Deuteronomy 1
Review of history 11/1/40verses 1-8
These be the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side Jordan
in the wilderness – in the plain over against the Red sea
BETWEEN Paran – Tophel – Laban – Hazeroth – Dizahab
(There are eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir
unto Kadesh-barnea)
AND it came to pass in the fortieth year – in the eleventh month
on the first day of the month
that Moses spoke to the children of Israel
according to all that LORD had given him in
commandment to them
after he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites
which dwelt in Heshbon – and Og the king of Bashan
which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei
On this side Jordan in the land of Moab
began Moses to DECLARE this law
saying
The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb
saying
You have dwelt long enough in this mount – turn you
and take your journey – and go to the mount of the Amorites
and to all the places nigh thereunto – in the plain – hills
vale – south – by the seaside
to the land of the Canaanites
and to Lebanon to the great river the river Euphrates
Behold I have set the land before you – go in and possess the land
which the LORD swore to your fathers
Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
to give to them and to their seed after them
Moses appointing leadersverses 9-18
And I spoke to you at that time
saying
I am not able to bear you myself alone
the LORD your God has multiplied you – and BEHOLD
you are this day as the STARS OF HEAVEN
for multitude
(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so
many more as you are and bless you
as HE has PROMISED you)
How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance – and your burden
and your strife?
Take you wise men – and understanding
and known among your tribes
and I will make them rulers over you
And you answered me
and said
The thing which you have spoken is good
for us to do
So I took the chief of your tribes – wise men – and known
and made them heads over you – captains over
thousands – hundreds – fifties – tens
and officers among your tribes
And I charge your judges at that time
saying
Hear the causes between your brethren
and judge righteously between every man and his brother
and the stranger that is with him
You shall not respect persons in judgment
BUT you shall hear the small as well as the great
You shall not be afraid of the face of man
FOR the judgment is God’s
and the cause that is that is too hard for you
bring it unto me – and I will hear it
And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do
Children of Israel at Kadesh-barneaverses 19-25
And when we departed from Horeb
we went through all that great and terrible wilderness
which you saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites
as the LORD our God commanded us
and we came to Kadesh-barnea
And I said to you
You are come to the mountain of the Amorites
which the LORD our God does give to us
Behold – the LORD your God has set the land before you
go up and possess it – as the LORD God of your fathers
has said to you
Fear not – neither be discouraged
And you came near to me every one of you
and said
We will send men before us – and they shall search us out the land
and bring us word again by what way we must go up
and into what cities we shall come
And the saying pleased me well
and I took twelve men of you – one of a tribe
and they turned and went up into the mountain
and came unto the valley of Eshcol
and searched it out
and they took of the fruit of the land in their hands
and brought it down to us
and brought us word again
and said
It is a good land which the LORD our God
does give us
People rebelled because of the giants in landverses 26-33
Notwithstanding you would not go up
BUT REBELLED against the
commandment of the LORD your God
and you murmured in your tents
and said
BECAUSE the LORD hated us
HE has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt
to deliver us into the hand of the Amorities
to destroy us
Whither shall we go up?
