Tag Archives: Psalms 10-17

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2024 Bible Study — Defeat Evil By Trusting in God

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

Today’s psalms speak about a couple of contrasting ideas.  First the psalmist writes of how the wicked have no fear of God, believing that He will not hold them accountable.  However, the psalmist reminds us that while it may at times seem that the wicked prosper, God will take action to protect the oppressed and punish the wicked.  The psalmist goes on to remind us that while the wicked strike at the foundations of justice and law and order so that it seems like the righteous can do nothing, the Lord will act and the righteous need only put their trust in Him.  I want to stress that when the foundations of law and order and justice are being destroyed the righteous only need to put their trust in God, but they do need to put their trust in God.  The solution in that situation is to turn to God, not to try to turn to some other “fix” for the problem.

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

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2023 Bible Study — Psalms Written For Today

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

The psalmist who wrote today’s psalms might have been writing about our society now.  The wicked hunt down the weak and devise plans to catch up those who cannot fight back.  They act as if no one will ever hold them to account, and it seems like perhaps they are correct.  Everywhere we look around us we see those who are not faithful or loyal; we see those whose deeds are vile and corrupt.   They declare that there is no God.  This leads some to declare that those who wish to obey the Lord need to flee to remote places in order to live because the wicked are destroying the foundations of law.  But the psalmist tells us that we should take refuge in the Lord, those who believe that there is no God are fools.  God will rise up and put the wicked to flight, then those who put their trust in Him will be able to march forth with Him.  God loves righteousness and justice, those who put their trust in Him do not need to flee from the assaults of the wicked.

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

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2022 Bible Study — Let Us Call On God, He Will Hear Our Prayer

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

Today we have once more several different Psalms which are not really thematically connected, and yet there is a thread running through them.  In them all the psalmist writes of a time when wickedness abounds, when no one seems to be seeking the Lord.  The wicked do not believe that they will ever be called to account.  Everyone looks around and sees evil around them, but none (or, at least, very few) examine themselves to see if they act in a manner pleasing to God.  Everyone, it seems, lies to their neighbors, flattering others so as to deceive them.  But God sees the trouble of the afflicted and oppressed and will act.  Let us take refuge in God, then we will not need to flee to the mountains, or to the wilderness, to escape the evil in this world.  Yes, the attempt is being made to destroy the foundations of righteousness, but despite their best efforts God still sits on His throne.  So, let us call on God in prayer that He might call people back to Him.  The answer to the problems we face today is not changing the government, is not changing the institutions around us.  We will not solve the problems we see by getting new laws passed, or even by changing Church leadership.  The answer lies in turning our hearts to God and seeking to do His will, on calling those around us to seek Him.

 

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

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2021 Bible Study If God Is Your Foundation, The Wicked Will Fail To Bring About Your Fall

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

There are several different ways to read today’s selection of Psalms, but for me, Psalms 10 sets the theme, a theme which I find appropriate for these times.  The wicked seem to be in the ascendancy and God seems to be ignoring their misdeeds.  Our society seems to be intent on destroying its foundations.  The psalmist reminds us that God is not ignoring the actions of the wicked, that He will defend the fatherless and the oppressed.  Further, if God is our foundation our society’s destruction of its foundations will not effect us.  Times may be bad for us, we may experience persecution, but if we put our faith in God and call out to Him in our distress, He will come to our aid.  Let us not lose heart, but patiently wait for God to show His love and power.  We will not be disappointed.

 

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

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2020 Bible Study The Foundations Of Law And Order May Appear To Be Collapsing, But God Still Rules

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.

In today’s psalms I see a reflection of our society today.  Again and again we see those who believe that there is no God and that they will never be held accountable.  Among those who recognize the wickedness of our day are those who tell us to flee to mountains or to the wilderness because the foundation of law and order has been destroyed.  The wicked have attempted, and are continuing the effort, to destroy the foundation of law and order, but I trust God and know the He is the actual foundation of law and order.  Despite the fact that many reject Him, He will continue to rule.  The wicked attempt to make the godly and faithful disappear from the earth, but God will rise up and protect them.

The psalmist highlights the terrible situation in which we find ourselves, but reminds us of how we can act to know that God will protect us.  In particular, Psalms 15 gives us the actions we can take to serve God in these difficult times.

  1. Do what is right
  2. Speak the truth sincerely
  3. Despise flagrant sinners
  4. Honor those who faithfully follow the Lord
  5. Keep our promises even when it hurts
  6. Refuse to
    1. gossip
    2. harm our neighbors
    3. speak evil of our friends

The second item contains an important qualifier.  It is not enough that what we say is the truth, we must be sincere in speaking it.  The third and fourth items are connected.  We must make it clear that we admire those who follow God’s Law and that we do not approve of those who blatantly violate it.

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2019 Bible Study — The Wicked Think That God Is Dead

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.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2018 Bible Study — No One Does Good, But We Are Called To Try

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.

