Psalm 10

 ¹Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?

²The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;

Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

³For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;

He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

⁴The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;

God is in none of his thoughts.

⁵His ways are always prospering;

Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;

As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

⁶He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

I shall never be in adversity.”

⁷His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;

Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

⁸He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the secret places he murders the innocent;

His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

⁹He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;

He lies in wait to catch the poor;

He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

¹⁰So he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his strength.

¹¹He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face;

He will never see.”

¹²Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand!

Do not forget the humble.

¹³Why do the wicked renounce God?

He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.”

¹⁴But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,

To repay it by Your hand.

The helpless commits himself to You;

You are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;

Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

¹⁶The Lord is King forever and ever;

The nations have perished out of His land.

¹⁷Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear,

¹⁸To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Commentary 

Vs. 1 ¹Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?

Why do You hide in times of trouble? 

Psalm 10 begins with a question which every believer will ask at some point in their lives:

“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?”

This question, which is a deep and valid question, is often asked when one is faced with persecution, or injustice, or outright evil or violence at the hands of the wicked. Now we know that the root of all of this is that we are living in a fallen and unjust world, that from the beginning has rejected God’s Reign and Rule for us all, and so we live in a world where God and His Word for us all is thought the enemy, and not the only true means to our reconciliation with God. For it is through His Word that His salvation (His reconciliation of us to Himself through His Son) is offered to us all, and freely comes to all who repent and believe in Him. And so down here sin and Satan reign and rule in peoples hearts and minds, not God. For everything and everyone born under the sun since the fall of Adam and Eve has been corrupted by the same, thus unregenerate mankind being swayed and moved by those same dark and evil influences, universally tries to live and reign by their own rule and power. And so down here man does not love his neighbor as himself as God would have us all do, instead when push comes to shove, man often only loves himself and no one else. And yet knowing that, the question still remains, a question which itself is only born out of our own short sighted and self-centered vision. For how much of God’s Love, Kindness, Goodness, Mercy, Justice, Judgment, Forgiveness and Truth, we soon forget when faced with our own troubles. God’s so-called silence, or His so called hiding, or standing a far off, then is never His indifference! For though He may not move immediately, or in the way or manner in which we desire Him to do so, He always acts in defense of righteousness, justice, and truth! Therefore, waiting on the Lord is one of the great challenges that every believer in this life will face.

Vs. 2 “The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;

Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.”

The cause of the Psalmists complaint now comes to light, for seeing or experiencing troubles from the hands of the wicked, he decries that the wicked in their pride persecute the poor; for the most vulnerable or unprotected amongst us they always see as easy prey for themselves. And so, they set us up as their target, and they make their plots against us. They even recruit others in this, getting them to join them in it, or do their bidding for them, by making us out to be worthy of their contempt and abuse as well. Therefore, the Psalmist asks God to, “Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.” Yes, let them all fall by their own schemes! 

Vs. 3 “For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;

He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.”

Such is the wicked person’s self-assured arrogance, that they brazenly and openly boast of their heart’s desires, even their darkest and vilest desires, for there is no fear of the Lord in their hearts and lives, (because in renouncing the Lord there is no more conviction of sin, no more moral restraints, and so their consciences having been seared with a hot iron, they are now given over to Satan and their sins). Therefore, in their self-assured arrogance they now feel invulnerable. And so, they bless the greedy; all the ones who like them will do and justify just about anything in their pursuits of wealth and money; while again renouncing the Lord, because to love one is to only hate the other (Matt. 6:24).

 Vs. 4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;

God is in none of his thoughts.

Therefore, the wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. He never thinks of Him (for in his world he is his own god, and he lives by his own might and rule), thus he never considers that it is God Himself who not only holds his life and well-being in His hands, but it is also to Him we must all give an accounting of ourselves. God’s seemingly silence now while they live and do such things then just maybe so that they receive His full Judgment in the end!

 Vs. 5-6 ⁵His ways are always prospering;

Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;

As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

⁶He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

I shall never be in adversity.”

