Psalm 10
David questions the LORD verse 1
Why stand YOU afar off – O LORD?
Why hide YOU YOURSELF in times of trouble?
David describes the wicked as cursing God verse 2- 3
The wicked in his pride does persecute the POOR
let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined
for the wicked boast of his heart’s desire
and blesses the covetous
whom the LORD abhors
David describes the wicked as arrogant verse 4- 6
The wicked through the pride of his countenance
will not seek after God
God is not in all his thoughts
his ways are always grievous
YOUR judgments are far above out of his sight
as for all his enemies – he puffs at them
He has said in his heart
I shall not be moved – for I shall never be in adversity
Wicked as always looking for victims verse 7- 11
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud
under his tongue is mischief and vanity
He sits in the lurking places of the villages
in the secret places does he murder the INNOCENT
his eyes are privily set against the POOR
He lies in wait secretly as a lion in his den
he lies in wait to catch the POOR
when he draws him into his net
he crouches – and humbles himself
that the POOR may fall by his strong ones
He has said in his heart
God has forgotten – HE hides HIS face
HE will never see it
David asks LORD to punish the wicked verse 12- 14
Arise – O LORD
O God – lift up YOUR hand – forget not the humble
wherefore does the wicked contemn God?
he has said in his heart
YOU wilt not require it
YOU have seen it – for YOU behold mischief and spite
to requite it with YOUR hand
the POOR commit himself to YOU
YOU are the HELPER of the FATHERLESS
David asks LORD to comfort the helpless verse 15- 18
Break YOU the arm of the wicked and the evil man
seek out his wickedness till YOU find none
The LORD is King for ever and ever
the heathen are perished out of HIS land
LORD
YOU have heard the desire of the humble
YOU wilt prepare their heart
YOU will cause YOUR ear to hear
to judge the FATHERLESS and the OPPRESSED
that the man of the earth may no more oppress
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:1 “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of
trouble?” NKJV (עָמַד [ʿamad /aw·mad/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1637; GK 6641; 521 occurrences; AV translates as “stood” 171 times, “stand” 137 times, “(raise”, “stand …) up” 42 times, “set” 32 times, “stay” 17 times, “still” 15 times, “appointed” 10 times, “standing” 10 times, “endure” eight times, “remain” eight times, “present” seven times, “continue” six times, “withstand” six times, “waited” five times, “establish” five times, and translated miscellaneously 42 times. 1 to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to stand, take one’s stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of. 1A2 to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease. 1A3 to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast… James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: The psalmist begins with a bold question or perhaps an accusation to the Lord. Yet many, if not all, of us at times have stated quietly or shouted fervently the same question! The promised protector and deliverer is apparently hiding himself from His own. The Lord seems distant and aloof from us while we struggle with some issue or person. He does not seem concerned for us at all even appearing to prosper the enemy.
At the same time the wicked are persecuting, cursing, unafraid of God and planning to murder the innocent. Their bold assertion that the Lord is not real or doesn’t care never ceases! Like the psalmist you cry out to God and He is silent. How long the wait, how intense the suffering, how despairing is the silence of God!
Yet the Lord is not far away, beloved one! The psalmist returns to the truth of the scripture and reminds himself that the Lord is for him in vs. 12-18. The darkest night and the deepest depression is not sufficient to keep the Lord from His children. He is king forever and ever and hears our cries so that the man of the earth may no more oppress! (18)
CHALLENGE: When you are questioning God’s presence remember that the psalmist did as well and then go to the end of Psalm 10 and claim his victory! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and blesses the covetous,
whom the LORD abhors. (5006 “abhors” [na’ats] means to spurn, to
treat disrespectfully, discard, to look down on with contempt, to cause
to contemn, revile or despise.)
DEVOTION: There are people that the LORD loves and there are people that the LORD is going to curse for eternity. The difference is their real relationship with HIM. Those who are genuine followers of the LORD are going to have a heart that is pleasing to the LORD and it shows in their daily life. It is sometimes very easy to see who these people are without too much conversation with them. Their words tell you a lot about their relationship to the LORD.
Those who boast of all that they have done in their life and they give themselves glory rather than the LORD are not genuine followers of the LORD.