our brethren have DISCOURAGED our heart
saying
The people is greater and taller than we
the cities are great and walled up to heaven
and moreover we have seen
the sons of the Anakim there
THEN I said to you
Dread not – neither be afraid of them
The LORD your God which goes before you
HE shall fight for you
according to all that HE did for you in
Egypt before your eyes
And in the wilderness – where you have seen how that the
LORD your God bare you – as a man does bear his son
in all the way that you went
until you came into this place
YET in this thing you DID NOT BELIEVE the LORD your God
WHO went in the way before you
to search you out a place to pitch your tents in
in fire by night – to show you by what way
you should go – and in a cloud by day
LORD reply to their rebellionverses 34-40
And the LORD heard the voice of your words – and was wroth
and swore saying
Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see
that good land – which I swore to give unto your fathers
SAVE Caleb – the son of Jephunneh – he shall see it
and to him will I give the land that he has
trodden upon – and to his children
because he has wholly
followed the LORD
ALSO the LORD was angry with me for your sakes
saying
You also shall not go in thither
BUT Joshua – the son of Nun – which stands before you
he shall go in thither – ENCOURAGE him
FOR he shall cause Israel to inherit it
MOREOVER your little ones – which you said should be a prey
and your children – which in that day had no knowledge
between good and evil – they shall go in thither
and to them will I give it
and they shall possess it
BUT as for you turn you – and take your journey into the wilderness
by the way of the Red sea
People rebelled a second time thereverses 41-46
THEN you answered and said to me
We have sinned against the LORD – we will go up and fight
according to all that the LORD our God commanded us
AND when you had girded on every man his weapons of war
you were ready to go up into the hill
And the LORD said to me say to them
Go not up – neither fight – FOR I am not among you
lest you be smitten before your enemies
SO I spoke to you – and you would not hear
BUT REBELLED against the commandment of the LORD
and went presumptuously up into the hill
And the Amorites – which dwelt in the mountain
came out against you – and chased you – as bees do
and destroyed you in Seir – even unto Hormah
And you returned and wept before the LORD
BUT the LORD would not hearken to your voice
nor give ear to you
SO you abode in Kadesh many days
according to the days that you abode there
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them: (6680 “commandment” [tsavah] means charge, appoint, order, to lay charge upon, to give charge to, commission, appoint, ordain, to charge someone do something)
DEVOTION: There was a direct route to the Promised Land from Egypt. God didn’t take them directly to the Promised Land because they had to be prepared to enter the Land. Part of the preparation was the training the LORD had to give them and the standard they had to learn.
Obedience and Trust were the main issues with the children of Israel. They were disobedience because they were used to not following the LORD in Egypt. They had become like the Egyptians. They had become complainers about their present situation without realizing that the reason for their present situation was their lack of trust in the LORD.
So the LORD started them out with trust issues. HE sent the plagues but not on their land. HE opened the Rea Sea but closed it on their enemies. HE gave them their bread and meat. HE caused their shoes not to wear out. HE gave example after example of HIS power to protect them and provide for them.
The problem was that the older generation that was in Egypt just didn’t seem to learn to trust the LORD. The next generation would.
How long has it taken you to trust the LORD in your life? How obedient are you today compared to ten years ago? Are you growing in the LORD or staying the same?
God has given us HIS Word to encourage us to mature in our Christian life. If we are not growing it is because we are using excuses for a lack of trust. Obedience is commanded.
The children of Israel coming out of Egypt are one example we need to look at and realize that disobedience just hurts you and your family. Learning obedience is hard but we need to take steps of faith on a regular basis.
CHALLENGE: What step are you going to take this week? Courage is taking one step at a time toward a desired Biblical goal. The LORD will honor us if we trust HIM!!! Don’t wait forty years to find out this truth.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? (2960 “cumbrance” [torach] means burden, trouble, something or someone that causes trouble, problem or load)
DEVOTION: Moses had carried the children of Israel for forty years. He had learned many lessons in his life. He thought he could lead Israel himself and found out that that plan was going to fail. He had to be in the wilderness for forty years after leaving Egypt. Then the LORD called him to serve HIM by leading them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He found out how hard it was to lead stubborn people who wanted everything to go easy and when it didn’t they rebelled against him and Aaron.
Now we find that he is at the end of his ministry with the children of Israel because he had claimed to do something that only the LORD could have done. He was disobedient because he thought that the children of Israel should follow him and claimed that he was the one who gave them water instead of God giving them water.
It is not easy leading a group of stubborn people to the Promised Land. It is not easy trying to lead a group of individuals who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ to a life that is pleasing to the LORD.
Today we find that there are many individuals who think they can lead God’s people into a life that is pleasing to the LORD. There are those who are doing it in the power of the Holy Spirit and there are those who are doing in the power of their own strength.
The LORD wants leaders who will lead only in the power of the Holy Spirit because anyone who thinks they can lead without that power will fail. Every pastor is still a sinner saved by grace. Every pastor has to look to the LORD for guidance each day. Every church member has to pray for their pastor and ask the LORD to help them not be a group of stubborn followers of the LORD.