These verses reveal a truth which Job himself discovered, but his friends could not accept, and that is that the wicked often prosper in this life. Indeed, sometimes people of low moral character or scruples, not only prosper, but temporarily abound in ease of life, and rule. Therefore, God’s judgments; His Ways and His warnings about sin and what is to come on those who deal unjustly and live unrighteous lives; are far above, (maybe even removed), from their sight. For in their prosperity they neither fear Him, nor their enemies, indeed they only sneer at them. For as the Scripture says: 

“He has said in his heart,

“I shall not be moved;

I shall never be in adversity.”

Thus, they always think themselves invincible before they are taken away, like all others who came before them (consider Job 24:1-25).

Vs. 7 “His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;

Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.”

The wicked is also known by the words that they use. For their mouths are full of cursing, lying, and oppression. For when they speak there is nothing edifying or encouraging or truthful coming out of their mouths, for all their words only propagate sin, encourage others to do the same, and or are filled with intimidation, threats, and all manner of coercive speech, for they always openly and fearlessly declare their own vileness and violent desires towards others. Running people down then, belittling them, and or slandering them, comes as naturally to them as breathing. And so, when they speak brace yourself, for if you listen to them you will only get an earful of foulmouthed language and lies laced with their sickening pride filled boosting of all their wicked deeds and immoral desires.

Vs. 8-10 ⁸He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the secret places he murders the innocent;

His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

⁹He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;

He lies in wait to catch the poor;

He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

¹⁰So he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his strength.

They are the ones who wait for and watch their victims, waiting in the lurking places of the towns, cities, and villages where they can watch their victims and not be seen, lurking about like predators waiting for an opportunity to strike, and so he sets up his trap for them, and in secret far off hidden places from the sight of men he murders the innocent. For his eyes are always fixed on the helpless, the ones that he perceives will be easy victims. And so, he lies in wait for them, like a lion ready to pounce on its prey, patiently waiting to take them. In particular he targets the poor (not just materially poor) but those who are societies weakest and most vulnerable, who live and walk alone, for in their eyes not only are they easy prey for him, but there will be no retribution coming to them afterwards, since they are not well associated or aligned with anyone who has might or power or authority by which harm could come to them. And so, he confidently devises his plot before laying out his trap to catch the poor in it. For to him, and those like him, the stock and “the kill” by their power, by their controlling others, are all pleasures to them. And so, to use and manipulate others in his evil deeds is all apart of his unquenchable desire for control. For in essence, he sees himself as far above everyone else, and everyone else (including those he “loves”, whether friends or family) to him are only objects to be manipulated and controlled by him. Pity the one then who who falls in love with him, or grows up in or is a member of his household!

Vs. 11 He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face;

He will never see.”

Afterwards then he is always so confident in himself, that he has once again gotten away with it. Nonetheless we know different, because God sees and knows everything, and He does not forget! 

 Vs. 12 “Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand!

Do not forget the humble.”

Because of this there is a cry for justice for the Lord to lift up His hand and strike the wicked man! To not forget the humble; to never forget anyone and everyone who seeks His face; who seeks truth and justice from Him.

Vs. 13 “Why do the wicked renounce God?

He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.”

In moment of contemplation this question is asked, then answered, “Why do the wicked renounce God?” Is it born out of their self-assured arrogance? Maybe some of it is, but ultimately is comes down to their own unbelief that emboldens them to renounce God and say in their hearts, “You will not require an account.” And yet even demons believe and tremble in fear at the thought of having to be confronted by God. These people then will have overwhelming fear and terror when He confronts them! 

Vs. 14 “But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,

To repay it by Your hand.

The helpless commits himself to You;

You are the helper of the fatherless.”

Thankfully God’s Person, Power, and Might is not dependent upon what people believe or don’t believe about Him. Therefore, God not only observes trouble and grief, but He also fully repays it by His hand! Therefore, the helpless commits themselves to Him, because God is the helper of the fatherless!  

Vs. 15 “Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;

Seek out his wickedness until You find none.”

Therefore, a cry for justice goes out from the humble and afflicted, to “Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.” God then will remove the wicked mans strength and confidence, He will seek out His wickedness and destroy it all until He finds none! We then can all be assured of this, for the Scripture always records what God Himself is going to do! 

