Showing posts with label Psalm 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 10. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2025
Psalm Meditation 1305
¶Proper 7
¶June 22, 2025
¶Psalm 10
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2010&version=NRSVUE
¶Oh for the days in which the wicked said, “There is no God.” These days it seems there are a number of folks who have replaced the God of the Bible with a divinity of their own making. They have exchanged many of the biblical attributes of God with their opposites. While the Bible tells us that God is love, there are many who emphasize the vindictive anger of God and call that a primary characteristic of their divinity. And mass media grab hold of this being because he is easier to grasp, and communicate to the masses because this divinity is like us.
¶Since this is the divinity we hear about the most it is the one we accept. When people live out the faith of the biblical God they are called empathetic as if that were a bad thing. Empathy, ‘the ability to understand others' feelings’ is seen as bad and weak. In this modern religion, understanding others is not necessary because they need to become like us, believe like us, act like us, as long as they don’t start asking for a part of the good things we have amassed by our own hard work, and probably some significant help from others.
¶The psalmist is faithful in reminding us of God’s empathy, “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.” (10:14) The divinity touted so often by those in power is not the God of the Bible but the god of greedy, power hungry folks. This God only cares about the rich and powerful, those who have scraped and clawed their way to places of power for their own benefit rather than to serve those who are to be in their care. “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, “
¶June 16, 2025
¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 27, 2020
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
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
Monday, November 7, 2016
Psalm Meditation 856
Proper 28
November 13, 2016
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 tempting to say that rich people have no need of God, however I know some wealthy people who are faithful in a number of ways. There must be a more subtle distinction than rich and poor in the matter of who needs God. Those who depend on their wealth and resources to keep them away from trouble, whose purpose is to protect their riches from any claim other than their own are the ones the psalmist is addressing here. Those who have no other rule in their lives than to get more of what is out there with as little cost as possible to themselves are the evil ones.
The psalmist is not so concerned about the money as the way the wicked treat the people of God’s particular concern, those who have little to nothing. Those who prey on the poor in order to fill their own coffers are wicked and evil as far as the psalmist is concerned. These folks have no thought of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Sarah. The god of these wicked folks is the very riches they seek. Their lives are given over to the pursuit of riches at the expense of all else. They do not care for the poor, they do not even see them except as sources for more and more.
The important part of the psalm is that God sees what we do; God pays attention to how we behave and how we treat each other. It isn’t about the money, it is about our attitude toward money and the people with whom we share our lives. When we treat people as brothers and sisters, God notices. When we treat people as objects, especially objects to help us achieve our selfish ends, God notices. In God’s good time we are rewarded for the ways we treat each other. “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.”
November 7, 2016
LCM
Proper 28
November 13, 2016
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 tempting to say that rich people have no need of God, however I know some wealthy people who are faithful in a number of ways. There must be a more subtle distinction than rich and poor in the matter of who needs God. Those who depend on their wealth and resources to keep them away from trouble, whose purpose is to protect their riches from any claim other than their own are the ones the psalmist is addressing here. Those who have no other rule in their lives than to get more of what is out there with as little cost as possible to themselves are the evil ones.
The psalmist is not so concerned about the money as the way the wicked treat the people of God’s particular concern, those who have little to nothing. Those who prey on the poor in order to fill their own coffers are wicked and evil as far as the psalmist is concerned. These folks have no thought of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Sarah. The god of these wicked folks is the very riches they seek. Their lives are given over to the pursuit of riches at the expense of all else. They do not care for the poor, they do not even see them except as sources for more and more.
The important part of the psalm is that God sees what we do; God pays attention to how we behave and how we treat each other. It isn’t about the money, it is about our attitude toward money and the people with whom we share our lives. When we treat people as brothers and sisters, God notices. When we treat people as objects, especially objects to help us achieve our selfish ends, God notices. In God’s good time we are rewarded for the ways we treat each other. “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.”
November 7, 2016
LCM
Monday, July 21, 2014
Psalm Meditation 736
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 27, 2014
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)
We live in a world of abundance and behave as if we lived in a world of scarcity. Since there can’t possibly be enough to go around, I will grab for all I can at every opportunity. Once I have amassed the biggest pile of property, I will protect it from you so that you can’t get any of mine and then will do what I can to keep you from getting any from anywhere, let alone from me. Some of us are so convinced of the scarcity of the world’s resources that we use them sparingly after having collected them. We become hoarders and misers, fearful of anyone who appears to be a threat to our stuff.
In biblical times the belief was that there was a set limit to wealth that had already been realized and the only way to get more was at the expense of someone else. That meant that the only way to get rich was by taking from someone else and in the case of the very rich, by taking from everyone else. While we know that there is a limit to the resources of the earth, we have not reached the point of there being no more wealth available. It is possible that making resources available to those who have little to none will actually open up new economic horizons for those with as well as those without wealth in the current scheme of things.
No matter the current state of the economy, it falls to the people of God to share our resources with those who have none. It is not because they deserve it or have done something to earn it, so much as it is an expression of gratitude on our part for the gracious generosity that comes from God. Since all we have comes from God and since God leans toward helping those who cannot help themselves, we do well to help others with a gracious and generous hand as people of God, set apart for service.
July 21, 2014
LCM
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 27, 2014
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)
We live in a world of abundance and behave as if we lived in a world of scarcity. Since there can’t possibly be enough to go around, I will grab for all I can at every opportunity. Once I have amassed the biggest pile of property, I will protect it from you so that you can’t get any of mine and then will do what I can to keep you from getting any from anywhere, let alone from me. Some of us are so convinced of the scarcity of the world’s resources that we use them sparingly after having collected them. We become hoarders and misers, fearful of anyone who appears to be a threat to our stuff.
In biblical times the belief was that there was a set limit to wealth that had already been realized and the only way to get more was at the expense of someone else. That meant that the only way to get rich was by taking from someone else and in the case of the very rich, by taking from everyone else. While we know that there is a limit to the resources of the earth, we have not reached the point of there being no more wealth available. It is possible that making resources available to those who have little to none will actually open up new economic horizons for those with as well as those without wealth in the current scheme of things.
No matter the current state of the economy, it falls to the people of God to share our resources with those who have none. It is not because they deserve it or have done something to earn it, so much as it is an expression of gratitude on our part for the gracious generosity that comes from God. Since all we have comes from God and since God leans toward helping those who cannot help themselves, we do well to help others with a gracious and generous hand as people of God, set apart for service.
July 21, 2014
LCM
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