Our goal should be to help our pastor or pastors to lead with the understanding that we are praying for the LORD to lead them, so that, they can properly lead them into a life that is pleasing to the LORD.
Here we have Moses at the end of his ministry. He has failed at times and he has been faithful to the LORD that times.
CHALLENGE: Pray for your leaders to be individuals who can handle all the trouble that can come into a church through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
: 17 You shall not respect persons in judgment: but you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you bring it to me, and I will hear it. (1481 “afraid” [guwr] means dread, fear, revere, to be in awe, stand in awe, one who is timid and fearful of another, or to shrink)
DEVOTION: There are many believers who are struggling in their decision making process. It is easier not to make a decision than to make a decision. Sometimes we are overwhelmed with decisions that need to be made.
Moses was overwhelmed with trying to judge all of the people. There were too many decisions to be made each day. So he turned to the LORD and HE gave him a solution. He needed to appoint helpers to make good decisions regarding whatever issues were placed before them.
Wise men were picked to become judges between the disputes that came up in the camp of Israel. The judges were not to care about the difference between the small and the great. Money and influence were not to be used to produce judgment.
These men had to not look at people in fear. The decision had to be made on the basis of the facts. If the decision was too hard, they were to bring it to Moses who would take it to the LORD.
This is a passage in the Old Testament but the New Testament states that we are to bring our problems between fellow believers to the church and not to society. There should be wise men in churches that can help settle problems between families in the church.
The problem today is that we have many in the church that don’t want to settle their problems with each other and just either leave the church or cause there to be division in the church. Both of these are sin.
God wants Christians to be an example to the world of people who can settle differences without fighting like the world fights. Are there wise people in your church who could settle problems if the individuals involved would listen?
The pastor and deacons should be a good place to start to settle issues in the church. There is to be harmony in the people of God whether in the Old Testament or New Testament.
Strife is caused by people who don’t want to listen to what the Bible commands. This can only change if we allow the LORD to use our leaders to end strife and bring harmony through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who give discernment to those who ask.
CHALLENGE: Harmony in ministry doesn’t come easy because humans are involved. Lean on the ministry of the Holy Spirit to cause the church to move forward.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 39 Moreover your little ones, which you said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and to them will I give it, and they shall possess it. (3045 “knowledge” [yada] means perceive, understand, learn to know, find out and discern, discriminate, distinguish, know by experience, be skilful in, or be wise)
DEVOTION: Parents can use their children as an excuse for what they don’t want to do. The men of the children of Israel used their children as an excuse not to go into the land that the LORD had promised to give them. They were looking at the obstacles rather than the power of God.
There is an age from birth to that age where children don’t know the difference between good and evil. We try to train our children at a young age to obey us. We want to protect them from anything that can harm them.
However, there is an age where they know they are being disobedient and it is at the age that they need to learn obedience quickly. If they don’t learn it there needs to be discipline that will help them learn the difference between good and evil. Disobedience is a sin.
Warriors of Israel should never use their children as an excuse to not fight what they think is a more powerful enemy. They should take it to the LORD and HE will give them the strength to fight. They didn’t do that. They didn’t have a prayer meeting. They didn’t just do what the LORD commanded.
The LORD informed them that they would not go into the Promised Land because of their lack of faith. HE also informed them that the individuals they were using as an excuse for not fighting were going to be the ones who would fight and win the Promised Land.
Excuses are so easy to come up with in our life. We can say that we are afraid to get involved in a church because there is no children’s ministry – yet we can start one or look for others who are gifted in that area to start one.
Too often parents use their children as an excuse for not attending church regularly. That is a sin. Find a church that is Biblical and has a program that will help your children grow in the LORD. Remember training according to the Word of God starts in the home.
Our children are going to be held accountable for the training they received at home and in church. We are going to be held accountable for not training them properly.
CHALLENGE: Don’t use your children as an excuse for not doing what the LORD has commanded you to do for HIM.
