Psalms 9–10

This psalm shows the righteous judgment of God. Even so, it begins with vibrant praise, untouched by anything foreign. So we see the end from the beginning. Many psalms follow this pattern. The rejoicing end comes first, then the struggles that led to that end. The psalmist praises God with all his heart: nothing can intrude on this worshipping adoration. He gladly declares all the wondrous works of the Lord, whether in creation, in redemption, or in the new creation.

Both the Old and New Testaments show this in their general tone. But to mark how very important it is, we find it stated again and again in plain terms. The psalmist desires more than once to praise Jehovah with his "whole heart" (Ps. 9:1; 111:1; 138:1). And the Christian, with higher privileges and greater responsibilities, is not to fall behind the Jew.

The psalmist praises the Lord, not only with lip profession, but with his whole heart — an undistracted heart taken up with its object.

The psalm begins with an outburst of praise to the Most High — that millennial name of God with which the seventh psalm ended. Israel's tongue is loosed, the whole heart united in this praise. It is Jehovah who now appears as this — the covenant God, the Living and Unchangeable. His wondrous works have made Him known, and those works were the means of Israel's own deliverance. With their newly opened mouth, Israel will declare them. David the Israelite led such songs long ago, and he leads them still. And Christ, the true David whom he pictured, will lead them "in the midst of the assembly," in the days to come.

Jehovah is the covenant name for Israel. Most High is the name that marks the kingdom in power, when heaven and earth are shown to be His.

Psalm 9 presents to us Jehovah, the Most High. These names of God connect with the Jews, and with the millennial fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham. He delivers the people by judgment from the oppression of the nations, and destroys the wicked. The delivered Jew celebrates this goodness, which has upheld the right and cause of the righteous. The Spirit of Christ speaks fully in this, as having taken up their interests. It is really His right. If the Jew has any, it is through Him. If they say it, He has put the words in their mouth.

Muth-Labben is one of the terms in the inspired headings of the Psalms whose meaning is unclear. Scholars have not agreed on a satisfactory meaning for the word. But the best evidence from the language favours the translation "the Death of the" (or His) "Son." The Septuagint gives it as: "Concerning the secret things of the Son."

This psalm shows the righteous judgment of God, yet it still begins with vibrant praise, untouched by anything foreign. So we see the end from the beginning. Many psalms follow this pattern. The rejoicing end comes first, then the exercises that led to that end. The psalmist praises God with all his heart: nothing can intrude on this worshipping adoration. He gladly declares all the wondrous works of the Lord, whether in creation, in redemption, or in the new creation. All these are works of majestic power and grace. So he will rejoice and exult in the Lord personally, and sing psalms to His name. Again he gives the Lord the title "Most High." This shows that the end in view is the millennial glory of Christ — a glory that will never give place to any other.

The speaker repeats, confirms, and enlarges the song of praise. It is God Himself in whom he rejoices, and whom His works make known; it is His name that he celebrates in psalms. This is indeed the joy of joys. With changeable man it is not so. What He has done is the real showing of Himself, of His nature — and that is what His "Name" means. So we can know Him better than we can know ourselves: for the heart of man, "who can know it?"

I have been looking into the force of the Hebrew words for Most High. In the end it clearly refers to God in the millennium as the supreme God then displayed, to the exclusion of what is false. That is the force of the word. He is the One who holds the place of the one true God, above all others and excluding all others, exalted as supreme in government. Jehovah is, as we know, the God who is in relationship with Israel, but He is the supreme God, the Most High. The full statement of the title, and the time of taking it, is in Genesis 14:19-20, 22. Israel's enemies are utterly defeated and handed over to him, and the heir of promise is blessed by Him who possesses heaven and earth. He is supreme, and has taken all things into His possession.

In the beautiful outburst "I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High" (verse 2), the Psalmist was using a double title in advance. It belongs to God when the promises are fulfilled in the Millennium. The blessings from God to man, and from man to God, will be handled through a mediator in Christ. He alone is able and worthy to bear the double glory of royal power and priestly grace. Yet at the same time this Psalm is a choice treasure for believers to enjoy today. They live in earthly circumstances, even though their calling is heavenly.

The godly Jew looks ahead to deliverance from all his enemies by the brightness of the Lord's coming. He recounts the marvellous works of the Lord, and celebrates the praise of Jehovah as the Most High.

The blessings of the psalm are introduced by the presence of the Lord, and the brightness of His coming in glory. In the days when He was lowly on earth, His enemies "drew back and fell to the ground" in His presence. In the day of His coming glory they will not only stumble at His presence — they will stumble and perish.

All that follows in the psalm is the result of Christ's presence. "Your presence" is the key to the psalm.

This is righteous deliverance for the righteous: the oppressor has no claim that God's government can recognize. The power is effective, and once the work of deliverance begins, it is carried right through. When the enemies turn back, they stumble and perish, for God is there. Israel can now say, "You have maintained my just cause," and the One who does so clearly sits on the throne.

Scripture gives vivid pictures of the enemy falling and perishing at the presence of God (v. 5), in days when God stepped in to judge. (See Psalm 94; Ex. 14:24-25; John 18:6) Here that falling is anticipated in the ruin and downfall of the great godless, anti-Christian enemy of the last day. (See Rev. 19) The nations will then learn with terror that they are "but men" (v. 20), though they had drunk in and practised the old lie of the serpent, "you shall be as gods."

During the Tribulation, the King of the North will devastate Israel as he passes through the country on his way toward Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:40-43). But he will "turn back" (v. 3) when he hears news from the east and from the north, and will rush back to Israel with great fury, but it will be only to meet his end with none to help him (Dan. 11:44). His army will "stumble and perish before Your presence," because at Jerusalem the Lord Jesus will go out to destroy the King of the North and his armies. So He will maintain the right and the cause of the godly remnant of Israel (v. 4), sitting on the throne and judging in righteousness.

To convert the wicked, by the announcement of the grace of God, is the gospel; what we have been reading is something quite different. Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world… If God did not carry out judgment, evil would only grow worse and worse, with no comfort for the faithful. God does not carry it out until the evil has reached its full height.

This psalm shows the righteous judgment of God, yet it begins with vibrant praise, with nothing foreign mixed in. So the end is seen from the beginning. Many psalms follow this pattern. The joyful end comes first, then the struggles that led up to it.

Messiah, by the Spirit, speaking in the oppressed faithful few, acknowledges the righteousness of Jehovah in judgment, as He sits on the throne judging right.

