Mensa Otabil - The Folly of the Wicked
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We are back to Psalm 10 and verses 3 and 4. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; he blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord. The wicked, in his proud countenance, does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
The psalmist tells us why he feels God is far away from him. It’s not just because he’s going through difficulty or life is hard, but it is because there is some person or individuals who are causing harm to him, and he calls them the wicked. In our day, we call them bad people-some who have set it upon themselves to come against him. Sometimes, we go through situations where an individual or a group of people may decide to make your life miserable and come against you in one way or another. This is what the psalmist says about the wicked. He says, first, that they are boastful; in other words, they are arrogant. They speak big and talk about all the things they’re going to do to hurt you, saying it without any fear of repercussion.
He also notes that these are people who promote evil; they bless the greedy, siding with others like themselves in order to destroy the righteous person or the child of God. Then he says that the wicked are godless, which is why they think they can do whatever they want without repercussion. They don’t consider judgment; they don’t think that God will punish them. They feel that it’s just we ourselves on Earth. Because the wicked do not factor God into the equation of what they do, they are very arrogant and boastful. That is why the righteous man is saying, «Where are you, Lord? Where are you, Lord, when all these people are talking as if they own the world, as if they control everything? Where are you when people are throwing their weight around?» Well, God is there, and that’s what we’re going to find from this psalm. God is there.
The important thing is that when we focus all our attention on what people are saying, listen to their boastings, and watch their actions, it wearies your faith and drains you. Sometimes you just have to learn to ignore the wicked-just leave them, focus on the Lord, and pay attention to what God is saying. Pay attention to His word, pay attention to His promises. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you with new ideas and new thoughts, because if you become obsessed with the wicked, your faith in God will be undermined. That is where we see the psalmist at the beginning of the psalm: «Where are you, Lord? What are you doing about this? Why do you let these people get away with their wickedness?» The good news is that nobody gets away with their wickedness. Evil cannot go unpunished. For a season, they may seem to be succeeding, but God rules in the affairs of men, as we will see later in this psalm, and God is able to deliver His own.
So, if you are in such a situation where you feel someone is doing you wrong, someone is messing up your life, and you think God is doing nothing about it, just trust Him. Keep your heart fixed on the Lord; keep holding on to His word, keep to His promises, because God is always who He is, and He will always be faithful to Himself and show Himself strong on your behalf. I pray that God will help your heart to be strong as you go through any difficulty that some people may be bringing your way. Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, you are the one who avenges the righteous; let your voice rise above the boasts of the wicked.» In Jesus' name, amen and amen.