: 45 And you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear to you. (8085 “hearken” [shama] means to hear intelligently, give ear, witness, listen to or obey)
DEVOTION: We are now in the final book of the Pentateuch. This means the five books of Moses. Genesis means beginning. Exodus deals with the children of Israel leaving Egypt. Leviticus deals with the responsibilities of the Levi’s in relation to the sacrifices to the LORD. Numbers gives us a listing of the children of Israel according to their tribes. Now the book of Deuteronomy, which means “second law” or the second giving of the law, to the children of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. Moses starts with a review of history. This chapter deals with the children of Israel refusing to enter the Promised Land and therefore had to wander for forty years.
Do you think that God hears all prayers? Do you think the LORD will answer anyone’s prayers? What is the first pray that the LORD answers for any individual? Do nations need to pray for a revival on a regular basis?
Here is one example of the LORD giving an ear to a prayer. There are prayers that the LORD will not respect. This prayer was one made by disobedient people. They were disobedient and realized that they were going to be judged for their disobedience. They didn’t want to face the consequences of their sins.
So want did they do. They told God they were sorry and wanted God to just forgive them without consequences. Moses told the people that the LORD was not with them. They even wept to get God’s attention but it was to no avail.
The children of Israel had murmured against the LORD because the Promised Land appeared to be too tough for them to conquer. They had said things that they shouldn’t have said. They said that God was wrong for bringing them out of Egypt. HE was just going to bring them there and make false promises to them. They didn’t believe the LORD when HE said go and conquer. The LORD was angry with them. They had not taken HIM at HIS word. HE was going to fight for them. HE would give them victory but they didn’t want to hear Moses.
Finally, they realized their error and said they would go into the Promised Land but the LORD said HE would not go with them. They went anyway. The Amorites defeated them. They were weeping to the LORD. Their tears meant nothing to the LORD. They had rebelled and HE had judged them.
There are times when God’s people have been told what God wants them to do and they try to pray for God to change HIS plans for them. Sometimes the plans change but only when there is genuine repentance. Here the people just wanted to get their way with God.
The first prayer that God hears from any individual is the prayer of repentance and a turning to follow Christ. No other prayer is hear by the LORD for those who are outside of HIS family. Only those who are in the family of God will have their prayers answered if they are obedient. The unrepentant sinner will not be heard.
God wants to hear the prayers of those who are part of HIS family. Those prayers will be answered, as long as, they are asked according to HIS will. Too often we ask for things that we think will make us happy with no concern for what will please the LORD. These are not proper prayers.
Remember when HE tells us to do something for HIM, we better do it!!!! The children of Israel had instructions from Moses on what the LORD expected of them. We have the instructions of the Word of God to tell us what HE expects of those who are followers of HIM.
Don’t believe the lie that God is pleased with all prayers. HE is only pleased with the prayers of HIS children who are followers of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to reach HIM.
The churches in our nation that are preaching the TRUTH of the WORD of GOD need to get on their knees and ask the LORD to forgive us for fighting amongst ourselves and not going to our knees for this nation. Judgment is coming to this nation. HE has sent many warnings to our unbelief and we are still not listening. We truly are following the example of the children of Israel. That is the wrong example to follow.
CHALLENGE: God is saying to every believer: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW????
