The Great Tribunal

Series on the Psalms

Text: Psalm 10

Title: The Great Tribunal

Introduction

We have already seen that Psalm 10 is a continuation of the theme of Psalm 9 calling for God’s judgment on all the enemies who persecute His people In the LXX these two Psalms are one. This is probably the original form since Psalm 10, you will notice has no superscription or title, and they form a single acrostic with the stanzas beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Both Psalms reflect on the justice of God as it terminates in the destruction of the wicked and the deliverance of His people who are identified as helpless, needy, and afflicted. Though both Psalms contain common elements, in Psalm 9 the emphasis is on praising God as his justice is proclaimed while in Psalm 10 the emphasis is on a plea for the Lord to act in the face of the delays that test the faith of the righteous as we see in verse 1, Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? While both Psalms express confidence in the Lord, Psalm 9 does so without raising the question of inequity caused by the delay in God’s judgment. Both psalms end with the same note, the puny nature of man in the face of an holy God. (9:20, 10:18) Perhaps we should assign the number of man 666 to this Psalm. In actuality Augustine called this Psalm the Psalm of the Antichrist, and some after him who believed the pope of their day to be the antichrist assigned this Psalm to him. Martin Luther says, “There is not in my judgment, a Psalm which describes the mind, the manners, the works, the words, the feelings and the fate of the ungodly with so much propriety, fullness and light as this Psalm.” We see in this Psalm the problem of the wicked, the plea and petition concerning the wicked, and the punishment of the wicked.

I. The Problem of the Wicked.

This Psalm is like a cold shower. It’s a shock. It’s a sudden dose of reality. Friendship with the world takes a beating in this Psalm. You may have very good relationships with some unbelievers who manifest integrity. I have often heard people say they relate better to some non-Christians than they do to their brothers and sisters in Christ. This may be true for the time being, but beware. Heed the pleas of Jesus to be awake and watch lest you enter temptation. We cannot live without trusting other people, but we should always have reservations. The true character of those who do not know God is set forth here. You see the pride, the prosperity, and the purpose of the wicked.

A. The Pride of the wicked

The root of the difficulty and the reason unbelievers persecute the righteous begins in verses 2-4 with arrogance, In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. Behind all the hatred and prejudice of our society, behind all the class and race struggles, behind all the gender antipathy, is pride. If a man has not been humbled before God, he has not been humbled at all, regardless of appearances. V.4 states the issue clearly. The difference between the believer and the non believer is absolute. The ungodly have no room for God in their thoughts at all. The Apostle Paul had this Psalm in mind when he wrote Romans. He quotes v.7 along with several other scriptures in Romans 3:14, His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. The entire description of a sinful world in need of salvation in Romans 1 is based on this reality. If the fundamental disposition of unbelief is not changed, watch out! That’s what ís so frightening about peer pressure in our youth as well a adults. That’s what’s so appalling about marriage to unbelievers or any kind of unequal yoke. At heart there is a complete reversal of ethical behavior. Don’t we see this all around us? Ungodly men boast of their natural cravings and justify themselves. The call bad good and good bad. You say that your unbelieving acquaintances don’t do that. Good, just don’t forget that Scripture says that, at heart, this is the way they are.

B. The Prosperity of the Wicked

In verses 5 and 6 we see the Psalmist’s complaint that the wicked prosper, His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” However it is also a description of their attitude. They are self-deceived. It is a trap. They are fools. Jesus dealt with this kind of fool in Luke 12:13-21. Notice Jesus says watch, Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. You see the real danger here is that somehow the believer will be taken in by the attitude of the wicked in blessing the greedy.

C. The Purpose of the Wicked

This is perhaps the hardest part, but the Psalm is rich in language describing this facet of the character of the ungodly and unbelieving world. The words used in this Psalm are hunt, scheme, curse, lie, threaten, lie in wait, ambush, watch in secret. The metaphor is vivid. If you were in an African village with a rogue lion roaming outside how safe would you feel about taking a walk in the jungle? This is the real world described in verses 8-10, He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. Real Christians are despised and ostracized. They are deemed to be a threat to the status quo. They are crazy people who are unhealthy for our society. It was so in Rome it is so today. When I was in College the unbelievers were nice respectable people. But when they saw the activity of a vital Christian group encroaching on the student body they would resort to any subterfuge no matter how unjust or immoral to oppose it.

II. The Petition regarding the Wicked

The Psalmist’s prayer has two parts. First his dismay that God is not judging the wicked in verse 1 is echoed in verses 11, by the wicked themselves in their arrogance, He says to himself, God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees. Secondly in his appeal to God to do something in verses, 12 and 13, Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? It is a question we might have posed often, and a prayer we are quite right in praying. We should not be taken in by that anemic, pale, and sickly kind of Christianity that suggests that this prayer is superseded by Jesus command to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us. This is not an either or choice. This is not a dilemma. We are to do both. Pray for their salvation if they repent and for their judgment if they do not.

III. The Punishment of the Wicked

Such a prayer for judgment is based on the Psalmist’s confidence which he expresses in verses 14-18, But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. The Lord sees, the Lord hears, the Lord listens, the Lord cares. We all believe in ultimate equity. Shakespeare wrote, “Heaven is above all yet; there sits a judge that no king can corrupt.” Julia Ward Howe wrote those famous words, “He has sounded forth a trumpet that shall never call retreat. He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat.” But the main point here is the Psalmist’s interest in God taking action now in history. There are many Biblical examples of this. Even in the New Testament God judges iniquity in the present in the case of Ananias and Saphirra. Vance Havner wrote, “If God dealt with people today as he did in the days of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), every church would need a morgue in the basement.” Nevertheless, the fatherless are a picture of all oppressed, who need help now. An Elder at one of our churches prayed, “Lord, deal with that dirty rotten scum Noriega.” Whether he’s right or not may be questioned by defense lawyers at some point, but he was honest according to the information he had. The story of two boys with one apple illustrates how difficult it is for us to judge fairly. How do you divide it fairly? Mom said to one “You cut,” and to the other you choose. We can’t always be right but we can always call upon the Lord to do what is right. There seems to be a fear that we cannot pray because we might be wrong. The focus here is on the revelation of God’s character in history both in mercy and in judgment.

Summary of Psalm 10

In Psalm Ten there is a thorough and graphic description of the character of the wicked and unbelieving who are always arrogant in their prosperity and continually plotting against the righteous. Thus, believers are warned of the dangers of association with them. Although the Psalmist believes in final judgment, he is deeply troubled by the present injustice, he pleads for judgment in the present based on his confidence in the power and character of God who always hears the cry of the oppressed and who must ultimately condemn the proud.