Vs. 16 “The Lord is King forever and ever;

The nations have perished out of His land.”

From a personal cry for justice to now a triumphant declaration of the Future of the Lord’s Eternal Reign and Rule, when all of these things will be fully realized! For the Lord is King forever and ever; and all the nations that did not believe Him, who would not serve Him, but made war against Him and His people will perish out of His land! Not only will they not be found there, but their names and all memories of them will be forgotten forever! (Isaiah 41:11-13; Obadiah 16).

Vs. 17-18 ¹⁷Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear,

¹⁸To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Confidently then this psalm closes with a declaration in full assurance that the Lord has heard the humbles hearts desire, that He will prepare our hearts for that Day, and everyday that we have to face injustice and evil during our sojourn down here. For He will cause His ear to hear, so that He Himself may do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that the man of the earth (who has neither faith, nor vision, nor understanding of anything beyond this life) may oppress no more.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 9

 To the Chief Musician. To The Tune of “Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.

¹I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

²I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

³When my enemies turn back,

They shall fall and perish at Your presence.

⁴For You have maintained my right and my cause;

You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.

⁵You have rebuked the nations,

You have destroyed the wicked;

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

⁶O enemy, destructions are finished forever!

And you have destroyed cities;

Even their memory has perished.

⁷But the Lord shall endure forever;

He has prepared His throne for judgment.

⁸He shall judge the world in righteousness,

And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

⁹The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,

A refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁰And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;

For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!

Declare His deeds among the people.

¹²When He avenges blood,

He remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the humble.

¹³Have mercy on me, O Lord!

Consider my trouble from those who hate me,

You who lift me up from the gates of death,

¹⁴That I may tell of all Your praise

In the gates of the daughter of Zion.

I will rejoice in Your salvation.

¹⁵The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;

In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

¹⁶The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;

The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah

¹⁷The wicked shall be turned into hell,

And all the nations that forget God.

¹⁸For the needy shall not always be forgotten;

The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

¹⁹Arise, O Lord,

Do not let man prevail;

Let the nations be judged in Your sight.

²⁰Put them in fear, O Lord,

That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah

Commentary 

Vs. 1-2 ¹I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

²I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 

David’s heartfelt rejoicing and delighting himself in the Lord here is the precursor to his absolute faith in, and declaration of the Lord's Victory over all of his enemies. For His maintaining his right and his cause; which itself is symbolic of His doing so for the entire redeemed Nation. For in trusting in the Lord our Lord who is the Most High God, we too can have the same confidence and assured faith of our own victorious outcomes.  

Vs. 3-4 ³When my enemies turn back,

They shall fall and perish at Your presence.

⁴For You have maintained my right and my cause;

You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.

Therefore, David’s victorious words here are born out of his knowing the Lord, knowing that it is the Lord who upholds him, who preserves and keeps him, (just as He keeps and preserves all who are faithful to Him), for the Lord will never allow the righteous to be moved (Ps. 55:22). David's confidence in the Lord then is born out of his having already experienced the Lord's Help many times before. Therefore he knows that the Lord will once again turn back his enemies, that they shall all fall and perish at His Presence. For the Lord has maintained his right and cause, because the Lord always judges from His Throne in righteousness, and he knows what His servant has done, and what His enemies have done and are plotting against him. Therefore in David's victorious declaration we also see his foreshadowing the Lord’s own Victory. For just as the Lord will turn back his enemies when they are about to overwhelm him, so He will on His Day do so for all the saints when He returns! For His enemies shall all fall and perish at the His Presence. In a moment they shall all be destroyed who have risen up against Him. For the Lord Jesus Christ has maintained our right and our cause before the accuser of the brethren down through history. And He will at His Second Coming, when he has vanquished him, sit on His Rightful Throne and Judge the world in Righteousness, and on that Day He will vindicate everyone who believes in Him, while repaying everyone who does not.

Vs. 5-6 ⁵You have rebuked the nations,

You have destroyed the wicked;

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

⁶O enemy, destructions are finished forever!

And you have destroyed cities;

Even their memory has perished.

