I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 10-17.

I am not sure I will be able to pull this off, but as I read today’s psalms I see some intertwined themes which go through them.  I will try to bring out those themes in my blog today.  Psalms 10, 11, and 12 take different perspectives on one idea: society is breaking down, the wicked are prospering, and the righteous are disappearing.  God seems far away and the wicked appear to be prospering.  The godly seem to be disappearing from society; everyone lies and deceives even those who should be their friends.  Perhaps because too many take the advice to flee and hide in the mountains/wilderness.  But if we trust in the Lord we will stand our ground and remember that He will bring justice to the wicked.

In these psalms the psalmist uses two metaphors for those who have brought about the situation described above.  First he tells us that the wicked think that God is dead.  Then later he tells us that only a fool says in his heart that there is no God.  Those that say God is dead mean that God was a useful fiction which has stopped being useful, which of course means that they believe that there is no God.  They think that God is not necessary for there to be a stable and good society.  And that is where the second part comes in, because such a belief is complete folly.  Such thinking results in society descending into complete chaos and evil becoming ascendant.  Of course such people are mistaken because there is indeed a God and God will rain down destruction on evildoers while protecting and lifting up the righteous.