Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

Psalm 10. Cf. note on Psalm 9. Psalm 10 is a lament, designed for cases in which "the wicked hotly pursue the poor" (v. 2). These wicked could be faithless, wealthy Israelites (vv. 4, 13), and the poor are the defenseless pious. While it was the task of the Davidic king to ensure justice (by force if necessary), it was the task of the general public to pray, and thus to use a psalm like this.

10:1-11 Why Do You Let the Wicked Get Away with It? Beginning with a blunt question to the Lord, the song details the ways in which the wicked make the helpless poor suffer, while they themselves prosper. These wicked are boastful and greedy; they renounce the Lord (v. 3) and feel secure from divine judgment (vv. 4-6, 11). They look for opportunities to destroy the innocent in order to advance their own interests (vv. 8-10). The question of why God "stands far away" (v. 1) does not stem from doubting God but from believing that he is reliable and just. It is this faith that leads to perplexity over how God can tolerate such conditions among his people.