Psalm 9 has one subject: the throne of righteousness that the earth has long wanted to see and never found. The world has refused Christ, the King of righteousness, and has looked for all kinds of substitutes for Him in vain. It must be but in vain! Yet the "desire of all nations" shall come, and shall be found in Him.

The first effect of the presence of the Lord will be to vindicate the godly and maintain their cause. Evil moves forward and wins for a time — at the Cross, during the absence of Christ, and most of all in the last days. That might give the impression that God is either indifferent to evil, or powerless to stop its course. But Christ will be present in glory, and His enemies will be destroyed as a result. This will make it clear that God has not been indifferent to the way men have treated Christ and those who are His. When the faithful few say, "You have maintained my right and my cause," they express not only what is true for themselves, but what is true of Christ.

Notice the great difference here. On one side is the celebration of the righteousness of God, sitting on the throne, judging right, and vindicating the righteous man against the oppressor. On the other side is Christ on the cross, who was not vindicated on the earth, but declares Himself forsaken of God… The righteousness that judged the oppressor was carried out by God, who alone is truly righteous and has power. Yet its sphere and measure lay in earthly government, and in telling apart the righteous and the wicked among men, the oppressed and the oppressor… Clearly grasping this difference is a key to the whole way of thinking in the Psalms.

To convert the wicked by announcing the grace of God is the gospel. What we have been reading is something quite different. Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world… If God did not carry out judgment, the evil would only grow worse and worse, and the faithful would have no comfort. God does not carry it out until the evil has reached its height.

How sad that the disorder we see in the world tends to produce the same disorder even in those who dread and hate it! It works like an infectious disease: the fear of catching it makes you more likely to catch it. How the simple lesson needs repeating in our ears again and again — that "God sits on the throne, judging right." How little we honestly accept this first assumption of faith! And if we hesitate here, the vision fails, the heart sickens and faints, and our strength collapses.

In these verses the Spirit of Immanuel tells of the faithfulness of Jehovah. He has upheld His cause in judgment by blotting out the Wicked One and his armies forever and ever. Other scriptures place this destroying judgment in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3). What stirs God's anger at once is the gathering of the nations, under the King who does as he pleases, against the city of Jerusalem.

In Psalm 9:1-7 we find that this judgment falls on the land of Israel. There the Lord will show Himself in this act of power. Verse 5 says, "you have made the wicked (Antichrist) perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever."

The nations — the northern enemy and others too — will be fully rebuked and destroyed for their wickedness. Their name will be blotted out forever (v. 5). As for the enemy (v. 6), his "destructions are finished forever," and You — that is, the Lord Jesus — have destroyed cities, so that even their memory has perished. Babylon the great is clearly one of these (Rev. 19:21).

If God were not to execute judgment, the evil would only grow worse and worse with no comfort for the faithful. God does not execute it until the evil has reached its height. Antichrist and the nations rise up against God and His Christ, and the earth must be cleared of His enemies to make room for the reign of God Himself.

Nor is this deliverance merely local. It is tied to the judgment of the earth, and to the destruction of the wicked out of it. Even their name is blotted out and disappears. The world changes morally as a result, and hurries in this way to forget them. More than this, the ruin caused by the reign of evil is over. The "times of restitution" have come — summer and fruit for all the earth, with quiet rest under the care of the good Shepherd.

Justice is the dividing line: it destroys the nations while it saves Israel in the Lord. The striking down of the enemies is the long-delayed vindication of Immanuel's claim. Zion turning to Jehovah is what stirs up His anger against the nations that oppress her. By opposing her, they declare themselves His enemies. He is the help and the shield of the remnant of His people. Grace will then reign through righteousness over the people of His mercy. At the same time, justice takes its course in vengeance against those who speak against the Lord.

To convert the wicked by announcing the grace of God is the gospel; what we have been reading is something quite different. Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world.

This is pure imagination. The passage says nothing about the resurrection of the dead. It speaks of the destruction of living enemies. It says nothing about the great white throne, but about God dwelling in Zion.

Verse 6 addresses the defeated Oppressor, now laid low in ruin. Meanwhile the land is quiet and rejoicing. The children of wickedness had wasted its cities. Now it rests secure from all trouble under the lasting shelter of the Lord's name.

Further effects of the presence of Christ will be the rebuking of the nations and the destruction of Antichrist. The word "wicked" in verse 5 and verse 16 is in the singular and refers to Antichrist, the enemy whose destruction will come to a perpetual end.

As for the enemy (v. 6), his "destructions are finished forever," and You — that is, the Lord Jesus — have destroyed cities so that even their memory has perished. Babylon the great is clearly one of these (Rev. 19:21).

In verse 6 a very important principle is brought out for faith at all times, then to be verified in fact. The efforts of the enemy here are for time. He can destroy, if God allow, present prosperity. The Lord endures for ever. We have only to do His will by the way. He has always His way at the end. That will which we do by the way, perhaps in sorrow and suffering then, will surely reign at the end of the way. Destructions were now to come to a perpetual end — the cities and their memory had been destroyed. Jehovah endures for ever.

To convert the wicked by announcing the grace of God is the gospel. What we have been reading is something quite different. Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world… If God did not judge, the evil would only grow worse and worse, with no comfort for the faithful. But He does not judge until the evil has reached its height. Antichrist and the nations rise up against God and His Christ. God must clear the earth of His enemies to make room for His own reign.

All that follows in the psalm is the result of Christ's presence. "Your presence" is the key to the psalm.

With Antichrist destroyed and his reign over, Christ will set up His reign. His reign will be a rule of righteousness for the whole world. The oppressed will find a refuge in Christ. Those who trust in the Lord, and seek Him, will find they are not forsaken.

The principles of God's government are settled first. Then Psalm 9 and Psalm 10 let us see the circumstances of the godly remnant. They will be under the oppression of Antichrist and the godless nations, in the time just before Christ comes to reign.

Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world. It is no longer Christ at the right hand of the Father, sending down the Holy Spirit to gather together His co-heirs. It is Christ calling for righteousness, and asking for it against the proud and violent men — usually by His Spirit in the humble and lowly ones of the Jewish nation. If God did not carry out judgment, evil would only grow worse and worse, and the faithful would have no comfort.

Verse 6 brings out a very important principle for faith at all times, later to be proved true in fact. The efforts of the enemy here last only for a time. If God allows it, he can destroy present prosperity. The Lord endures for ever. We have only to do His will by the way. He has always His way at the end. That will which we do by the way, perhaps in sorrow and suffering then, will surely reign at the end of the way.