Those who are genuine followers will boast in the LORD and give HIM credit for what is happening in their life. They will praise HIM for all their blessings. Their desire is to help others and give the LORD credit for what they are doing.
How do we handle our possessions? Do we hold on to them with both hands or are we willing to share them with others? Do we show a heart that is a giving heart or one that wants to hold on to everything we have without regard to the needs of others?
The boasting of genuine believers will always give God the glory for all that they have and will be willing to share with others if there is a genuine need. Those who are followers of the LORD will not hold on to their possessions with both hands but will be willing to allow the LORD to direct them as to what they should do with them on a regular basis.
God wants believers to be generous givers. HE is a generous giver to those who genuinely follow HIM and listen to HIM.
CHALLENGE: We need to make sure that we boast in the LORD and not in ourselves. Our desire should be to always give God the glory. What does our speech tell others about us?
_________________________________________________________
: 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is
mischief and vanity. (4820 “deceit” [mirmah] means trick, fraud,
disillusionment, causing someone to believe an untruth, treachery,
betrayal, or guile)
DEVOTION: Some people we can listen to for a long time and wonder what they are saying. Here we have individuals who like to cause people to not understand what they are really saying. These individuals like to trick people into thinking that they are saying something nice but in reality they are putting people down.
Sometimes these people use language that is not nice. They try to make people think that they are believers but their language is anything but godly. They use words that believers should not use. They think that they are just being honest but in reality they are being dishonest to the LORD.
Some people claim to be followers of the LORD but their language is not pleasing to the LORD. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to use godly language when they talk to others.
Godly language is not full of cursing and swearing. Godly language can be used in the presence of children. The words would not cause people to blush. The words would be words that would honor the LORD.
There are people who can use godly language to their own advantage where they are not using cursing and swearing but the whole conversation is still not honoring to the LORD. We have all met people who claim Christ but their language says something different about them.
God wants us to use language that is pleasing to HIM and that doesn’t include cursing and swearing. If we grew up with this type of language we need to ask the LORD to help us overcome these words. HE can do that if we ask and mean it.
CHALLENGE: What does your language say about you and your relationship to the LORD? Does our language please the LORD at all times?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. (7911 “forgotten” [shakach] means forgot, ignore, wither, or to cease to care.)
DEVOTION: This is a continuation of Psalm 9. It is thought that psalm 9 and 10 were one psalm at one time. They use the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as an acrostic.
David is concerning that the LORD is not dealing with the wicked as soon as he would like. They seem to be thinking that HE isn’t watching what they are doing to the poor, fatherless and oppressed people. David wants the LORD to act.
The wicked are talking in this verse as if the LORD was ignoring their actions. They thought that they didn’t need to be concerned about the LORD. They thought they were safe. They were doing whatever they felt like doing without any worries about consequences to their actions. They seemed to think that if there was a God, HE would just be a nice old man who didn’t care.
We know that it is not true but sometimes it seems that way. The wicked think that there is no God or that HE just doesn’t care what they are doing. They are wrong.
The LORD allows those who are followers to suffer for their personal growth. The LORD tells us that we grow by hard times. The LORD also tells us that there is a judgment day coming for the unsaved and they will spend eternity in a literal place called Hell.
The LORD is in control. HE acts in HIS time. HE sees all. HE knows all. HE is available to HIS children. Remember to pray for strength during hard times as David did in his hard times. Remember to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are going through a hard time. Our prayers are important. God answers prayer!!!! David believed it and turned the wicked over to the LORD to deal with in HIS time and in HIS way.
Sometimes it seems that the LORD is far away and not really concerned about our world. This is a feeling. We are not to base our beliefs on our feeling but on the facts of the Word of God. God is working. HE is close.
CHALLENGE: Prayer is the answer to all of our needs. Are we spending enough time in our prayer closets to receive answers from the LORD?
______________________________________________________
:17 “Lord, you have heard the desire of the Humble: YOU will prepare their
heart, YOU will cause YOUR ear to hear.”(Humble, 6035 עָנָו
[ʿanav]. 1 poor, humble, afflicted, meek. 1a poor, needy. 1b poor and
weak. 1c poor, weak and afflicted. 1d humble, lowly, meek.)
DEVOTION: This psalm contrasts the wicked and powerful with the weak and humble. The wicked and powerful think that they can get whatever they want because they think that God does not see what they are doing, and therefore unconcerned about what happens to the weak and humble.