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
People prayed but LORD said NOverse 45
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentverse 3
Lawverse 5
Abrahamverse 8
Isaacverse 8
Jacobverse 8
Commandment of the LORD your Godverse 26
Commandment of the LORDverse 43
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 19-21, 25-27, 30-32, 34, 36, 37, 41-43, 45
God (Elohim)verses 6, 10, 11, 17, 19-21, 25, 26, 30-32, 41
LORD our Godverses 6, 19, 20, 25, 41
LORD your Godverses 10, 26, 30, 32
LORD God of your fathersverses 11, 21
LORD thy Godverses 21, 31
Anger of the LORDverses 34, 37
LORD not among peopleverse 42
LORD would not hearken to voiceverse 45
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Amoritesverses 7, 19, 20, 27, 44
Canaanitesverse 7
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Cumbranceverse 12
Burdenverse 12
Strifeverse 12
Respect of personsverse 17
Rebelledverses 26, 43
Murmuredverse 27
Discouraged our heartverse 28
Did not believe verse 32
Evilverses 35, 39
Sinnedverse 41
Presumptuouslyverse 43
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Promiseverses 11, 35
Judge righteouslyverse 16
Not afraid of the face of manverse 17
Fear notverse 21
Don’t be discouragedverse 21
Dread notverse 29
Neither be afraidverse 29
LORD fights for usverse 30
LORD carries HIS peopleverse 31
Leading of the LORDverse 33
Wholly followed the LORDverse 36
Encourageverse 38
Inheritverse 38
Goodverse 39
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Children of Israelverse 3
Multiplied as the stars of heavenverse 10
Rulers: wise men & understandingverses 13-16
Witness of Egyptverse 30
Children: no knowledge of good or evilverse 39
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
These children who were then helpless and uninformed (not knowing good or bad is a Hebrew way of describing not knowing anything) would acquire the country that the generation at Kadesh had faithlessly failed to invade and possess. (Kalland, E. S. (1992). Deuteronomy. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 28). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Verse 39 is important for more than revealing the rationalizing effects of unbelief, for God seems to acknowledge a so-called “age of accountability” of children. Apparently children are not held accountable by God until they are aware of the difference between good and bad. However, nowhere does the Bible state what that age is. (Deere, J. S. (1985). Deuteronomy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 264–265). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
What the Bible teaches is that God becomes 100% irrevocably for us at the moment of justification, that is, the moment when we see Christ as a beautiful Savior and receive him as our substitute punishment and our substitute perfection. All of God’s wrath, all of the condemnation we deserve, was poured out on Jesus. All of God’s demands for perfect righteousness were fulfilled by Christ. The moment we see (by grace!) this Treasure and receive him in this way his death counts as our death and his condemnation as our condemnation and his righteousness as our righteousness, and God becomes 100% irrevocably for us forever in that instant. (John Piper)
OUR REFUGE
poem by Anne R. C. Neale
When our life gets “discombobulated”
And we need a place to rest,
We can get refuge with God above,
He will soothe and comfort you, He’s the best,
When worry or problems start to come,
Praying to God will relieve your pressure,
God is our Comforter, our Healer, our God,
God is forever our Greatest Treasure,
It’s comforting to know in God we believe,
To have a wonderful refuge in the arms of God,
God is always available and takes care of us all,
Both on earth and also In Heaven sods.
1 Timothy 4
The effective teaching of the truth in the Scriptures will benefit both the teacher and the hearers.
INSIGHT
Anyone who has tasted the maturity given from the Lord to those who serve Him over time will testify that it did not come quickly or easily. Paul writes that we should exercise ourselves to godliness; that “bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things” (v. 8). Like an athlete, a Christian should rejoice with a rigorous course of training – knowing that the more demanding the training, the greater will be the spiritual prowess at the end. The present discomfort is fitting him or her for more victorious effort later. Present pain = later gain. This message is difficult to communicate and even more difficult to learn. But to this end we must labor (v. 10). (Quiet Walk)
“WE OUGHT ALSO…”
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:11
The question is, what do you do about those people who seem to irritate you and are a problem to you and who really make things rather difficult? Here is John’s answer: “If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” This means something like this: Instead of giving way to that instinctive feeling that I have, instead of speaking or acting or reacting at once, I stop and I talk to myself. I remind myself of the Christian truth that I believe, and I apply it to the whole situation. Now that is something that you and I have to do. This life of which the New Testament speaks is full of the intellectual aspect. It is not a feeling. You do not wait until you feel like loving other people—you make yourself love other people (“we ought”). According to the New Testament, Christians can make themselves love other Christians, and they are failing sadly if they do not do so.
How do they do it? They remind themselves of this truth: “If God so loved us.” In other words, this is the procedure. The first thing I do when I feel irritated and disturbed and bewildered and perhaps antagonistic is to look at myself. Now that is half the battle. We all know perfectly well from experience that in this kind of problem the whole difficulty is that we are always looking at the other person and never at ourselves. But if I start with myself—if God so loved me—what do I find?
