Psa 10 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Ps 10:1-18: Ps 10 The lament of 9:13-20 continues in Ps 10 (see study note on Pss 9–10), but the mood changes from confident assertion to anguished questioning. The psalmist prays for rescue, believing that the Lord, as a just king, takes care of the needy. 10:1 The opening questions set the mood. The Lord does not seem to hear the prayers of his people (22:1 , 19 ; see 2 Kgs 4:27 ; Isa 1:15 ).

Summary for Ps 10:1-18: Ps 10 ^a The lament of 9:13-20 ^b continues in Ps 10 ^c (see study note on Pss 9–10), but the mood changes from confident assertion to anguished questioning. The psalmist prays for rescue, believing that the Lord, as a just king, takes care of the needy. 10:1 ^d The opening questions set the mood. The Lord does not seem to hear the prayers of his people (22:1 ^e, 19 ^f; see 2 Kgs 4:27 ^g; Isa 1:15 ^h).
Summary for Ps 10:2-11: 10:2-11 ⁱ Wicked and oppressive people might prosper, leaving ugly consequences. Evil can be as dramatic as the psalmist portrays it here, or it could be more subtle. 10:2 ^j The wicked brazenly defy God with their acts and speech (17:10 ^k; 31:18 ^l; 59:12 ^m; 73:8 ⁿ; 123:4 ^o). Although the Lord will deal with them (31:23 ^p), they disturb the righteous (see 5:4-6 ^q) prior to their condemnation and judgment.
10:3 ^r Unlike those who have evil desires, the godly wait for justice (10:17 ^s).
10:4 ^t God is dead: See 10:11 ^u; 14:1 ^v.
Summary for Ps 10:6-7: 10:6-7 ^w Despite their evil ways (5:9 ^x; 28:3 ^y; Rom 3:14 ^z), the wicked expect a future free of trouble such as the righteous will enjoy.
10:8 ^aa The wicked rely on outright violence (11:5 ^ab; 37:32 ^ac) and deception (Prov 12:6 ^ad; 23:27-28 ^ae).
Summary for Ps 10:12-15: 10:12-15 ^af With confidence that the wicked will be held responsible for their deeds and that the Lord will care for the helpless, the psalmist prays intensely for rescue from evil.
10:14 ^ag Because the Lord cares for the afflicted, he will take note and punish evildoers (see 72:14 ^ah; 116:15 ^ai).
10:15 ^aj The psalmist strongly invokes a curse as he prays (see thematic note for Prayers for Vengeance at end of chapter).

• Arms represent an ability to wage war (18:34 ^ak; 44:3 ^al).
10:16 ^am As the true and just king, God will bring the wicked to an end, as he promises (1:6 ^an).
Summary for Ps 10:17-18: 10:17-18 ^ao The psalmist expresses his confidence in the Lord.
10:18 ^ap Mere people misuse their power and enslave the very people God wants them to serve (see 9:19-20 ^aq; Luke 22:25-26 ^ar).

Thematic note: Prayers for Vengeance
The psalmists sometimes asked the Lord to execute vengeance against their adversaries. It was not unusual for a psalmist to pray for the violent destruction of their enemies as a manifestation of God’s justice. How can this kind of prayer be okay?
These prayers for the destruction of the wicked arose out of concern for justice and righteousness and out of confidence in God. Divine justice is defined in Psalm 1:6 ^as: The Lord loves the righteous and destroys the wicked. The wicked are subversive, corrupt, and thoroughly committed to evil; they live in opposition to God and to everything that God does. The wicked shake the foundations of ethics, of society, and of God’s kingdom. The psalmists argued that evil is inconsistent with God’s nature and that the removal of evil is the only way for his kingdom to thrive. However, the poets of Israel did not simply invoke God’s judgment on anyone with whom they could not get along. Instead, the psalmists were guided by God’s standards of justice and righteousness, to which God holds all humans accountable.
The psalmists were intimately acquainted with grief. They had suffered and been oppressed and marginalized by bullies, leaders, and kings from inside and outside of Israel. Their prayers were full of faith and hope, asking how long the Lord would tolerate their suffering and confessing that the Lord alone could rescue them from evil. They expressed deep longing for his redemption. By the principle of retribution, they asked the Lord to inflict upon the wicked the suffering that they had endured (Ps 5:10 ^at; 6:10 ^au; 7:9 ^av; 9:19-20 ^aw; 28:4 ^ax; 56:7 ^ay; 104:35 ^az; 137:7-9 ^ba; 139:19 ^bb). Through these prayers for justice and vindication, the godly may rest in peace as they await God’s rescue.
Do we truly see evil as evil, or do we perceive it merely as an inconvenience? Prayers for the end of evil are appropriate as long as we recognize God as arbiter, judge, and executor. The prayer for the coming of God’s Kingdom implies the removal of evil. But now the cruelty inflicted on the wicked has been transformed through the cruel crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This act of God informs how we pray for those who oppose us. Jesus will indeed judge and bring an ultimate end to evil (see Rev 19:11-21 ^bc), but while Christians await that final judgment, they are to love as Christ loved (John 13:34 ^bd), pray for their enemies, and forgive them (Matt 5:38-48 ^be; Col 3:13 ^bf).

Passages for Further Study
2 Chr 24:22 ^bg; Neh 4:5 ^bh; Pss 3:7 ^bi; 9:19-20 ^bj; 10:15 ^bk; 12:3 ^bl; 41:10 ^bm; 55:15 ^bn; 69:22-28 ^bo; 79:6 ^bp; 109:6-20 ^bq; 110:5-6 ^br; 137:1-9 ^bs; Isa 61:2 ^bt; Jer 11:20-23 ^bu; 18:19-23 ^bv; 51:35 ^bw; Lam 1:22 ^bx; 3:64-66 ^by; Acts 1:20 ^bz; Rom 11:9-10 ^ca; Rev 6:10 ^cb