However, the psalmist reasserts that God is still on HIS throne and is going to make all things right (in spite of what the weak and afflicted are going through right now). HE promises to judge the righteous and the wicked for their actions before it is all over (verses 14, 15). The humble are left to call out on God for HIS providence and HIS justice.
Those who are described as humble here are the ones, then, who have chosen to humble themselves before God in recognition of HIS sovereignty and power. They have chosen to see themselves before their fellow man in light of their position below an infinitely powerful and awesome God. It is this person that God says HE will seek out and listen to (Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 66:2).
Their humility is expressed in their willingness to submit to the will of God in their lives, no matter what it is. In this way, God’s desire becomes their desire for their lives and for the lives of others. This is the way of true prayer. It is not seeking out what I want for myself, but rather asking God to show me what HIS desire for my life is, and then conforming myself to that desire. God’s desire is for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9).
CHALLENGE: What are you doing to humble yourself and seek to fulfill God’s desire for your life? (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)
____________________________________________________________
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)
David asks LORD questions verse 1
David prays to the LORD verse 12
Not to forget humble
LORD hears the prayers of the humble verse 17, 18
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)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 12, 16, 17
LORD abhors covetous verse 3
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 4, 11-13
God sees all verse 11
God never forgets verse 11
God never hides HIS face verse 11
God always sees verse 11
Helper of the fatherless verse 14
King verse 16
God will hear the humble verse 17
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)
Times of trouble verse 1
Wicked people verse 2-
Enemies verse 5
Innocent verse 8
Poor verse 8- 10, 14
Fatherless verse 14, 18
God is their helper
Psalmist asks God to break arm of wicked verse 15
Evil man verse 15
Heathen verse 16
Humble verse 17
God will hear his desrie
God will prepare their heart
God will cause his ear to hear
Oppressed verse 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked verse 2- 4, 13
Pride verse 2, 4
Persecute the poor verse 2
Imagine devices to hurt the poor verse 2
Boast of their hearts desire verse 3
Covetous verse 3
Not seek God verse 4
Grievous ways verse 5
Not moving toward LORD verse 6
Cursing verse 7
Deceit verse 7
Fraud verse 7
Mischief verse 7, 14, 15
Vanity verse 7
Sits in lurking places verse 8
Murder verse 8
Against the poor verse 8- 11
Lies in wait to hurt poor verse 9
Saying God has forgotten verse 11
Saying God hides HIS face verse 11
Saying God doesn’t see verse 11
Condemn God verse 13
Say God doesn’t require verse 13
Spite verse 14
Evil verse 15
Wickedness verse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Humble verse 12, 17
Help verse 14
Hear verse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Man of the earth may no more oppress verse 18
_________________________________________________________________
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
12–14. The why (13, echoing verse 1) is still unanswered; so is the call to God to arise (12; cf. 9:19); but the trouble can be faced, for it is not faced alone: Thou dost see (14). Verse 14 in fact speaks memorably in faith and about faith: the former in the rising sequence thou dost see …, note …, take into thy hands; and the latter in the phrase, commits himself (lit., ‘abandons himself’) to thee, which expresses trust even more completely, because more personally, than the similar saying, ‘commit your way to the Lord’ (37:5) (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, pp. 88–89). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
___________________________________________________________
God sees what is going on (v. 14). This answers the claim in verses 8–11 that the Lord pays no attention to what the wicked are doing. Even more, God sees the trouble (outward circumstances) and grief (inward feelings) caused by the wicked as they persecute the helpless, and He will take the matter in hand. The poor and needy can safely commit themselves into the hands of the Lord (55:22; 1 Peter 5:7). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 48). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
__________________________________________________________
10:12–15. Making an earnest cry for vengeance, the psalmist called on God to arise (cf. 9:19) and help the helpless (cf. 10:9). One reason for this request is that the wicked should not be allowed to despise God (cf. v. 3) and to think he can get away with his actions (cf. why in v. 1). The Lord should be motivated to respond because the afflicted trust God who sees trouble and grief and is their Helper (v. 14). The psalmist’s specific request was that God would punish the wicked (v. 15). Here the imagery is again graphic: to break one’s arm means to destroy his power. If God so judges the wicked by such a destruction, then they would be called to account for their deeds. The psalmist would then no longer be able to say that God does not see his deeds (cf. v. 13) or care for the afflicted. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 799–800). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
__________________________________________________________
10:14 helper of the orphan. God is pictured as Helper or Advocate again, but this time in association with orphans. He is the Defender par excellence of the defenseless (on the imagery, cf. Ex 22:21ff.; Dt 10:18ff.; 1Sa 1:17; Jer 7:6). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 10:14). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
