You Are Not the Only One

1 Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

This is not the first time that David has begun a psalm with this specific phrasing. He has felt abandoned by God before. See Psalms 13:1; 22:11; 38:21; 44:24; 71:12; 88:14 I had an experience today that made we cry out to Him.  Sometimes people expectations of you exceed who you really are as a child of God.  It can either cripple you or strengthen you. Because I am by personality trait an introvert I would have retreated and stayed in my emotional bubble where I am safe.  However, that is not an option for someone who is kingdom minded and involved in kingdom work. Romans 5:3-5 tell us that we should “. . . . glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Easier said than done right? When someone is staring you in the face and you feel that you are all alone and God is not dealing with them. But He really is doing just that.

2. The Wickedness of Man. Verses 2-11.

This stanza provides a description of he wickedness of man. Verses 2-6 speaks to the characteristic of pride. Pride is one of the 7 things that God hates. There is extensive documentation about this negative character trait in the book of Proverbs. (Read the passages here Prov. 3:5, 7; 6:17; 11:2; 15:25, 33.) The behavioral descriptors come before each verse.

PRIDEFUL: 2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. A person who persecutes the poor has no scruples. Scripture tells us that we are to take care of the poor.

• Luke 6:20 “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed [be ye] poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.”
• Matthew 25:41-45 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:” “I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” “Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?” “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.

BOASTFUL 3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.  God hates wickedness and covetousness. Deuteronomy 25:1 “If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.”

SO SURE OF THEMSELVES THAT THEY demonstrate ATHEISTIC TENDENCIES: 4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. Psalm 14: 1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.² The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.³ They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Everyone will have an opportunity to discover whether they were fools for being atheistic or righteous for believing God. Here is the kicker though when the latter find out they were correct they go on to their eternal rest. What happens to the fool? Eternal separation from God, There will be no time for repentance then.

GRIEVOUS WAYS; 5His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. This person lives only for today.

NO ANXIETY ABOUT HIS FUTURE;6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. 

PROFANITY AND DECEPTION flow FROM HIS MOUTH: 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. 

According to Barnes, “the wicked are insidious, artful, and underhanded in their doings; a man who would stoop to any act of duplicity and treachery to accomplish his purposes,” 8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.

PROWLS AND POUNCES TO DESTROY OTHERS 9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. 

INSIDIOUS PRETENTIOUS BEHAVIOR 10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. Has someone ever pretended to be your friend only to stab you in the back every chance that they get?

BLINDED BY THEIR OWN SIN 11He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. God sees and knows all.

3. Come God and Pronounce Judgment on the Wicked.

12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

After listing the behavior of the wicked on the poor and humble David appeals to God to arise as in Numbers 10:35 ^“And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.” Also see Psalm 9:19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. “Lift up your hands oh God. Forget not the humble.” In his feeling of aloneness, desolation, and after seeing the injustices perpetrated against others David cried aloud in “Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.” There is no feeling in the world that is worse than feeling completely abandoned and alone.  But, remember this! As a child of God, you are never, ever alone. When men speak it may appear that God is silent BUT He is not! Our God is the Warrior King. He fights injustices. The arise phrase is used by David numerous times (See Psalms 3:7; 7:6; 9:19; 17:13; 74:10– 11; 94:2; 132:8.) What is God arising to do?

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

The wicked actually believe that they have gotten away with their wickedness. They believe that God will not “require” them to answer for their behavior.

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.

Generally, the wicked have done their own thing for such a long time that they have forgotten that “He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment” (Deuteronomy 10:18 ). Paul reminded the Romans that they did not need to “…. avenge [themselves], but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

Only God can break the control of the wicked (Longman 2014, 89). Oh, but we have laws, we have the courts, we have social justice we say. But only God can end injustices for God. Have you seen or experienced injustice? Where the legal system just did not work like it is supposed to? Where the poor and under privileged are just ravaged by the rich, and or wicked of this world? Did the system work consistently for them? That is what David saw. It should have worked but it was not working.  In a personal sense I am sure that there isn’t a single person who can say that they have no experienced injustice.  From a Christian point of view we can stand still and see the “salvation” or deliverance from God or we can take things into our own hands.  When we do the latter we suffer. 

16 The LORD is King forever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. 17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: 18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

David acknowledges that the Lord – King Jesus – is King forever. He hears the “desire”  of the humble. Galatians 2:20 states “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” It is hard to have this attitude at all times. But it is the desirable attitude to have. It lowers blood pressure. It raises our hope of conflict resolution, and it establishes who is truly in charge of our lives.

References

Barnes, Albert. 1868. NOTES, CRITICAL, EXPLANATORY, AND PRACTICAL ON THE BOOKS OF PSALMS, Google Books.

Longman, Tremper, III. 2014. Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Accessed August 15, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central.