Venting Against Wickedness
The prosperity of the wicked often confounds believers. The unrighteous openly mock God and His holy standards. They pursue their selfish agendas with impunity and without consequence. And we wonder. Does God not see? Does He not care? And if He does see and care, then why doesn’t He act? These are good and valid questions. As long as we keep our hearts in check. In fact, today’s Psalm provides a model for how we can express our outrage in a manner that is acceptable to the Lord.
The Psalmist opens with bewilderment —“Why do You stand far away, Lord?” — from which we understand that it is fine to bring such frustrations before the Lord. The Psalmist clarifies the source of His frustration (10:2a) as well as the outcome he would like to see (10:2b). This is because of his righteous indignation against the contempt shown towards the living God (10:3-4). The Psalmist is clearly not angry at God; rather, he is angry at those who dishonour God. And he systematically lays out his reasons, beginning with the apparent success of the wicked despite being oblivious to God’s transcendent law (10:5). They not only sneer at their opponents but arrogantly assert their future success (10:6). Harbouring malice in their speech and hatred in their hearts, they set about trapping and destroying the harmless and destitute (10:7-10). Worse, they think God is blind (or indifferent) to their atrocities (10:11).
Having expressed his grievance, the Psalmist implores God to act: to punish the impudence and tyranny of the wicked; and to comfort and avenge the oppressed (10:12-15). After all, the Lord is sovereign over all (10:16). He will hear prayers for help, and He will put an end to exploitation and cruelty (10:17-18). Thus we see how our deepest emotions can be expressed prayerfully, and be assured of a hearing, through humble recognition of the nature and character of God.