__________________________________________________________
Ver. 14. Thou hast seen it, &c.] Though the wicked say God will never see, ver. 11. he sees all things in general, all men and all their actions; all are manifest and open to him, and every thing in particular, especially the wickedness of men; even that which is said or thought in the heart. For thou beholdest mischief and spite; that mischief which arises from spite or malice in the heart; God beholds the inward principle from whence it proceeds, as well as that itself; the mischief devised in the heart, on the bed, and which lies under the tongue, designed against the people of God, either to the injury of their characters and estates, or to their bodies, and even to their souls, as much as in them lies, proceeding from implacable malice and enmity to them. To requite it with thy hand: of power, to retaliate it upon their own heads, to render tribulation to them that trouble the saints, which is but a righteous thing with God: or to put it in thy hand; and the sense is, that God looks upon all the injuries the wicked out of spite devise to do to his people, and puts them in his hand, that they may be ever before him, and always in his sight, and he will take a proper opportunity of avenging them. The Targum interprets it of God’s rewarding good men, as well as punishing the wicked, paraphrasing the whole thus, “it is manifest before thee that thou wilt send sorrow and wrath upon the wicked; thou lookest to render a good reward to the righteous with thy hand.” The poor committeth himself unto thee: his body, and the outward concerns of life, as to a faithful Creator; his soul, and the spiritual and eternal welfare of it, as to the only Saviour and Redeemer; he commits all his ways to him, as the God of providence and grace; and at last he commits his spirit to him at death, as to his covenant God and Father: the words may be rendered, the poor leaveth upon thee; that is, he leaves himself and his upon the Lord; he leaves his burden on him, he casts all his care upon him, as he is advised and encouraged to do; he leaves his cause with him to plead it for him, who will plead it thoroughly and maintain it: the phrase is expressive of the poor’s faith and hope in God; hence the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, on thee will thy poor ones hope; for the supply of their wants, and for help and assistance against their enemies. Thou art the helper of the fatherless; God is the Father of them, provides for them, supplies, supports, and defends them; nor will he in a spiritual sense leave his people orphans or comfortless, but will visit and help them; see Psal. 68:5; John 14:18. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 568). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
____________________________________________________________
Verse 14.—“Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hands,” etc. This should be a terror to the wicked, to think that whatsoever they do, they do it in the sight of him that shall judge them, and call them to a strict account for every thought conceived against his majesty; and therefore, it should make them afraid to sin; because that when they burn with lust, and toil with hatred, when they scorn the just and wrong the innocent, they do all this, not only in conspectu Dei, within the compass of God’s sight, but also in sinu divinitatis, in the bosom of that Deity, who, though he suffered them for a time to run on, like “a wild ass used to the wilderness,” yet he will find them out at the last, and then cut them off and destroy them. And as this is terror unto the wicked, so it may be a comfort unto the godly to think that he who should hear their prayers and send them help, is so near unto them; and it should move them to rely still upon him, because we are sure of his presence wherever we are.—G. Williams, 1636.
Verse 14.—“The poor committeth himself unto thee.” The awkwardness of our hearts to suffer comes much from distrust. An unbelieving soul treads upon the promise as a man upon ice; at first going upon it he is full of fears and tumultuous thoughts lost it should crack. Now, daily resignation of thy heart, as it will give thee an occasion of conversing more with the thoughts of God’s power, faithfulness, and other of his attributes (for want of familiarity with which, jealousies arise in our hearts when put to any great plunge), so also it will furnish thee with many experiences of the reality both of his attributes and promises; which, though they need not any testimony from sense, to gain them credit with us, yet so much are we made of sense, so childish and weak is our faith, that we find our hearts much helped by those experiences we have had, to rely on him for the future. Look, therefore, carefully to this; every morning leave thyself and ways in God’s hand, as the phrase is. Psalm 10:14. And at night look again how well God hath looked to his trust, and sleep not till thou hast affected thy heart with his faithfulness, and laid a stronger charge on thy heart to trust itself again in God’s keeping in the night. And when any breach is made, and seeming loss befalls thee in any enjoyment, which thou hast by faith insured of thy God, observe how God fills up that breach, and makes up that loss to thee; and rest not till thou hast fully vindicated the good name of God to thy own heart. Be sure thou lettest no discontent or dissatisfaction lie upon thy spirit at God’s dealings; but chide thy heart for it, us David did his. Psalm 42. And thus doing, with God’s blessing, thou shalt keep thy faith in breath for a longer race, when called to run it.—W. Gurnall.
