PM June 28th Psalm 10

June 28^th Psalm 10 A Prayer for justice

1: Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? 2: The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. 3: For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 4: The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. 5: His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. 6: He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. 7: His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. 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. 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. 10: He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. 11: He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. 12: Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. 13: Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 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. 15: Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. 16: The LORD is King for ever 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.

To the chief musician,

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Psalm 11

A Psalm of David Trusting The Lord

1: In the LORD put I my trust: How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2: For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4: The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. 5: The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6: Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7: For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

To the chief musician upon Sheminith,

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Psalm 12

A Psalm of David. A Plea for help

1: Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2: They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. 3: The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? 5: For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 6: The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7: Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. 8: The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

To the chief musician,

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Today we are reading Psalm 10,11 & 12. Psalm 10 is a call on the Lord to deal with the wicked according to their wickedness and to save the righteous. Psalm 11 is a call on the Lord when the enemies of God surround the righteous. Psalm 12 is a statement of the Lord intent to save the righteous and destroy the wicked. These three Psalms have a similar theme. Back to Psalm 10. In this Psalm the poet asks for an explanation as to why the Lord appears to be absent when times of trouble come. He describes the evil deeds of the wicked such as the oppression of the poor. They have no thought for God and are full of self importance. They are full of cursing, lying and wickedness. They lie in wait to murder the innocent and pounce on the poor to rob them. He says to himself God will never see! - God will never hold me to account! But the Lord sees everything and he will definitely hold wicked men accountable for their sins. He calls for the judgment of God on these men. There will come a day when the LORD will be king of all the earth and there will be no wicked men in the land. The LORD hears the prayer of the humble and he will set right the injustices of men. In Psalm 11 David declares his trust in the Lord in the days of his trouble. The wicked are ready to kill the righteous But the Lord (Christ) is in his Holy Hill (This is prophetic and refers to the coming kingdom) And the LORD’s throne is in heaven and he sees everything. The Lord tries the righteous but the wicked and violent are hated by the Lord. He brings snares, fire and brimstone and tempests on them The LORD loves righteousness and he sees those who live uprightly. The next Psalm is again a contrast between the godly and the wicked. The wicked are flatterers, and they have double motives. The LORD will deal with them. When the poor and the needy sigh under their burden the Lord will arise. The Words of the Lord are pure words so pure that they are like silver put to the heat seven times. (This is no reference as some say to the AV of 1611) The words of the Lord will be preserved from generation to generation – Forever.

• How does the Psalmist describe the wicked in Psalm Ten?
• How does David describe what it means to trust in the Lord in Psalm Eleven?
• How does the Lord deliver the godly in Psalm Twelve?