All peoples and nations then who set themselves against God's chosen, against His nation and His people will be destroyed, on that day they will be as though they had never been (Joel 3:14-17; Obadiah 16). For God Himself guarantees that there will be no more trace, nor remembrance of them, forever and ever! Even their cities that they have built for themselves will be destroyed and forgotten forever! Everything that they prided themselves in shall never be seen or heard about again (Consider Isaiah 13:11-13; 26:20-27:1; 65:17-19; 66:22; Hab. 2:13-14; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1 etc.).

Vs. 7-8 ⁷But the Lord shall endure forever;

He has prepared His throne for judgment.

⁸He shall judge the world in righteousness,

And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

Therefore it is the Lord alone who shall endure forever! Long after all the memories of all of His enemies and their works have perished. For He shall reign forever and ever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end! Therefore He has prepared His Throne for Judgment for from it He shall render His verdict on the nations! For He will judge the world in righteousness, He will administer judgment for all peoples in uprightness. Finally, there will be truth and justice in the earth! The wicked will no longer prosper, nor will the rich and powerful anymore have the scales tilted in their favor. No more will there be in power those who misuse or abuse authority, power, or privilege! Official will no longer watch over official to preserve and protect each other while they are acting corruptly or doing unjustly. The schemer and the lair, the manipulator and the deceiver will find no more ways in which to forward their evil plots, schemes, and plans. For the Lord’s all-seeing eyes will make sure of it. All people will be judged in righteousness, and all people will be treated with equality and fairness. There will be no more showing of partiality, no more influence buying and peddling! No more condemning the righteous and justifying the wicked, no more putting evil for good and good for evil, For the Lord does no unrighteousness in judgment, His favor cannot be bought, His truth, and His justice, cannot be sold!

Vs. 9-10 “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. ¹⁰And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” 

When the Lord Jesus Christ Reigns He will be a refuge for all the oppressed of the earth, just as He is our refuge in times of trouble now. All of His people then who had to endure the hostility of this world will find the everlasting peace and safety for which we long and yearn! No longer then will our meekness be an open invitation to aggression and abuse by them. Therefore, those who know Your Name Lord will put their trust in You, For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!

Declare His deeds among the people.

¹²When He avenges blood,

He remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the humble. start here 

In seeing the Lord's future Reign of Justice and Righteousness one cannot but sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion (that is His Heavenly City, His Holy Temple, which culminates with the New Jerusalem). Therefore, we are all exhorted to sing His praises hear and now in anticipation of what is coming, to declare His deeds among the people, for not only does He save us who believe in Him, but He also avenges us, for He remembers the cry of the humble. All of our cry's for help have been heard (Rev. 6:11; 7:9-17)! (Jeremiah 30:10; Ezekiel 34:28; Micah 4:4; Zephaniah 3:13; Zechariah 3:10; 8:3).

Vs. 13-14 ¹³Have mercy on me, O Lord!

Consider my trouble from those who hate me,

You who lift me up from the gates of death,

¹⁴That I may tell of all Your praise

In the gates of the daughter of Zion.

I will rejoice in Your salvation. 

Having seen God’s big picture plans, David now returns to his own plight, calling on the Lord to have mercy on him, (and here not for his sin), but from the troubles that those who hate him are causing him. Now in one sense his cry for help is the cry of the nation of Israel, of all of God’s oppressed and persecuted people. For David knows that it is the Lord who lifts him up from the gates of death, (that it is He alone who keeps us alive and preserves us; for neither the nation of Israel nor God’s chosen people in Christ will ever cease to be no matter how great or fierce or numerous the opposition; now David does this so that he may declare the Lord’s praise, and so he concludes this psalm by confidently saying. “In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.” Daughter of Zion then is not the then Zion, but the heavenly one, the New Jerusalem that is to come! 

Vs. 15 “The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;

In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.” 

Though the nations seek to snare and entrap God’s people, they will all find themselves falling by their own schemes! For the Lord Himself will see to it, to bring about their end through their own works and ways! 

