An interesting side note here: Psalm 9 & 10 are a single Psalm in the Septuagint (original Greek translation of the OT), because these two Psalms are an acrostic. In the original Hebrew, every second line (or stanza) starts with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 9 uses the first half of the alphabet, and Psalm 10 the second half, which is why these were originally one Psalm (they fit together thematically too).
“Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. He says to himself, ‘Nothing will ever shake me.’ He swears, ‘No one will ever do me harm.’ He says to himself, ‘God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.’ Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’?”
(v1,2,4,6,11-13)
David asks why God is “hides Himself in times of trouble.” According to MacLaren, this phrase is a seldom used word in ancient Hebrew, and is apparently only found in Psalm 10:1 and 9:9. Translated is literally means “a cutting off, i.e., of hope of deliverance”.
Why might David feel cut off from God? Perhaps because of the wickedness he sees in people, such as those described in this Psalm. He pleads with God to deal with the wickedness in their hearts: “Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.” (v15)
I believe David’s cry for deliverance, this desire for justice, peace and reconciliation is part of who God made us to be. We know that God created us in His image (Gen 1:26-28, Gen 5:1-3, Gen 9:6) so theoretically we should reflect God’s desires, longings and character. Since the people David writes about in this Psalm are not reflecting the image of God, it makes logical sense that God would seem very far removed or distant from these people.
The sad part is, the only reason God is distant from people, is because we have the free will to distance ourselves from Him (through sin, rebellion). One of my favorite scriptures on the nearness of God is ” ‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.” (Jer 23:23-24) These rhetorical questions indicate that God fills heaven and earth with His presence, making it impossible for us to be physically distant from Him, so the only way we can distance ourselves is in our hearts.
My prayer for today is that I continue to humble my heart before Him, and not allow anything within to distance me from our Lord and savior. Father, I long to draw near to you, so you will draw near to me. Please purify my heart and cleanse me from any double-mindedness (Jam 4:8 par).
~ Conqueror in Training