Verse 14.—“Thou art the helper of the fatherless.” God doth exercise a more special providence over men, as clothed with miserable circumstances; and therefore among his other titles this is one, to be a “helper of the fatherless.” It is the argument the church used to express her return to God; Hosea 14:3, “For in thee the fatherless find mercy.” Now what greater comfort is there than this, that there is one presides in the world who is so wise he cannot be mistaken, so faithful he cannot deceive, so pitiful he cannot neglect his people, and so powerful that he can make stones even to be turned into bread if he please!… God doth not govern the world only by his will as an absolute monarch, but by his wisdom and goodness as a tender father. It is not his greatest pleasure to show his sovereign power, or his inconceivable wisdom, but his immense goodness, to which he makes the other attributes subservient.—Stephen Charnock.
Verse 14.—“Thou hast seen it,” etc. If God did not see our ways, we might sin and go unpunished; but forasmuch as he seeth them with purer eyes than to behold iniquity and approve it, he is engaged both in justice and honour to punish all that iniquity of our ways which he seeth or beholdeth. David makes this the very design of God’s superintendency over the ways of men: “Thou hast seen it: for thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.” Thus the Psalmist represents the Lord as having taken a view or survey of the ways of men. “Thou hast seen.” What hath God seen? Even all that wickedness and oppression of the poor spoken of in the former part of the Psalm, as also the blasphemy of the wicked against himself (verse 13), “Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.” What saith the Psalmist concerning God, to this vain, confident man? “Thou,” saith he, “beholdest mischief and spite;” but to what purpose? the next words tell us that—“to requite it with thy hand.” As thou hast seen what mischief they have done spitefully, so in due time thou wilt requite it righteously. The Lord is not a bare spectator, he is both a rewarder and an avenger. Therefore, from the ground of this truth, that the Lord seeth all our ways, and counteth all our steps, we, as the prophet exhorts (Isaiah 3:10, 11), may “say to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” We may also say, “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” Only idols which have eyes and see not, have hands and strike not.—Joseph Caryl.
Verse 14.—“Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.” Let the poor know that their God doth take care of them, to visit their sins with rods who spoil them, seeing they have forgotten that we are members one of another, and have invaded the goods of their brethren; God will arm them against themselves, and beat them with their own staves; either their own compassing and over-reaching wits shall consume their store, or their unthrifty posterity shall put wings upon their riches to make them fly; or God shall not give them the blessing to take use of their wealth, but they shall leave to such as shall be merciful to the poor. Therefore, let them follow the wise man’s counsel (Eccles. 10:20), “Curse not the rich, no, not in thy bedchamber;” let no railing and unchristian bitterness wrong a good cause; let it be comfort enough to them that God is both their supporter and avenger. Is it not sufficient to lay all the storms of discontent against their oppressors, that God sees their affliction, and cometh down to deliver and avenge them?—Edward Marbury.
Verse 14.—“Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand,” etc. God considers all your works and ways, and will not you consider the works, the ways of God? Of this be sure, whether you consider the ways of God, his word-ways, or work-ways, of this be sure, God will consider your ways, certainly he will; those ways of yours which in themselves are not worth the considering or looking upon, your sinful ways, though they are so vile, so abominable, that if yourselves did but look upon them and consider them, you would be utterly ashamed of them; yea, though they are an abomination to God while he beholds them, yet he will behold and consider them. The Lord who is of purer eyes than to behold any the least iniquity, to approve it, will yet behold the greatest of your iniquities, and your impurest ways to consider them. “Thou,” said David, “beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it:” God beholdeth the foulest, dirtiest ways of men, their ways of oppression and unrighteousness, their ways of intemperance and lasciviousness, their ways of wrath and maliciousness, at once to detest, detect, and requite them. If God thus considereth the ways of men, even those filthy and crooked ways of men, should not men consider the holy, just and righteous ways of God?—Joseph Caryl.