Vs. 16 “The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;

The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah” 

Because of this God Himself will become known to the nations; but not known as those who believe in Him; but known as the One who truly Reigns and Rules and whose Judgment is over everyone! Therefore, David recalls this universal fact that the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Something that he (and we) can mediate on, when we are frustrated in seeing their “success and prosperity.” 

Vs. 17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell,

And all the nations that forget God.” 

Indeed, the wicked shall be turned into hell, along with all the nations that forgot God, who also live by their own degenerate morality, who live according to Sodom and Gomorrah’s vileness and violence will thus all reap the same fate as they did (consider Jude 5-7). And so, though they speak so boldly now, brazenly and fearlessly declaring their sin, and exalting their vileness openly before all, how proud of their wickedness will they be on the Day when God Judges and Repays them, and everyone according to their works and ways. Far better then to repent and believe now, while one can, then to continue on in a sinful and wicked manner of life that will only end in ones own eternal ruin, and thus being sentenced to hell! 

Vs. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten;

The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. 

For the Lord will not only deal with all the wicked of the earth, but He will end all the tenures of the unjust peoples and nations, all who used and abused their power, privilege, and might to exploit and run rough shot over the poor. All the oppressed of the earth who turn to Him will find the Lord to be their everlasting refuge! 

Vs. 19-20 ¹⁹Arise, O Lord,

Do not let man prevail;

Let the nations be judged in Your sight.

²⁰Put them in fear, O Lord,

That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah 

In concluding there is the call and cry for the Lord to Rise! To rise up and take His Sovereign place as the Ruler and Judge of all the earth, and to not let man prevail against Him. For He shall Judge all the nations in His sight (Matt 25:31-46). And on that Day those who opposed Him and were willingly negligent towards all of His people will fear when they see Him seated on His Throne, and they will know that they themselves are mere men, when they see the Immortal and Everlasting God, Amen!

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 8

 To the Chief Musician. On the Instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.

¹O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth,

Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

²Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have ordained strength,

Because of Your enemies,

That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

³When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

⁴What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

⁵For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

⁷All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field,

⁸The birds of the air,

And the fish of the sea

That pass through the paths of the seas.

⁹O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Commentary

Vs. 1 “O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth,

Who have set Your glory above the heavens!”

How magnificent is the Lord, our Lord in all the earth. For it is He who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. And He is our Redeemer and Savior for He is Lord of all. His Name then is the Most excellent Name in all the earth. For by His name He rules, and by His Name we find Him and know Him, and by His Name we are saved by Him and brought into an everlasting covenant and relationship with Him through His Most Hallowed Name. How Great then is His Name in all the earth! And yet He has set His glory above the heavens, far above the stars and constellations, far above the earth and all of creation, His glory cannot then be fully seen by us (or creation) in our mortal and fallen state. For He must first bring us into Himself, before we will see His glory fully revealed in His Kingdom forever!

Vs. 2 “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have ordained strength,

Because of Your enemies,

That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.”

Now all these things that are so clear and self evident to all of us who believe in Him, who walk by faith with Him, are near impossible for the “wise and prudent”, or the proud and self-sufficient to see. For God Himself has ordained this, to shut the eyes of the one, while opening wide the eyes of the other (Consider Matt 11:25, 1 Cor. 2:1-16) so that His Honor and Glory should not be given to another, therefore:

“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have ordained strength,

Because of Your enemies,

That You may silence the enemy and the avenger

Therefore it is by mere babes and nursing infants that God has ordained strength to be revealed and declared, even in the face of the proud and the mighty and powerful, to put to silence then all of His enemies. Now these babes that the Word of God speaks of here are not literal babes and nursing infants per-say, but His born-again children of God, His nursing infants, His chosen people, who in faith feed on His Word, who are the least esteemed in the eyes of those of this world, and so it us through us who believe and obey His Son Jesus Christ that God has ordained strength, so that He may put to silence the enemy and the avenger. For such is the Sovereign Strength and Wisdom and Power of God that He need not consider all the principalities and powers who rise up and unite themselves against Him, for He can easily handle all of them with even the weakest and most vulnerable of us, with mere babes and nursing infants! For it is our Sovereign God, who in His Greatness, chooses to disarm and defeat his enemies, through mere babes, who again are all of His people who believe Him and chose to obey Him, who thus are the least esteemed in the eyes of those of this world, but who are most loved and cherished in His World, in His Kingdom who are all His saints, both now, and down through all the ages.  