It is the rule of the Eternal: while other kingdoms arise and fall, this endures... There is no danger that the line of succession will fail, and no uncertainty from a throne passed through many hands. The glorious Priest-King never resigns His throne or loses it to others. He is Himself the dynasty, and its character will never change... So there is no fear of clashing party interests, or national prejudices, or anything else. One King is King to all, ministering incorruptible justice to all alike.

"But the Lord shall endure forever" in contrast to the sudden demise of the enemy. This preparation may seem delayed for years. Yet in His own time He will judge the world in righteousness. Today evil seems to have the advantage. But faith can wait for His time, when He will give perfectly fair judgment for the peoples — not only for Israel.

He shall endure for ever — has prepared His throne for judgment. He will judge the whole world in righteousness, and give judgment to the peoples in uprightness. This was the public character of Jehovah. But there was a private part of His character, so to speak... This second part is this: Jehovah is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. The result is confidence in Jehovah at all times on the part of those who know His name.

Verse 17 shows the wicked, whoever they may be, and all the nations who forget God, rejected and judged, and given their place in hades by judgment. And in this God remembers the needy, for the destruction of the wicked is their deliverance.

The efforts of the enemy here are limited to time. He can destroy present prosperity, if God allows it. The Lord endures forever. We have only to do His will along the way. He always has His way at the end. That will which we do along the way, perhaps in sorrow and suffering now, will surely reign at the end of the way.

He shall endure forever — has prepared His throne for judgment. He will judge the whole world in righteousness, and minister judgment to the peoples in uprightness. This was the public character of Jehovah. But there was a private part of His character, so to speak... This second part is this: Jehovah is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. The result is confidence in Jehovah at all times on the part of those who know His name.

The word usually translated "world" in the Old Testament is tebel, meaning "the habitable earth." It has a limited reach. It points to the sphere that comes more directly under God's dealings (Psalm 90:2), and to the people living there, whom He will judge (Psalm 9:8).

The day of Jehovah, in its full sense, is that great dealing when God will "judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has raised from the dead." Those words are a well-known scripture from the New Testament that bears on it. "Judging the world in righteousness" is a completely different truth from judging the dead. It is the habitable world. It does not have in view the resurrection of the people who once lived in it. It is the age... when God will take the world under His direct government — first to put down evil, then to keep and spread what is good.

Nearly two thousand years ago the great Apostle of the Gentiles stood in the middle of Mars' Hill in the city of Athens. There he made this solemn declaration: "God commands all men everywhere to repent: because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has ordained; of which He has given assurance to all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). From that day to this God has been exercising His patient mercy. But the day of that judgment is appointed, and the Man is appointed too who is to carry it out. The world that judged Him is to be judged by Him.

Now is not the time of Christ's judgment, except as Lord over His people for their good. It is the time of grace to the world... At the cross, infinitely deeper things were worked out, and divine righteousness was established through it. Even so, righteousness was not made good in this world. The opposite happened. Righteousness was found in the person of Christ; judgment in the hands of Pilate, or the chiefs of the Jews. When Christ appears for His kingdom, judgment and righteousness will go together in the earth.

It may seem that this preparation has been delayed for years. Yet in His own time He will judge the world in righteousness. Today evil seems to have the advantage. But faith can wait for His time. Then He will give perfectly fair judgment for the peoples — not only for Israel.

He shall endure for ever — has prepared His throne for judgment. He will judge the whole world in righteousness, and administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness. This was the public character of the Lord. But there was a private part of His character, so to speak, and the making of it public is the great subject of the psalm... This second part is this: the Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. The result is confidence in the Lord at all times on the part of those who know His name.

Whatever damage the enemy does, the Lord sits for ever. And meanwhile He is a refuge for an oppressed one in times of trouble. But Zion is His eventual dwelling, and judgment — not the gospel — settles all questions.

The people directly in view in verses 9 and 10 are, I have no doubt, the believing remnant of Israel. They still cling to the Lord's name through the dark and cloudy day of Jacob's trouble. He is their refuge, not forsaking, but in grace preserving, the poor and tried people who confess His name.

He will deliver Israel from their enemies, but He Himself will be their refuge. Being delivered is wonderful, but having the Lord Jesus Himself as our sanctuary refuge is much better still. Let us too find our great rejoicing not only in His great salvation, but in Himself personally.

Antichrist destroyed and his reign over, the reign of Christ will be established. His reign will be a rule of righteousness for the whole world. The oppressed will find a refuge in Christ. Those who trust in the Lord and seek Him will find they are not forsaken.

Not much is said, but a bright ray shines out. In that future day the Lord will make His name known, so that it becomes the object of confidence and the place of refuge for the needy. What a blessed prospect! Still distant, and only dimly seen; but sure and never-failing, for the mouth of Israel's God has spoken it.

His name is the refuge of the oppressed — the helper of the needy. No particular need is specified, for whatever it may be, He has a help: even Himself... No oppression is too trifling, no need too great. He who is our refuge knows our frame. He knows the disorder of every little nerve. He can make even a voice or a step an oppression — an oppression so foolish that we hardly admit it to ourselves. Yet we may run from it and hide ourselves in Him, a refuge even from ourselves.

He will judge the whole world in righteousness, and judge the peoples fairly. This was the public character of Jehovah. But there was a private part of His character, so to speak, and the making of that public is the great subject of the psalm... This second part is this: Jehovah is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. The result is confidence in Jehovah at all times on the part of those who know His name.

His name is how we know Him; it shows what He is. God wants us to know Him: to know Him so that we may trust Him, and to know Him so that we may delight in Him. This knowledge of God is all power and blessing for our life here. It awakens the worship of eternity and keeps it alive.

The natural man cannot trust God, simply because he does not know Him.

But you must know Him before you can trust Him... Those who do not know God would much prefer an insurance policy or a government annuity to His promise. But the true believer finds in that promise the unfailing stay of his heart, because he knows, and trusts, and loves the Promiser. He delights in the thought of being shut up to God, completely dependent on Him... The very thing that would nearly drive an unbeliever out of his mind is to the Christian — the man of faith — the deepest joy of his heart.

Those whom God has awakened to know the name of the Lord Jesus will put their trust in Him. That is, they hand over their very interests, firmly and for good, to this One who is more than worthy of their trust (v. 10). For they realize that He does not forsake those who seek Him.

