Daily in the Psalms : Psalm 10 THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. Psalms 10:1-2 Many times our problems cause us to believe that God is merely an idle, passive spectator and is really not concerned about our misery. We may even think that He refuses our cry for relief. We look at the pride of those that do harm to God’s people and wonder why God does not punish them for placing God’s people in the furnace of affliction. This kind of thinking is a painful problem. It Is Caused By A Presumptuous Question - To ask why God would stand by a watch as we suffer and do nothing on our behalf is to presume that we know the mind and intent of God. There is no way that man can know the secret things that belong only to Him. It Is Caused By A Murmuring Question - We are told in the Bible to make our request known to God. We are told to ask, seek, and knock. We are told to cast our cares upon Him. But in doing so, our complaint must not be against Him. To accuse God of injustice or neglect is the worst kind of murmuring. God’s people are to give themselves entirely into the hands of God. It Is Caused By A Despairing Question - We will despair when we believe that God’s grace will not come or that it is not sufficient. God seldom ever acts in our time, but in His own time. We must always have the hope that God ALWAYS does things well and His time is ALWAYS best. God has given us words that keep us from despair, “HE NEVER FAILETH!” Our trouble can cause us to become impatient and ask the wrong questions. The most bitter time in the life of the child of God is the time he believes God is absent. Thank God He has said that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. The Solution To Our Problems Is Personal Discipline PERSONAL DISCIPLINE WILL REBUKE OUR FAULTS - Many times our hour of sorrow is how God reveals our sin and brings us to repentance. PERSONAL DISCIPLINE REMINDS US OF OUR DEPENDENCE ON GOD - We usually do not realize the preciousness of our friends until we lose them. A time of sorrow and despair will help us remember our Greatest Friend and what we would be if He actually withdrew His presence from us. God sometimes has to remind us that we are helpless without Him. PERSONAL DISCIPLINE DRAWS US NEARER TO GOD - To feel that we are alone will cause us to do what is necessary to draw near to Him. One of the reasons God delays justice is to give the wicked time to repent. It is not the will of God that they perish. The sinner may abuse God’s grace and misrepresent His delay, but God is longsuffering, even to them. If the righteous suffer because of these delays, we are to see our suffering as our identification with Christ, who was bruised for our iniquities. God is patient, giving time for the sinner to be saved, and the Godly must not complain about His mercy. The child of God must remember that God will never dishonor Himself. When all things are seen clearly, His character and holiness will shine forth. Each unexplained mystery shall be revealed as gold. We must know that God is in control of all things and we are to give Him glory for that control THE ATHEIST For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 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; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. 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. 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. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 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. Psalms 10:3-14 The Atheist Ignores God - God is not in all his thoughts. He lives as though there is no God. His conduct, his purposes, and the schemes of his life are carried on as if God does not exist. The Psalmist is not speaking of the words an atheist might say, but the internal thoughts of the wicked. Many times an atheist does not claim to be such, but their thoughts cause them to live a Godless life. Some may even deny that they are Godless, but their life reveals their most inner thoughts. It makes no difference what a man’s lips may utter; it is his life that proves his belief in God. There are many in this world that would deny the existence of our God, yet they have their own idols and worship many objects as god. Then there are those that claim to believe in God, yet they shut Him out of their homes and hearts. They Exclude God - The whole of their philosophy is “NO GOD.” They do not believe God can be known, even if He does exist. God is so far from them that He cannot affect their mind or actions. Because they have excluded Him, they reject the possibility that anyone could know Him. Their philosophy is that because God is so far from them, there is no way that we could prove His existence. Because He does not affect their living, He could never punish or reward their actions. The very thought of God disturbs their plans and purposes, so they simply deny that He even exists. Personal rejection of God will always result in personal wickedness. Many try to portray atheism in a good light, saying that it is the result of deep thought and clear logic. But God declares the atheist as a fool and atheism as the monstrous child of the worst corruption. Atheism does not come from a clear head, but a disordered heart. They will brag about the wickedness of their heart. The wicked lust of thier soul becomes something that they praise. They bless and idolize themselves. Because they have forgotten God they believe that God has forgotten them