Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

The First Reading: Psalm 10
Congregation: “Why, O 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. “He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. “His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. “He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” “His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. “He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. “He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. “His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. “He says to himself, “God has forgotten; 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”? “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. “Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

Congregation: The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, “defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” NIV

The Second Reading Psalm 13
Congregation: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me? “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
“Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; “my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. “I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

Congregation: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

I. Good Question,
10:1 “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

Not the same thing as…
Psalm 10:4 “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” NIV

Psalm 14:1 / 53:1 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” NIV

The reality for those without Christ in their life….
Ephesians 2:12 “remember that at that time (before you came to faith in Christ) you (gentiles / pagans) were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”

To Which God’s Word says:
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” NIV

John 1:11-12 “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” NIV

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” NIV

Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” NIV

Here, this is an honest expression of how the songwriter feels. He is God’s child and a member of God’s forever family.

Anne of Green Gables said, “I’m in the depths of despair”
Merrila said, “Despair is

II. Why the Songwriter Feels This Way, 10:2-11
The practicing atheist…
~ devises plans (schemes) as if there is no God.
~ He hunts down the weak (burns after – pursues hotly)
The believer is the object of the wicked’s anger and feels alone.
Suffering from poverty or pain
No thought of serving people or preserving their freedom or
Assisting them in their struggles.

God’s children get caught in the devices the wicked have set in place.

10:3 takes pleasure in the insatiable desires of his heart.
The natural selfish inclinations and tendencies
He hangs out with and praises others like him.
Implication that his standard of measuring is money!
Increasing wealth is his goal and standard of measuring.
And he thumbs his nose at God.
Has no thought of God or God’s will in his heart.

III. The Answer, 10:12-18