This is not just a theory. There is no gap between the ideal and the real. All His people know it by experience, and their own hearts confirm it.

It is not enough to know that there is an Almighty God above all things. You must know the secret place where He truly reveals Himself. True faith has it... God reveals His name to faith. To us it is Christ as Lord, and the Father. So faith confesses His name and makes it its refuge and strong tower. Faith also trusts in it. That is a great thing: no power of evil and no distress can upset the mind of anyone who looks to the Lord and trusts Him.

Jehovah's name shall, in that future day, be so made known that it shall be the object of confidence and the place of refuge to the needy. A blessed prospect! It is still far off and only dimly seen. But it is sure and never-failing, for the mouth of Israel's God has spoken it.

There is a striking difference here from the New Testament and its links of truth. There, the glorification of the rejected Messiah is followed by the formation of the church, His body. Here it brings in at once the troubles at the end of the age, which lead to His setting up His throne in Zion. Jehovah is the covenant name for Israel… But Zion is His eventual dwelling, and judgment (not the gospel) settles all questions.

Jehovah dwells in Zion, and His rule has all the character of divine beneficence. Man is no longer a stranger and an exile from God. The earth has returned to her orbit and circles round her central sun.

Praise now arises to the Lord who dwells in Zion. His doings are to be declared among the nations. The name of the city will in that day be "The Lord is there" (Ezekiel 48:35). The families of the earth will acknowledge it by that name, and they will remember and turn to the Lord. But the seat of Jehovah's government will stand upon the ruins of the throne of iniquity. Judgment that avenges the blood of His saints will mark His promised return, when He comes with mercies for Jerusalem.

Jehovah dwells in Zion, and there He reveals Himself in this way. His doings — what He does to display His name through judgment in favour of the remnant — are to be declared among the peoples. This is a different word from the one often used. It means, I believe, the peoples that He owns, so that they may be able to trust in Him.

Israel is the natural witness of all this in her own experience. By her deliverance she will "tell out His deeds among the peoples" — the nations brought at last to be His own. The persecution even to death of the chosen nation He has now remembered: their cry has come up into His ears. Now He dwells in Zion, and forever. The wings that long ago would have sheltered them are now spread over them. They are at rest in the love that has drawn them near.

Those who dwell in Zion (the millennial name of Jerusalem) are told to sing praises to the Lord. This is surely true for all who have put their trust in Him. How can they hold back willing, wholehearted praise and thanks? And if we are truly praising the Lord, then we shall be glad to "declare His deeds among the people."

We have no doubt that what is written here will comfort that company of believing Jews at the end of the age. They look ahead in faith to what will be when the King comes. But how much more should we, His heavenly people, praise Him and declare His wonderful works in grace.

Those who dwell in Zion (the name of Jerusalem in the coming thousand-year kingdom) are told to sing praises to the Lord (v. 11)... And if we truly praise the Lord, we will be glad to "declare His deeds among the people." For He does indeed remember His own when He avenges. This touches His personal glory and the glory of God, yet He also cares about setting free those who trust Him. "He does not forget the cry of the humble."

A power that has turned away from God always persecutes God's people. When the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place, everyone must bow or die. Who are the souls under the altar in Revelation 6:9-11? They are without doubt those who will suffer under antichrist for the word of God and for their testimony. From oppressed hearts the cry will go up, "O Lord, how long?" and the cry is heard. "When He makes inquisition for blood, He remembers them; He forgets not the cry of the humble" (Ps. 9:12).

He will judge the whole world in righteousness, and He will judge the peoples uprightly. This was the public character of Jehovah. But He also had a private side to His character. Making that side public is the great subject of this psalm — and, together with that first public side, the great subject of all the psalms. Faith alone knows both, and faith celebrates them in advance. This second part is this: Jehovah is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

God's seat of government will be set up on the ruins of the throne of wickedness. Judgment that repays those who shed the blood of His saints will mark His promised return with mercy to Jerusalem. The words of verse 12 do carry a general principle (Rev. 6:10). But here they apply less to Christians as a whole, whose calling is to suffer, than to those who will be killed in Judea in the last days of blasphemy against Christ, because they hold to the name of Jehovah, while all the rest of the world worships the beast and his image.

The cry for deliverance in this third book has been earnest (74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 88, 89). Will it go up and get no answer? "He forgets not the cry of the humble," wrote David (Ps. 9:12). The remnant of the nation will experience the truth of that with joy. Everyone will then see that David had not misrepresented his God.

It seems strange that after such praise to God for His help and blessing, the psalmist pleads for the Lord's mercy. But this happens often in the Psalms. The experience is written down after God has already declared how it ends. This encourages us. However hard our experiences may be, God decreed from the beginning that the end would be the greatest blessing. The psalmist feels deeply the trouble that those who hate him cause, and he asks God to look at it — the God who lifts him up from the gates of death. But he asks this not only for his own relief. He asks so that he may tell all God's praise in the City of Zion, and rejoice in God's salvation.

Here we have the experience of Jacob's hour of trial once again. The cry comes from the very "gates of death," though with the confidence born of what they have already looked forward to. Yet they expect to trade this gaping shadow for the "gates of the daughter of Zion," and to praise Jehovah there, glad in His salvation. This is surely no mere earthly rescue... What deliverance means to the hearts of these worshipers is a praise that Messiah Himself will lead.

Verses 13 and 14 are the cry of the remnant, and they rest on the ground of mercy. They cry so that their hearts may praise Jehovah in Zion, and also because of His judgments. Verse 15 celebrates the judgment... People know Jehovah by the judgment He carries out... In this God remembers the needy, because the destruction of the wicked is their deliverance. So the cry of the remnant is for Jehovah to arise.

Verses 13, 14 express the cry of the beloved out of the low dungeon of death. Israel must come to admit their condition: they have destroyed themselves, and death is appointed to them. Only then can their cry enter the ears of the Lord of Hosts (Hosea 13:9; 14:1). But that cry will certainly rise, and He will hear it — He who waits to be gracious, and in whom is the help He has promised them.

This Psalm is a rich treasure for believers of this present age to enjoy, who live in earthly circumstances even though their calling is heavenly. We can have no doubt what these words point to: "See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death" (verse 13).

The Christian sees in Christ the One who passed through hard circumstances Himself, and who always shows His rich sympathy with His people in their affliction, in every age.