and their wickedness. They bless and receive pleasure from the corrupt and those that are against God. The atheist is prideful in his look, his way, his judgments, his heart, his mouth, and his plans. He believes the accountability of his sins is so far out of reach that it could never touch him. Because of his pride, he cares as little for other men as he does for God. His pride has given him such a sense of security that he has no restraint of his lips. He speaks as though he will prosper forever. He is filled with blasphemy, lies, injustice, cruelty, and murder. When a person ignores God and believes that God plays no part in their life, the floodgates of wickedness are wide open. There is a time coming when the God of Heaven will require payment for all that He has observed in the wicked. God is not the spectator that the atheist presumes; He sees everything and will call every man to account. Look up child of God, you are on the winning side! DANGEROUS SNARES His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. 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. 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. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 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. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. Psalms 10:7-18 There are vicious traps set by the wicked to snare the soul. God’s people must be aware of these snares: The Wicked Set Snares For The Young And Inexperienced - The wicked tell lies and the world paints an enticing picture that will entrap and destroy the new Christian. These snares are too numerous to name. They are cleverly placed and extremely successful. Many times we are discouraged because so many new converts are caught in these snares. The cruel and heartless of this world, for the sake of gain and lust, set these snares to take away the health, happiness, and hope from the new convert. The World Sets Snares For The Godly - The world is no friend of the saved. It does not seek our best, it seeks the worst it can possibly inflict on us. The traps set for the Godly are filled with perjury and deceit and will quickly discredit our name and reputation. It will damage or circumstances and bring financial ruin. It has snares for our character. Those in the world seek to find our weak points and exploit them. They provoke us in every conceivable way. The world makes sure temptation is always before us. When it cannot injure us openly, it seeks to harm us secretly. We must never believe that the world does not hate us; it is always trying to destroy the honest and murder the innocent. Satan Sets Snares For All Of Us - There is no one that is exempt from the tactics of Satan. He is a great thief and sorcerer and sets snares at every turn. He hides and disguises himself and draws the unsuspecting into his net. HE SETS SNARES OF PLEASURE - What may seem sweet is filled with the poison of Hell. The promise of pleasure has been the demise of countless people. The flower of Satan’s pleasure will quickly turn into the vine of destruction. HE SETS SNARES OF FALSE HONOR - So many have been ruined by the promise of popularity and worldly recognition. His deadly net is laced with fake gold and jewels. So many have been tricked by Satan’s fashion and philosophy. He is able to transform himself into an angel of light, drawing us with his lies and flattery, leading us to ruin DANGEROUS SNARES His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. 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. 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. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 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. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. Psalms 10:7-18 What must we do to keep from being caught in these snares? We Must Trust God - If we attempt to stand on our own and try to defend ourselves with our own hands, we will surely be defeated. Anytime you take yourself out of God’s hands, you place yourself in great danger. When our dependence is upon God, even in our darkest hours, we can have full assurance. God never forgets His own nor does He forget or overlook the deeds of the wicked. We Must Walk Circumspectly - We are to live in a spirit of careful watchfulness. We are to constantly be on guard against the deceivers and make false promises. We are to keep as far from danger a possible. Too many are trying to see how close they can get to danger, but that is a foolish philosophy. God is ready to keep those that walk carefully. We Must Look To God For Deliverance - We are to do our best to stay out of the grasp of Satan, but if He should snare us, our God can deliver us. In the deepest ditch of Satan’s trouble, stained with the blood and tears of regret, we can look for the help and mercy of God. His hand can liberate us and cause us to sing like a bird freed from the snare of the fowler. Thank God because of Jesus, the snare is broken and we are escaped! We Must Be Assured That God’s Eye Is Upon Us - Many times, because God has mercy on the wicked; they believe that He winks at their sin. Because He delays His wrath, they falsely believe that He cannot punish them. But they need to be reminded that the silent arrow can cause as much damage as the noisy cannon. Unlike God’s grace toward the Godly, His patience toward the sinner is NOT everlasting! So Glad To Be So Saved
Danny "Preacher" Bezet
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