    In many ways I see these psalms as reflections of the world today. The wicked seem to prosper. They prey upon the weak, who cry out to God for aid. The wicked are sure that no one will hold them to account because they control the levers of political power. Bit by bit, the foundations of law and order are destroyed, while people foolishly look on and say, “What does it matter? There is no God.” Some people react to this by moving to the mountains, or other remote locations. But I know that there IS a God and that He will call the wicked to account. He will protect the righteous. The wicked may proudly stand and be praised for their evil deeds, but God will not be mocked. He will bring about justice. It may seem like evil is triumphant, but that will not last.

   The psalmist tells us that no one does good and then in the very next psalm declares that only those who do right may worship in God’s sanctuary. What does that mean for us? Does that mean that no one can worship in God’s sanctuary? No, it means that we all have to acknowledge that we have sinned, that we are no better than the wicked I condemned in the last paragraph. It is only when I accept my sinfulness and accept God’s forgiveness that I can begin the process of being healed. However, that does not mean that I can just continue to sin either. If I desire to enter into God’s presence I must seek to lead a blameless life. Here is the goal:

  • Do what is right.

    • It is not enough to not do what is wrong. We must also do what is right.

  • Speak the truth from a sincere heart.

    • If we speak the truth with the intent of hurting others, we have missed the point.

  • Refuse to gossip.

    • OK, I think this one is pretty straightforward, but it is harder than it looks.

  • Refuse to harm out neighbors.

    • Remember what Jesus says about who our neighbors are.

  • Refuse to speak evil of our friends.

    • I think that Jesus would tell us that our friends are in the same category as our neighbors.

  • Despise flagrant sinners.

    • This one is tough because we are supposed to love everyone, but I think we get an understanding of what he means when we look back to where it talks about evil being praised…we should do the opposite and call evil evil.

I could go on, but I think you can see where I am going as you read the rest of Psalms 15. There is so much more to be said about what is written in this passage, but I will leave off with this: “I am determined not to sin in what I say.”

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2017 Bible Study — The Wicked Will Be Held To Account

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.

    There is a common thread which goes through the psalms in today’s passage: the wicked believe that they will not be held accountable for their actions. Actually, there is a second theme as well: God will hold the wicked accountable for their actions, they will suffer the consequences of their evil. The wicked brag about their desire to do evil. They praise the greedy. They think that God is either dead, or not watching. They prey upon those who cannot protect themselves and think no one can stop them. However, God will bring justice for the weak and oppressed.

    Put your trust in the Lord and there is no need to flee for safety. It may appear that the righteous and faithful are disappearing from the face of the earth, that the foundations of law and order have collapsed, but there is no need to flee to remote areas for safety. God will protect and reward those who remain faithful to Him in the face of the wicked. Evil may be praised by our society, but God will continue to protect the oppressed and to bring judgement on the oppressor. Even when it seems that God has forgotten us, let us continue to trust in Him and praise His name. When life is a struggle I will praise God for rescuing me, because I know that He will do so. I do not need to wait for God to act to praise Him, because I have experienced His deliverance in the past and know that I will experience it again.

    The psalmist tells us that, ultimately, those who believe that there is no God are fools. He tells us that they tell themselves that because of their wickedness and evil actions. Further, he tells us that all of us have done wrong, have committed evil at some point. However, those who know there is a God will turn to Him for forgiveness. He then tells us what we should strive for in order to stop doing evil. He gives us a list of things to avoid to move away from doing evil, and advice on how to do so. If we do what is right, we will not do what is wrong. The psalmist list of things to avoid is an active list. It is not enough to desire to not gossip, we must actively refuse to gossip. The same is true of harming our neighbors and speaking evil of others. These are things we must actively refuse to do, or we will find ourselves doing it without intending. We must reserve our admiration and praise for those who perform godly acts.

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2016 Bible Study — The Foundations Of Law and Order Have Collapsed

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I just noticed how my approach to writing these studies changes over time. Sometimes I write about the message I see in the passage. Sometimes I write a summary of what the passage contains. Sometimes I write about how the passage inspires me. And sometimes my writing follows some other line of thought.

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

    As I read these psalms this morning they struck me as being so apt with what is going on right now. After the shootings in San Bernardino in December, one newspaper had a headline that really hit where all too many people are. It read “God Isn’t Fixing This.” Psalm 10 goes straight to the mindset behind how most people read such a headline.

The wicked are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.
Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They sneer at all their enemies.
They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!”

Yet, time and again bad things happen. They never see the connection between their failure to honor and fear God and the bad things which happen. God will arise and He will punish the wicked.

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    Then Psalms 11 warns us against a response that is always tempting in such a world. The foundations of law and order have collapsed. It is oh so tempting to flea to the mountains to get away from the dangers which arise when that happens. But the psalmist reminds us that God will protect us if we keep our faith in Him. He still rules from heaven and will bring justice. In Psalms 12 I see yet more reflections of our society today. The wicked strut about and evil is praised throughout the land. But even so, God will protect the oppressed. If we trust in God’s unfailing love we will continue to call out to Him in prayer, even as the voices of our society are saying, “What good is prayer? We need action.” While they are not wrong in thinking that prayer is not sufficient, it is the place to start. If we pray and call on God, He will guide us in what action we should take.

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    Psalms 14 tells us that only fools say in their heart that there is no God. In this world today I see more and more such fools. So few are truly wise. So few seek God. Even in such a world, I will seek to do God’s will. I will seek to stand up and worship Him. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me.