It seems strange that after such praises to God for His intervention and blessing, the psalmist now pleads for the Lord's mercy. But this is often the case in the Psalms. The Psalms record these experiences after God has already declared the end He has in view. That encourages us. However hard our experiences may be, God has decreed from the beginning that the end will be greatest blessing. The psalmist feels deeply the trouble caused by those who hate him. He pleads for God's consideration — the God who lifts him up from the gates of death. But he asks this not only for his own relief. He asks it so that he may tell all God's praise in the City of Zion, and rejoice in God's salvation.

Here we have the experience of Jacob's hour of trial once again. The cry comes from the very "gates of death," though with the confidence born of what they had already looked forward to. Yet they expect to trade this yawning shadow for the "gates of the daughter of Zion." There they will praise Jehovah, rejoicing in His salvation — and surely not in a rescue for this life only. We have seen already (Ps. 6) what death is linked with in their minds. Deliverance from it carries the same weight for the hearts of these worshippers — and Messiah Himself will lead their praise.

Jehovah dwells in Zion, and there He reveals Himself. His doings — what He does to display His name through judgment in favour of the remnant — must be declared among the peoples, so that they may be able to trust Him... Verses 13, 14 are the cry of the remnant. They ask on the ground of mercy, so that their hearts may praise Jehovah in Zion, as well as because of His judgments.

Verses 13, 14 express the cry of the beloved out of the low dungeon of death. Israel must first admit their condition: self-destroyed and appointed to death. Only then can their cry enter the ears of the Lord of hosts (Hosea 13:9; 14:1). But that cry will surely arise, and He who waits to be gracious will hear it... The spirit of praise will clothe the restored nation on the day of the Lord's deliverance. They will be Jehovah's people, and He will own them and be their God (Ezek. 37:23). In Zion, the chosen city of solemn feasts, the glad notes of His perfect and lasting praise will then ring out.

This praise and testimony will be rendered by the persecuted and afflicted remnant, to whom the Lord will show mercy in lifting them up from the gates of death to show forth the praise of the Lord in the gates of Zion.

Faith grasps the reality first. Then we see the actual circumstances, and out of them faith looks on to the fulfilment of precious promises — promises as sure as if they were already fulfilled... such Spirit-given glimpses into that then so near future strengthen their faith. It is the bright fulfilment of the longings and prayers of one generation of believers after another, who died with its light glowing in their faces. And this hope too is ours.

Shachath: "a pit, a pitfall to entrap animals," a place of doom and corruption. Job 33:18; Ps. 9:15; Ps. 35:7; Ezek. 28:8.

The nations sink into a pit their own hands have prepared, and are taken in the net they have hid for their own entanglement. And this is Jehovah's judgment, the unswerving ways in which He makes Himself known.

God knows how to turn man's evil back upon himself. He did this with Haman in the Book of Esther (Esther 7:6-10), and it will be so with nations who attack Israel in the tribulation period (Dan. 11:40-45). This is perfectly righteous government (v. 15).

The aim in such plots is of course to do harm to another. But "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."… Jezebel had Naboth murdered by cunning cruelty. But the poor deluded woman was little prepared for her own end: thrown from a window, trampled by horses, and eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21; 2 Kings 9:30-37).

The nations planned the destruction of Jehovah's sanctuary. Their thought had been, "Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion." But the shame they hoped to gloat over suddenly became their own lasting portion.

In contrast to the godly, who are raised up for blessing, the nations sink down in the pit they have made. By rebelling against Christ they have sealed their doom. They refused to be reconciled to God, and now He makes Himself known through judgment.

Verses 13 and 14 are the cry of the remnant. They plead on the ground of mercy, so that their hearts may praise Jehovah in Zion, and also because of His judgments. Verse 15 celebrates the judgment, and the lesson is told in verse 16. Jehovah is known by the judgment which He executes… And in this God remembers the needy, for the destruction of the wicked is their deliverance.

In verses 15–20 this is not the language of the gospel. It is the prophetic expectation — the righteous demand — of judgment. This explains the difficulties Christians often find in the Psalms. They come from not understanding the difference between the ways God deals with people at different times. To convert the wicked by announcing the grace of God is the gospel. What we have been reading is something quite different. Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world… If God did not carry out judgment, evil would only grow worse and worse, and the faithful would have no comfort. God does not carry it out until evil has reached its height.

Verses 13 and 14 are the cry of the remnant, asking on the ground of mercy that their hearts may praise Jehovah in Zion, as well as because of His judgments. Verse 15 celebrates the judgment. The moral, so to speak, is told in verse 16. Jehovah is known by the judgment which He executes. It is clear how this psalm serves as an introduction to the scope of the whole book and its application to the last days.

Pharaoh said he did not know the Lord, but Pharaoh had to know Him (Ex. 5:2; Ex. 9:14). If Pharaoh would disown Him in goodness, he had to know Him in righteousness. His judgments were now to be shown, and "the Lord is known by the judgment which He executes." As His holy prophet says to Him, "When your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." God would be known in grace; but if Egypt refuses that lesson, she must know Him in the raised hand of power.

Not by the gospel, or any such testimony of long-suffering and grace on the part of God, will Israel and the nations be reached. "The Lord is known by the judgment which he executes" (Ps. 9:16).

God knows how to turn man's evil back upon himself. He did this with Haman in the Book of Esther (Esther 7:6-10), and it will be so with nations who attack Israel in the tribulation period (Dan. 11:40-45). This is perfectly righteous government (v. 15). Nations will be caught in their own net, and will find in painful experience that God is revealed in the judgments He executes.

Look at the tormented mind, the accusing conscience, the bitter remorse that so often fills the minds and consciences of the prisoners with sharp pain. Would anyone in his right mind accuse the king of torturing his prisoners on purpose? Certainly not. It is the memory of their own evil deeds, and the consequences they live with hour by hour, that torment them. They torment themselves.

By their rebellion against Christ they have sealed their doom, and the God to whom they refused to be reconciled is made known through judgment. Antichrist is the "wicked" of verse 16, and the nations that follow him are the "wicked" of verse 17.

A Hebrew word that occurs four times, but in the older English translation it is left untranslated only once. That is here in Psalm 9:16, where the margin note reads "that is, meditation." Some think it refers to a musical sign or instrument. Literally it means "the sound of a harp when struck." In Psalm 19:14 the word is translated "meditation"; in Psalm 92:3, "solemn sound"; and in Lam. 3:62, "device."

