heavenly Father towers over my enemy, his eyes widen in fear. All enemies shrink in the presence of my God. I can count on Him to deliver me.
Verses 16-18
These verses are especially dear to my heart. They remind me God’s rule is eternal, despite what I see around me today. He will deliver the helpless and humble. He will bring justice to the abused and oppressed. The traffickers and government officials bringing harm to so many will be punished. Hope will reign. Love will heal.
This post is Day 10 of the 31 Days of Journaling through the Psalms series. If you would like to read the first post, Psalm 1: The Wise and the Wicked, click here. The introduction to the series can be found here.
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