Psalm Meditation 1037
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2020

Psalm 10
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8 They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.
10 They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
(NRSV)

It is easy to see our foes and adversaries as godless fools since we are in enough disagreement with them that our views of God are radically different. In this case, one side sees God as the protector and defender of the poor, while the other side sees God as the cheerleader of the rich and powerful. From the perspective of the poor, the wealthy folks who seem to do whatever they want with no repercussions, are godless. From the perspective of the rich, the poor folks worship a weakling who is of no help in amassing property and power.

This psalm was written by one on the side of the poor. God, YHWH, is the God who supports those who are downtrodden and oppressed. The rich will get their way, for now, because there is no one to stop their greedy pursuits. YHWH, the God of the poor, rarely intervenes in a hurry. YHWH intervenes in the slow arc of salvation history. The rich who amassed great fortunes for the sake of wealth, are rarely remembered by name, and their wealth is dispersed to others at their deaths, if not before. Followers of YHWH continue to follow in the ways that lead to full hearts despite any poverty.

The psalmist knows that the riches of the world are temporary and fleeting. It is much more fulfilling to serve God, to build relationships with others from a variety of backgrounds. In this way we can join the psalmists prayer, “O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.”

April 27, 2020
LCM