The nations sink into a pit their own hands have prepared, and are caught in the net they hid, which ends up entangling themselves. This is Jehovah's judgment, the unchanging way in which He makes Himself known. Higgaion: here is "meditation" for anyone who will not refuse it. Let them "ponder in their own hearts on their beds, and be silent."

We are told, "The Lord is known by the judgment which He executes" (Ps. 9:16), and this was above all true at the cross. In the judgment executed there against sin God came to light on behalf of man in love. That blow of divine wrath against sin rent the veil and revealed the heart of God.

In verse 17 the wicked — whoever they may be, Jew as well as Gentile, and above all the Jew — and all the nations who forget God are shown to be rejected and judged. Judgment gives them their place in hades. And in this God remembers the needy, for the destruction of the wicked is their deliverance. This is why the cry of the remnant is for the Lord to arise.

Though their end is decided, this is not yet the final end — the lake of fire. Sheol is simply the unseen. Death separates spirit and soul from the body, so that spirit and soul are then in an unseen state, no longer allowed any place on earth. The Old Testament says little about the lake of fire. That awaits the solemn results of the great white throne, when God will find all unbelievers guilty and banish them to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15). Notice, however, that "the nations that forget God" will suffer the same fate as the wicked. Simply forgetting God — leaving Him out of one's life — is decisive as to eternal judgment.

Final it is, as far as the world goes, but not yet the full eternal judgment which the New Testament reveals. For that, Sheol or hades must give up its dead. It holds them only as prisoners awaiting trial. Then the "resurrection of judgment" brings them to "the great white throne", where each one receives his own sentence (Rev. 20)… It is the doom of those who have chosen to forget God… The portion they have chosen they will have — yes, and must have, because they have chosen it, not because He has chosen it for them.

Antichrist is the "wicked" of verse 16. The nations that follow him are the "wicked" of verse 17. Both are turned into Sheol, together with all the nations that forget God — the nations outside Antichrist's reach.

These wicked ones are judged along with the nations; they all come together under the same judgment.

This shows two things clearly. First, that wickedness is going to get its appropriate punishment. Second, that God is not going to allow anybody to push Him out of mind and remembrance.

Sin always brings suffering with it. The sorrow and suffering that follow are sometimes seen in this life. They always follow, with dread certainty, in the life to come. Just because this is so, and because deep down we know it is so, we do not like to think of God. We dismiss Him from our thoughts as far as we can. And by succeeding in forgetting Him, we seal our doom.

God knows what is coming, and He has told us exactly what it is, so that we may be warned and escape it. But more, He has told us of something that has come — and what is that? Salvation! A Saviour! A day of judgment and a day of wrath is coming, but a Saviour has come, and you may have that Saviour.

The nations may forget God, but God will not forget the needy and the poor among the nations. Their deliverance will come through the destruction of the wicked.

God's people may indeed be the "needy," with no spirit of self-assertion. They hardly even turn, like the worm under the foot that treads on it — they are the "meek." Yes, but that is because it is not their despair but their "expectation" that quiets them. "My soul, wait in silence for God alone," is the reminder with which they hold themselves steady. Shall they be forgotten for ever, though for a time it seems so? Shall such expectation come to nothing? Will God disappoint those who have no hope but in Him? No — it is impossible to entertain the thought.

In verses 17, 18 we have a more general expression of the moral order of God's government. The Judge of all the earth will do right (Gen. 18:25). He will avenge His own name in holiness upon those who speak against Him. He will glorify it in the rich fulfilment of His people's hope... Meanwhile, God writes the poor and needy, who think upon the LORD's name, in the book of His remembrance. He is no careless listener to the speech of those who comfort one another in His fear, until the tyranny of wickedness is past.

How often the needy seem forgotten. Men and nations who consider themselves strong oppose them. But the needy will not always be forgotten, and they have title to an expectation that will not perish (v. 18). It is the Lord who puts the cry into their lips: "Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail" (v. 19). There is no possibility that He will not answer. Indeed, we may rightly translate the word "man" as "frail man." His boasted strength is nothing but frailty.

In verse 17 God rejects and judges the wicked, whoever they may be... and all the nations who forget God... And in this God remembers the needy, for the destruction of the wicked is their deliverance. So the cry of the remnant is for this — for the LORD to arise.

Let every tried believer know that discipline is not forgetfulness but remembrance. And delay is not forgetfulness either. "He who is coming will come"… "The Lord is not slow to fulfil His promise as some count slowness."

How often it seems that men and nations who think themselves strong forget the needy and fight against them. But the needy will not always be forgotten, and they have a right to an expectation that will not perish (v. 18). It is the Lord who puts the cry into their mouths: "Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail" (v. 19). And there is no possibility that He will not answer.

The Old Testament uses several words for "man." One of them is enosh, which we are told means "frail mortal man." It is almost a term of contempt. This is the word the Psalmist uses when he says, "Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail." He uses it again in the words, "Put them in fear, O Lord; that the nations may know themselves to be but men." And he uses it once more in Psalm 10, when he speaks of "the man of the earth."

Here the conflict comes down to its main parts. It is between Jehovah, the God to whom power belongs, and feeble but proud man. The will of man — whose breath is in his nostrils — is in constant conflict with the will and pleasure of his Maker. But God must be the winner in this contest… Here the question is about nations gathered in anger against the few who still confess the truth of God. This happens at a time when the world, which once professed that truth, will mistake a lie for truth.

"Arise, Jehovah! let not frail man be strong like this!" Has his success not already reached its appointed limit? "Let the nations be judged before Your face!" They have forgotten You, and so they can boast; let Your presence convict them of their folly and rebuke their empty claims: "put them in fear, Jehovah! that the nations may know themselves to be frail men!"

Verse 17 shows the wicked rejected and judged — whoever they may be, Jew as well as Gentile, and indeed the Jew in particular — along with all the nations who forget God. Judgment gives them their place in hades. And in this God remembers the needy, for the destruction of the wicked is their deliverance. So the cry of the remnant is this: that Jehovah would arise.

Verses 15–20 are not the language of the gospel. They are the prophetic demand for judgment — the righteous demand. This explains the difficulties Christians often find in the Psalms. They come from not understanding the difference between the dispensations. To convert the wicked by announcing the grace of God is the gospel. What we have been reading is something quite different… If God did not carry out judgment, the evil would only grow worse and worse, and the faithful would have no comfort. God does not execute it until the evil has reached its height.

They look to enjoy the earth under His reign, and when God works in them they are right to cry for judgment. We are one with Christ in heaven. We look for Him to come and take us where He is, and we pray for grace as He did, even for His blinded murderers.