Vs. 3-4 ³When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

⁴What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?

David’s heart now marvels at this, that our God who created all the universe, everything in all of creation, (both in the physical and spiritual realms), that He would consider him, (us), a mere mortal man or woman, as someone to be loved and cherished and through His Greatness to be exalted above all of His creation.

Vs. 5-9 ⁵For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

⁷All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field,

⁸The birds of the air,

And the fish of the sea

That pass through the paths of the seas.

⁹O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

And so in exalting mankind above all of His creation, God has made us a little lower than the angels, placing us on the earth to bear His Image and giving us dominion over all the works of His hands. Therefore in doing so He has crowned us all with glory and honor placing us far above and before everything on earth. And so, though He has made us a little lower than the angels, by placing us here on earth, we are not lower than them in stature (though we are in power and might, 2 Peter 2:11), for one day we who believe in Him will judge angels, (1 Cor. 6:3). Therefore, as the pinnacle of His creative genius, God has exalted us above all His creation. For He has given us dominion over all the works of His hands, everything on earth He has placed under our feet as to be subordinate to us, whether domesticated or wild, whether found in the air, or found in the waters and the seas, all of creation God has placed under our feet! Nothing than is to be exalted above mankind, other than God Himself! Because of this David closes this Psalm with great praise and thanksgiving saying, 

“O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson. 

Psalm 7

 A Meditation Concerning the Words of Cush, a Benjamite.

 ¹O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;

Save me from all those who persecute me;

And deliver me,

²Lest they tear me like a lion,

Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

³O Lord my God, if I have done this:

If there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,

Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;

Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,

And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

⁶Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;

Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;

Rise up for me to the judgment

You have commanded!

⁷So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;

For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

⁸The Lord shall judge the peoples;

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,

And according to my integrity within me.

⁹Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

But establish the just;

For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

¹⁰My defense is of God,

Who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a just judge,

And God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If he does not turn back,

He will sharpen His sword;

He bends His bow and makes it ready.

¹³He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;

He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

¹⁴Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;

Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

¹⁵He made a pit and dug it out,

And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶His trouble shall return upon his own head,

And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

¹⁷I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

 

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;

Save me from all those who persecute me;

And deliver me,

²Lest they tear me like a lion,

Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

By the title, we see that this David wrote this Psalm while being hotly pursued and oppressed by a certain man named Cush, a Benjamite, a man of the same tribe as Saul, who was likely trying to orchestrate David’s downfall and death for Saul. 

When faced with persecution we see that David’s first inclination and cry for help is not to man; but to the Lord our God, whom he has put his trust in. And so with his life once again in grave peril, David turns to the Lord God as the Only One who can save him from all of those who are persecuting him, who want to devour him. David then does not look to his own skill, power, and might as the means of his deliverance, nor does he hope in his own weapons of war as if he could save himself through these, nor does he even call out to those who had allied themselves with him to come and save and deliver him from them, instead he looks to the Lord our God. For this is the theme of his life, of a Godly life, that seeks after the Lord our God even in his darkest and most desperate times. Which is something that we may also have to learn to do, as the Lord our God allows whatever trying times and perils that have been appointed for us in this life, to come into our lives, so that ultimately our confidence in everything but Himself will likewise be either removed, or brought into a right and true perspective.

 Vs. 3-5 ³O Lord my God, if I have done this:

If there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,

Or have plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;

Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,

And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

 David in appealing to the Lord to act on his behalf is doing so from a stance of having conducted himself righteously and justly towards others. And so he now says to the Lord that if there is iniquity in his hands (vs. 3), or if he has repaid evil to him who was at peace with him, or plundered his enemy without a cause (vs. 4), then he says, ^“Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah” Therefore, his appeal for God's help is based upon his having done what is right in the sight of the Lord. For if he has been unjust then he says do not hear my prayer for Your intervention; indeed, then let my enemies trample my life to earth and lay my honor in the dust; but if I have been just in Your sight Lord my God then please act on my behalf. David’s appeal here then is rooted in the truth that God already knows about him, and thus it is his rebuke of all of those who have spoken evil of him, who are doing and encouraging others to do evil towards him based upon the lies that they themselves have spoken about him.

