Psalms 10:12-13
Lift Up Thine Hand
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. 13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. "
Wickedness reigns throughout the land or at least it appears that way. There seems to be nothing left of the innocent, the pure, and the wholesome life. Children are growing up without any notion of God and are taught to believe in the achievements of man and in the power of government to save them from their own stupidity and laziness. Anything that pleases them is good... sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, self-indulgence etc.
But, the psalmist, David, knows the truth. He knows that God reigns over all things. In this passage, he calls upon God to rise up against the surge of evil that was going through the land. Many would have asked God to forgive the sins of the wicked, but that is not going to happen unless they repent. And, how can they who do not believe in the existence of God repent from sinning against Him? The correct prayer is to call for God to rise up, to take a stand, and to bring His judgment upon them.
David used three different names for God in this plea for relief. "O LORD" is a cry to Yahweh, the self-existing, eternal, omnipresent God who revealed His name to Moses. The name itself combats the doubts and unbelief of the wicked. There is a God who has always existed and always will exist. He is a God in whom David trusts and can call upon in times of need.
"O God" uses the Hebrew name El, which represents one of strength and might. When He lifts His hand, it is with all the power of the universe. There is nothing that can resist His force or escape His anger. To call upon such power is a dangerous thing for any man, because we are all sinners. David must have realized this and, knowing that he had no righteousness of his own to present to God, he begs for Him to remember the humble. Remember, mighty El, those sinners who have confessed and submitted themselves to You and begged for Your mercy.
Then, he asks, "Why do the wicked despise God?" Here the name used is Elohym, the ruler, and judge of all the earth. Is there anything that the wicked hate more than for someone to judge them? They do not believe in God, because they cannot even entertain the thought of someone judging them. They will say things like, "If your God is a God of love, why does He allow suffering or how can He throw people into hell? I cannot believe in a God like that." So they reject the whole idea of God. They hate those who preach about Him. They refuse to believe that He exists.
"He has said in his heart, Thou will not require it." God will not pursue His promise of judgment, because He does not exist. You, the witness, will be the guilty party for judging the sins of others, for wanting to change them, and for "hating" them. The wicked are misguided by their own desires. They are unable to understand the things of God. Your passion for their eternal security looks like hate to them.
Is it right to pray for their judgment? Is it right to ask God to lift up His hand against them? The answer is, "Yes!" although not in the sense of eternal damnation. It is very often necessary for God to bring a temporal judgment against people to make them realize that they need Him. Nothing drives people into the church faster than a disaster in their life from which they have no one to turn for relief, except to God.
I believe that God is ready to lift up His hand against the United States and that Christians should be prepared to embrace it as an opportunity to save many through the preaching of His word. It will not be easy, because there will be strong resistance and persecution. However, that is almost always the formula for spiritual revival.
Before The Throne:
Are you frustrated by the evil that surrounds you? Call upon God to rise up and lift up His hand. Ask Him to give you the wisdom, when He does it, to see the opportunities to bring more people into the kingdom. Ask Him for the faith that will be required of you during that time. Pray for the leaders of our nation to recognize the hand of God upon everything that they do. Thank the LORD for giving His Son to save the humble, the meek, the poor in spirit, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
For Further Study:
(v.12) ** Arise. Psa 3:7; 7:6; 9:19; ** lift. Psa 94:2; Isa 26:11; 33:10; Mic 5:9; ** forget. Psa 9:12; 13:1; 77:9;
(v.13) ** contemn. Psa 74:10, 18; Num 11:20; 2Sam 12:9-10; Luke 10:16; 1Thess 4:8; ** Thou. Gen 9:5; 42:22; 2Chr 24:22; Luke 11:50-51;
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. 13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. "
Wickedness reigns throughout the land or at least it appears that way. There seems to be nothing left of the innocent, the pure, and the wholesome life. Children are growing up without any notion of God and are taught to believe in the achievements of man and in the power of government to save them from their own stupidity and laziness. Anything that pleases them is good... sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, self-indulgence etc.
But, the psalmist, David, knows the truth. He knows that God reigns over all things. In this passage, he calls upon God to rise up against the surge of evil that was going through the land. Many would have asked God to forgive the sins of the wicked, but that is not going to happen unless they repent. And, how can they who do not believe in the existence of God repent from sinning against Him? The correct prayer is to call for God to rise up, to take a stand, and to bring His judgment upon them.
David used three different names for God in this plea for relief. "O LORD" is a cry to Yahweh, the self-existing, eternal, omnipresent God who revealed His name to Moses. The name itself combats the doubts and unbelief of the wicked. There is a God who has always existed and always will exist. He is a God in whom David trusts and can call upon in times of need.
"O God" uses the Hebrew name El, which represents one of strength and might. When He lifts His hand, it is with all the power of the universe. There is nothing that can resist His force or escape His anger. To call upon such power is a dangerous thing for any man, because we are all sinners. David must have realized this and, knowing that he had no righteousness of his own to present to God, he begs for Him to remember the humble. Remember, mighty El, those sinners who have confessed and submitted themselves to You and begged for Your mercy.
Then, he asks, "Why do the wicked despise God?" Here the name used is Elohym, the ruler, and judge of all the earth. Is there anything that the wicked hate more than for someone to judge them? They do not believe in God, because they cannot even entertain the thought of someone judging them. They will say things like, "If your God is a God of love, why does He allow suffering or how can He throw people into hell? I cannot believe in a God like that." So they reject the whole idea of God. They hate those who preach about Him. They refuse to believe that He exists.
"He has said in his heart, Thou will not require it." God will not pursue His promise of judgment, because He does not exist. You, the witness, will be the guilty party for judging the sins of others, for wanting to change them, and for "hating" them. The wicked are misguided by their own desires. They are unable to understand the things of God. Your passion for their eternal security looks like hate to them.
Is it right to pray for their judgment? Is it right to ask God to lift up His hand against them? The answer is, "Yes!" although not in the sense of eternal damnation. It is very often necessary for God to bring a temporal judgment against people to make them realize that they need Him. Nothing drives people into the church faster than a disaster in their life from which they have no one to turn for relief, except to God.
I believe that God is ready to lift up His hand against the United States and that Christians should be prepared to embrace it as an opportunity to save many through the preaching of His word. It will not be easy, because there will be strong resistance and persecution. However, that is almost always the formula for spiritual revival.
Before The Throne:
Are you frustrated by the evil that surrounds you? Call upon God to rise up and lift up His hand. Ask Him to give you the wisdom, when He does it, to see the opportunities to bring more people into the kingdom. Ask Him for the faith that will be required of you during that time. Pray for the leaders of our nation to recognize the hand of God upon everything that they do. Thank the LORD for giving His Son to save the humble, the meek, the poor in spirit, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
For Further Study:
(v.12) ** Arise. Psa 3:7; 7:6; 9:19; ** lift. Psa 94:2; Isa 26:11; 33:10; Mic 5:9; ** forget. Psa 9:12; 13:1; 77:9;
(v.13) ** contemn. Psa 74:10, 18; Num 11:20; 2Sam 12:9-10; Luke 10:16; 1Thess 4:8; ** Thou. Gen 9:5; 42:22; 2Chr 24:22; Luke 11:50-51;
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