The Old Testament uses several words for "man." One of them is enosh. We are told it means "frail mortal man," and it is almost a term of contempt. This is the word the psalmist uses in Psalm 9, when he says, "Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail," and also, "Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men."

"Arise, Jehovah! Let not frail man be so strong!" Has his success not already reached the limit set for it? "Let the nations be judged before Your face!" They have forgotten You, and so they can boast: let Your presence convict them of their folly, and rebuke their empty claim. "Put them in fear, Jehovah! Let the nations know themselves to be frail men!"

Verses 15-20 are not the language of the gospel. They are the prophetic demand — the righteous demand — for judgment. This is what explains the difficulties Christians often find in the Psalms, when they have not understood the difference between the periods of God's dealings. To convert the wicked by announcing the grace of God is the gospel. What we have been reading is something quite different… If God did not carry out judgment, the evil would only grow worse and worse, with no comfort for the faithful. He does not carry it out until the evil has reached its height.

Could Stephen, who prayed for his murderers just before his death, cry out for vengeance on them just after his death? If not, these martyrs do not belong to the Church period. They belong to the period when Christ has risen up for judgment… The Psalms are filled with their prayers… This is not language for a Christian under persecution. It suits those who are joined with Christ when the days of His patience are over.

How terribly the nations will then learn that they are "but men" (v. 20), though they had been drinking in and living out the serpent's old lie, "you shall be as gods."

"Let the nations be judged in Your sight" — not only single people, but the whole mass of nations joined together. They will be put in fear and brought down to realize that they are "but frail men" (v. 20). They have no more power than the needy they despise.

But man will not prevail. This solemn prayer will be answered, with a fearful display of how empty the creature is, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels… The closing verse seems to show what the judgment does. It makes the surviving nations know themselves, so that, as people pleading with Him, they may learn to fear Him.

The first division gives us only the cry to Jehovah with the cause of the cry, this being the persecution of the humble by the wicked one. "Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" The previous psalm had declared God to be a stronghold in just such times (verse 9). Why such a difference between faith and experience? But in truth faith does not rest upon experience here at all. It confesses that, as to His government, clouds and darkness may be around Him. In the end experience will come round to faith, and meanwhile the testing will prove needed and helpful. But faith looks to the invisible — it really sees Him who is invisible. It has its ground and its arguments. It is not credulity: it has sure evidence, all its own.

Two things cause the distress of the remnant. One is the wickedness of Antichrist rising to its height. The other is that, when it does, he appears to prosper greatly while the godly are allowed to suffer. What is more, God seems to hide His face, as if He were indifferent to both alike — the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the godly.

The word "wicked" throughout this passage is in the singular. The singular would show that this description fits any wicked man. No doubt it will have its full expression in one man — the Antichrist. So the passage is a description of the character of the Antichrist, without being a distinct prophecy of him personally.

This Psalm has the widest moral bearing. Yet read as a prophecy, it becomes definite, and that gives it a new and special interest. The mention of the Lord's land (verse 16) gives us a key to the more precise meaning of the general language used. There is also a very plain link of subject between this Psalm and the one just before it.

His triumph over all these enemies, and over the seemingly defenceless people of God, deceives him. He thinks that "God has forgotten, He has hidden His face, He will never see it" (v. 11).

Chapter 14 of Revelation is the answer to the cry of the remnant. It records God's intervention in grace and judgment. Satan is at work and seems to triumph, so we might suppose that God is indifferent, and that He had abandoned His people to the cruel mercy of the enemy. But it is not so.

Jehovah has heard the desire of the humble. He prepared their heart, and then listened. That listening will take the form of judging — of being Judge for the fatherless and the oppressed, so that the man of the earth, the one whose strength and hope were there, should oppress no more.

He does persecute the poor, but it is his pride that moves him to do it... He has no desire for God: "God is not in all his thoughts" (v. 4), and this is because of his proud looks... Only the most insufferable pride could lead him to treat God with contempt.

This description of the wicked was written about three thousand years ago, yet it exactly fits the leaders of the ungodly world today. They completely rule God out of everything. They shut Him out everywhere, at least in their thinking... He has no place in their politics or their business. He has no place in their science or their philosophy.

The word "wicked" throughout this passage is in the singular. The singular shows that the description fits any wicked man. But no doubt it will find its full expression in one man — the Antichrist. So the passage describes the character of the Antichrist. It is not a direct prophecy about him as a person.

These verses no longer speak in the plural — "them" and "they" — but of one outstanding enemy. He does not come from the nations outside Israel, but from inside the nation Israel... Verses 2 to 11 describe the antichrist who will arise in Israel, claiming to be God (2 Thess. 2:3-4)... Those who join him in oppressing the poor to enrich themselves will be fine people in his eyes.

The wicked in his pride acts on what he can see. The righteous acts by faith on the character of Jehovah, faith in Him... He pursues his plans without conscience, seeking to destroy the humble by craft, and reckons that God has forgotten him. How well Christ could help them here! The humble cry under the oppression.

He declares that God has not seen his sin, or that if He has, He does not mind and will never call him to account for it. And so with full confidence he says in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity" (Ps. 10:6). Yet before that Psalm ends, we find that he is moved... He is not only moved, but removed in judgment. His boasted security turns out to be a lie.

Notice where this gap in the structure falls. Not in the ninth psalm, which celebrates the reign of the Most High from beginning to end, but near the start of the tenth, where the psalm describes the man of sin. The alphabet returns as soon as the description ends and the appeal begins again: "Arise, Jehovah!" This wicked one seems for a time to resist the government of God, and even to prevail against the Most High. But it cannot truly be so.

God has long been a patient Observer (v. 14). But patience is not indifference, and the world will learn that by terrible experience. God will repay in perfect righteousness. The helpless have committed themselves to Him, and they will find Him a real helper — a Helper of the fatherless, of those who have no one on earth to depend upon.

The word "wicked" throughout this passage is in the singular. Using the singular shows that the description fits any wicked man, though it will surely reach its full expression in one man — the Antichrist.

The third verse describes his covetousness, his blasphemy, and his boastful self-confidence.

He boasts of his soul's desire — of having his own way. As he chases it, he refuses every check of Jehovah's will. He renounces Him, he scorns Him, he is completely independent. Like a "wandering star", he is bound to no orbit. That very fact shows he is held by earthly chains he knows nothing about, a meteor that will be put out in darkness. Safety and permanence belong only to the orbit.