Vs. 6 “Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;

Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;

Rise up for me to the judgment

You have commanded!”

David then having made his defense before the Lord; that he is not guilty of any of the slanderous and evil things that his enemies have spoken of him; lies that they are using to justify their own murderous desires to hunt him down and kill him; now calls upon the Lord to Arise in His anger, to lift Himself up because of the rage of his enemies, to render His judgment which He has commanded! For David has not sought out his own vengeance, nor has he schemed anything against his enemies in retaliation, therefore his appeal here is most just, and surely the Most Just God will act Justly!

 Vs. 7-8 ⁷So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;

For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

⁸The Lord shall judge the peoples;

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,

And according to my integrity within me.

 David then having presented his case before God now sees a Day when the congregation of the peoples are gathered before the Lord. A Day in which God Himself will assemble all the peoples and judge the righteous and the wicked. Therefore, he asks for our sakes that the Lord return on high, to render His Judgment on our behalf. For the Lord shall Judge the peoples, He shall render to everyone according to their works and their ways. Therefore, David asks that He Judge him according to his righteousness, according to the integrity in which he has lived before Him. David then is asking the Lord to vindicate him before all of his accusers, and this every believer shall have by the Righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Vs. 9 “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

But establish the just;

For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.”

David like everyone who lives righteously before God now lets his heart cry out in longing for that Day when God will deal with the wicked of the earth and establish the just in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Kingdom. For God Himself tests the hearts and minds, He himself knows the inner thoughts and workings of man, He knows who truly loves Him, and who does not. Now loving God begins when one has been born again by His Spirit, who by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ now have His Presence within them, and thus now see Him as He really is, and not as this world, or Satan the ruler of it, so wrongly and horribly portrays Him to be.

Vs. 10 “My defense is of God,

Who saves the upright in heart.”

David then was confident that his defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart. Thus not the hypocrite, not the liar, but everyone who comes to Him openly and honestly, who believes in His Son, will find salvation from Him. 

Vs. 11-13 ¹¹God is a just judge,

And God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If he does not turn back,

He will sharpen His sword;

He bends His bow and makes it ready.

¹³He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;

He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

Even though David was suffering persecution at the hands of wicked, and he was daily seeing troubles by their schemes; David still knew that God is angry with the wicked every day. Therefore, though God may restrain Himself from rendering His Judgment on them as they act wickedly, it is only so that repentance and remission of sins may also be offered to them (Acts 3:19-26). However, as David wisely notes in verses 12-13 if they do not avail themselves of it, then they are only storing up great wrath upon themselves. For God will sharpen His sword, He will draw back His bow, He will prepare His weapons of war to bring about their own downfall and ruin! And so, though God’s wrath on them is not immediately seen by us, it is there, (just as His love is), and it will land upon all the wicked who do not turn back from their ways. Therefore, let us never forget that our God is a consuming fire! He is not One to be trifled with, or taken lightly, but One to be believed, obeyed, and feared.

Vs. 14-16 ¹⁴Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;

Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.

¹⁵He made a pit and dug it out,

And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶His trouble shall return upon his own head,

And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

In seeing how God deals with the wicked, David now describes the ways of the wicked, by which they operate. First, they dream up their plot or scheme, then they seek to put it into practice, here making a pit for their victim to fall into. However, soon enough they will get snared by their own schemes; their own devious ways will become the means of their own ruin. And so, they fall into their own pit which they have dug for others, they are brought to ruin by their own corrupt works and ways. Therefore, their own trouble shall return upon their own heads, and their violent dealings shall come down on their own crowns. God’s judgment will find them, and in His most appropriate timing and way He will deal with them, or He will simply let them fall to their own eternal ruin, through their own works and ways.

Vs. 17 “I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

In understanding all of this David cannot but exude with praise. Therefore:

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.