Verses 14–18.—“God delights to help the poor.” He loves to take part with the best, though the weakest side. Contrary to the course of most, who when a controversy arises use to stand in a kind of indifferency or neutrality, till they see which part is strongest, not which is justest. Now if there be any consideration (besides the cause) that draws or engages God, it is the weakness of the side. He joins with many, because they are weak, not with any, because they are strong; therefore he is called the helper of the friendless, and with him the fatherless (the orphans) find mercy. By fatherless we are not to understand such only whose parents are dead, but any one that is in distress; as Christ promiseth his disciples; “I will not leave you orphans,” that is, helpless, and (as we translate) comfortless; though ye are as children without a father, yet I will be a father to you. Men are often like those clouds which dissolve into the sea; they send presents to the rich, and assist the strong; but God sends his rain upon the dry land, and lends his strength to those who are weak.… The prophet makes this report to God of himself (Isaiah 25:4): “Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm,” etc.—Joseph Caryl. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 1-26 (Vol. 1, pp. 124–126). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.
____________________________________________________________
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!!)
Paul is called to be a minister and to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
INSIGHT
Paul calls his ministry the fulfillment of a “mystery.” In the Bible, a mystery is nothing mysterious but something previously unknown. The mystery was that Jews and Gentiles would join together to form a new entity-the church. This mystery was foretold by Jesus, but the details of the doctrine, walk, and destiny of the church were communicated by Paul and his fellow apostles. Now as a new thing-the body of Christ-we are all to allow Christ to live His life through us. (Quiet Walk)
____________________________________________________
NO SIN
In him is no sin. 1 John 3:5
There can be no true view of salvation and of the redemption that is possible for us in the Lord Jesus Christ unless we are right about the person. That is why John used such strong and striking language in 1 John 2 when he talked about those people who were leading them astray by denying the person of our Lord. “Those antichrists,” he said in essence, “are liars, and they must be called such because they are robbing us of the whole of our salvation.” If we are wrong about the person, we shall be wrong everywhere.
So as we look at this person we are reminded again in this verse that here is one who has been in this world of ours with all its sin and its shame, but who was without sin. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He remains unique and separate. He alone is the Son of God. He is not just a great moral teacher, nor just a great religious genius. He is not one who has gone a little bit further than all others in this quest for God and for truth. No; He is the Son of God incarnate—“in him is no sin.”
But not only was there no sin in Him and in His birth—He committed no act of sin. He always honored God’s holy law; He obeyed it fully and carried it out perfectly. God gave His law to man. He intended that the law should be carried out, that it should be honored and obeyed. Let me go further and say this: No one can ever be with God and spend eternity with Him unless they have honored the law. God’s law must be kept, and without fulfilling it there is no fellowship with Him and no hope of spending eternity with Him. What God has demanded from man, man has failed to do; but here is One who does it.
A Thought to Ponder
If we are wrong about the person, we shall be wrong everywhere.
(From Children of God, pp. 53-54, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
___________________________________________________________
To the Animals
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6-8)
Adam and Eve originally were given dominion over all the animal creation (Genesis 1:26), but sin came in and things changed. Then, after the Flood, God placed the fear and dread of man “upon all that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 9:2), and the primeval fellowship between man and his animal friends was broken.
More seriously, their fellowship with God was broken, and soon, in their autonomy, the source of true wisdom was largely forgotten. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Romans 1:22-23).
Ironically, God now directs such foolish people to the animals they worship to find the wisdom they should have learned from God. “Go to the ant,” says the Lord, to learn industry and prudence. “There be four things which are little upon the earth,” the Word says, “but they are exceeding wise: The ants… the conies…the locusts…the spider” (Proverbs 30:24-28). “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isaiah 1:3).
“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee” (Job 12:7-8).
If nothing else, the intricate design of even the lowest animal is eloquent testimony to the wisdom of its Creator and the madness of those who deny Him.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
____________________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.