But usually I instinctively feel that I am being wronged, that I am not being dealt with fairly. I feel it is the other person who is difficult. “One minute!” says the gospel; “stop for a moment and look at yourself and remind yourself of exactly what you are.” The gospel brings us immediately face to face with this self that is in us that is the cause of all these troubles.
A Thought to Ponder Christians can make themselves love other Christians.
(From The Love of God, pp. 68-69, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The 2 Marks of a Truly Wicked Person by James Johnston
The psalmist describes two sides of the character of the wicked in Psalm 10:2–11. Structurally each description is five verses long and ends with the inner thoughts of the unjust oppressor, “He says in his heart” (10:6, 11). Two words summarize these wicked oppressors: arrogant and aggressive. Their pride and violence spell disaster for anyone who stands in their way.
Arrogant
First, the wicked oppressors are arrogant. The trouble they cause flows out of self-importance.
In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. (10:2)
Where does this abusive pride come from? For one thing they forget that the rich and poor were both created by God. We did not make ourselves. We did not choose which family we were born into and the opportunities we were given. We did not decide how intelligent we would be, how wise we would be, how self-motivated we would be. All this is from God’s hand. The writer of Proverbs says, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2). The wicked forget this. They like to view themselves as self-made men, like sharks made to swim at the top of the food chain. This pride is Darwinian at its core—a survival of the fittest that grinds the poor into the dirt. And in their arrogance they think God will never do anything. They have nothing but contempt for God and laugh at any idea of judgment.
In fact, they do not worship God. They worship themselves.
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (10:3, 4)
The word “for” (v. 3) tells us why the wicked pursue the poor. They turn on the poor and the helpless because they first turned against God.
What does it mean to boast in your desires? That is an unusual phrase. The wicked are proud of their desires. Their cravings are a virtue. After all, didn’t they succeed because of their will to win? Their greed got them where they are.
One of the most powerful illustrations of this came from the 1987 Oliver Stone movie Wall Street. The main character, Gordon Gekko, was modeled after high-powered traders who ran the financial markets like masters of the universe. In one famous scene Gekko delivers a speech to the nervous shareholders of Teldar Paper Corporation.
Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.
This quote struck a chord because it hit so close to home. The spirit of American materialism declares that greed is a virtue, that in fact greed is the foundation of success. This is the mind-set of the man or woman who boasts of the desires of his or her soul. They boast because they believe it is a good thing never to be content, never to be satisfied, always to want more. And in their greed they grind the poor into the ground to get what they want.
It is sobering to notice that these wicked men and women renounce God by his personal name, Yahweh (“the Lord,” v. 3). This implies that these oppressors are not foreigners; they are Israelites who knowingly reject the God of Israel. In their greed they loved money and possessions more than God. In their pride they did not look for him. Finally they denied that God even exists.
Greed and pride can turn your heart away from God today too. You may have grown up knowing the Bible, but you are living for yourself. Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). The wicked boast in their desires, but the Scriptures say, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).
You might assume that someone who openly rejects God would be struck down by lightning. But atheists often prosper. People who give themselves to gathering money often get rich. And because they have laughed at God and have still been successful, their arrogance grows. They assume that they must be invincible.
His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them. (10:5)
Because he is affluent, he is convinced that nothing can touch him. He has the latest tech gadgets; he drives a new Aston Martin; he goes on the best vacations; he wears new clothes. Success has blinded his eyes to God’s judgment—it is too high for him.
Here is what he thinks in his heart of hearts:
He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” (10:6)
The wicked man is thoroughly deceived. He thinks that the blessings God reserves for the godly belong to him! It is the blameless man who shall not be moved (Psalm 15:5; 16:8), but the wicked “are like chaff that the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:4). The wicked think they can set up their children to prosper after them. They can put them in the right schools and introduce them to the right people and leave a trust that will provide for them. But the Scriptures say that “the generation of the upright will be blessed” (Psalm 112:2). In his pride the wicked man has believed a lie.
Aggressive
The wicked man is not only arrogant and proud, he is aggressive and violent. This is the second part of the psalmist’s description.
First, his words are violent.
His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. (10:7)
In the summer of 2012, northeastern Oklahoma was a tinderbox after weeks of drought and triple digit temperatures. On August 2 a devastating wildfire in Creek County burned 58,500 acres, destroyed 376 homes, and left hundreds of people homeless. As it turned out, the fire was started by a single cigarette. A wicked man’s words are like a spark that ignites violence.
In fact, sins of the tongue are the most common kind of violence in the Psalms. C. S. Lewis notes,
I think that when I began to read it these surprised me a little; 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 civilised societies share…. It is all over the Psalter. One almost hears the incessant whispering, tattling, lying, scolding, flattery, and circulation of rumours. No historical readjustments are here required, we are in the world we know.
Evil shows itself most often in verbal violence. In fact, the Apostle Paul quotes Psalm 10:7 to show that everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike, are under the power of sin (Romans 3:14). And James says,
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)
And from a violent heart come violent actions.
He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might. (10:8–10)
The wicked man is treacherous. He ambushes the unsuspecting. He doesn’t do his work in cities where he might get caught but rather hunts in the villages where people trust each other and don’t lock their doors at night. His eyes shift around stealthily, watching for his victims. He lurks. He hides his net. God help the man he catches because not only is he treacherous, he is also merciless. He cares nothing about the people he attacks, whether they are good or bad or whether they have families depending on them.
Why does he attack the poor? For one thing, his heart is bad. Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). His words are full of “cursing and… oppression” (10:7) because his heart is full of cursing and oppression. His very nature is to use whatever power he has to use and exploit others.
The poor are also easy victims. A poor man doesn’t have connections; who will go to bat for him? A poor man may not know his rights. If he is an immigrant, he might be ashamed that he can’t speak English well, and he might not have the confidence to stand up for himself. A poor woman can probably be frightened and silenced. If she gets pregnant, you might be able to intimidate her into having an abortion. The poor can’t hire a lawyer, especially not one who can fight the legal department of a large company. A poor man doesn’t have the clout at City Hall that comes from owning a business and providing jobs in the community. The poor are easy prey for the wicked. This is why the Scriptures command us to “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9).
Ultimately, he oppresses the poor because he thinks no one will call him to account. Verse 11 tells us his thoughts.
He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
“The arrogance of the wicked expresses itself in injustice, but their root problem is their utter disregard for the Lord.” They no longer sense any accountability to God. They decide that God has not stepped in to stop them because he doesn’t know or he doesn’t care. So the wicked give free rein to the violence in their heart.
In fact, they have badly mistaken God’s silence. God is not forgetful, and he is not negligent. Instead God is patient and kind with sinners, giving them every opportunity to turn away from their sin and repent. The Scriptures warn us not to draw the wrong conclusion when God is patient with our sin.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:4, 5)
If God doesn’t stop you or strike you down when you sin, don’t think this means he doesn’t know or doesn’t care. God is kind and patient, and he offers you every opportunity to turn away from your sin. The wicked mistake God’s patience for negligence. The godly recognize God’s kindness and run to him.
Taken from The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord is King, by James Johnston. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.
The Psalms are treasured poetry that reflect the prayer and praise of ancient Israel. Every generation opens the Psalms for inspiration, comfort, hope, and encouragement. They’re also are a rich source of truth about God, humanity, and salvation. The authors of the New Testament understood this, quoting the Psalms more than any other Old Testament book to establish key doctrines. The Psalms tell the story of God’s anointed king, his kingdom, and his people. They point forward to the Messiah—David’s Greater Son who reigns forever and ever.
In the first volume of a three-volume commentary on the Psalms, pastor James Johnston walks readers through Psalms 1 to 41, offering exegetical and pastoral insights along the way. Accessible and engaging, this resource will help anyone interested in studying, teaching, or preaching the Bible read the Psalms in a deliberately canonical and Christ-centered way.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.