For the wicked man boasts of his soul's desire; he blesses the plunderer, he despises Jehovah.

The wicked boasts himself in his heart's desire, and blesses him (counts him happy, that is) whom Jehovah abhors. He pursues his plans without conscience, seeking to destroy the humble by craft, and reckons that God has forgotten him.

The deep selfishness of the heart prefers its own care to God's care, and that ties it in worldly sympathy to the people of this age. So let us beware, for "what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." No evil is more common in the religious world today, and it was just as common in our Lord's day. Ease, honour, influence, and position are valued as highly as ever, and this belittles the truth beyond measure.

Covetousness involves no dishonesty. It is not even hard or sharp dealing. It is no more than the desire for more — the very spring of modern effort, the drive to better yourself that everyone is urged on to, from the mechanic to the millionaire. So the creature becomes the object, and not God; and that is why covetousness is called idolatry. It is man looking down, not up in dependence on God.

It is one thing to see it in others, and quite another to judge it in ourselves. The fact is that only one thing can help us detect the hateful sin of covetousness: the light of the Word of God shining into the soul and reaching every room of our moral being.

He is covetous and "blesses the covetous" (verse 3), and his pride leads him to boast of this evil. Again, he has no desire for God, and the reason is the pride of his face (verse 4). He shuts God out of his thoughts completely... No wonder, then, that verse 15 gives us the prayer, "Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer" — a prayer God will answer in due time.

Will our readers examine this tenth Psalm, which exposes the character of unconverted man. They will discover that five times over it calls him "the wicked." It does not only call him that. It also describes what makes up his wickedness: in one word, it is the pride of his heart.

Again, he has no desire for God: "God is not in all his thoughts" (v. 4), and this is because of the pride of his face. He shuts God out of his thoughts completely. He does this because self-sufficiency fills him and he imagines that he will never be moved.

Being evil himself, he has no idea of a Being supremely good. If a notion of God comes into his mind, it is a demon that rises up before him. It is a being with all the lusts he has himself, and with unlimited power as well. As the Psalmist puts it, "God is not in all his thoughts" (Ps. 10:4); that is, no true thought of God is there. A hard master, a harsh man, takes the place of God in his thinking, but that is not God at all. So he has no confidence in God, and the thought of having to do with Him is, more than anything else, a terror to his soul.

Although it is always the duty of men to seek after God, in fact they refuse to do so. Psalm 53:2 is deeply solemn. It says: "God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." The great and gracious Creator looked over the whole human race. He could not see one who wanted Him, or even one who understood why his Creator made him! Psalm 14:2-3 and Romans 3:11-12 confirm this. To this we would add Psalm 10:4.

Since this is the true state of things, everyone would perish in their appalling folly, if God were not at work in grace. If men do not want Him, He wants them!

He is not only independent of God, he denies Him; but he denies Him in the interest of his own lawless acts. "He will not search out," he says. His plottings, the weaving together of his purposes, are therefore atheistic. His pride and his lusts support each other.

In the singular it is, I judge, a description of a character. Yet I have no doubt there will be one special wicked one: The Lawless One of 2 Thessalonians 2:8 — the Antichrist. He is known here by his character, though, not by a distinct prophecy of his person. Lawlessness shows itself, but not The Lawless One, and it is not limited to one man.

Someone wrote this description of the wicked some three thousand years ago, yet it exactly fits the present leaders of the ungodly world. They completely rule God out of everything… He is outside the scope of all their politics, their business, their science, their philosophy. And if some of them cannot do without a religion of some kind, they take care to push Him far into the background even there. He becomes a vague and shadowy Being they can pretty safely ignore.

Because he feels so secure, everything in his heart comes out: "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks", and "his mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression." What is "under his tongue" is hidden, yet ready to show itself. It is "trouble" for others and "vanity" in itself. It is a short description, but an effective one. If God is pushed out, it is to make room for man. And what kind of man is he, for whom the room is made?

This does not have to mean he uses swear words. Of this same man we read, "His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart" (Ps. 55:21). His cursing is more a matter of running others down — and above all God. He is one who curses God, uses deceit among his friends, and oppresses the poor. "Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity." People may not see this at first, but it lies under everything he says. What a terrible charge!

The fourth quotation is from Psalm 10:7: "His mouth is filled with cursing." Lying leads to slander, and slander leads to cursing, because the slandered man hits back with cursing and bitterness.

The fifth quotation is from Proverbs 1:16: "their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood." From "cursing and bitterness" it is only a short step to murder.

In Romans 3 we have God's charge against man, set out as a string of quotations from the Prophets and the Psalms. Among them we find these terrible words from Psalm 10: "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." If the heart did not hold these evils, the mouth could never pour them out. Here then we have an insight into the human heart. Notice too where this dreadful quotation stands. It comes in Paul's description of religious Jews, not in his account of the nations outside Israel… So a man can sing the praises of God on Sunday and be guilty of cursing and bitterness towards others on Monday.

As a rule — and always in Psalm 10, and every time the word is used in Psalm 9 except verse 17 — "the wicked" is singular… In the singular it describes, I judge, a character. Yet I have no doubt there will also be one particular wicked man, the Lawless One of 2 Thessalonians 2:8, the Antichrist. Here, though, he is known by his character, not by a clear prophecy about his person.

He claims that God has not seen his sin, or that if He has, He does not care and will never call him to account… The God he despises searches out his wickedness, breaks his arm, and destroys him out of the land. He is not only moved, but removed in judgment. His boasted security turns out to be a lie.

The word "wicked" throughout this passage is in the singular. Using the singular shows that this description fits any wicked man, though no doubt it will have its full expression in one man — the Antichrist. So the passage describes the character of the Antichrist. It is not a distinct prophecy of him personally.

His acts are marked by craft, behind which there lurks the violence of a beast. His victims are the godly — the innocent and the poor.

They are "the innocent" (ver. 8). They take no part in the cursing, deceit, fraud and scheming that fill the lives of the wicked.

Verses 8 and 9 are literally true of some men. They may also be a picture of the antichrist. He will be able to do such things by proxy — using servants to carry out his evil plans. But God will hold him responsible for the evil his servants do by his direction. Many men are clever enough to hide that they are the source of the wickedness. They do it by manipulating servants they have deceived.

Judas betrayed innocent blood and they condemned it. He at least had some feeling of remorse for what he had done — enough to drive him to take his own life. They had no feeling whatever. What was innocent blood to them? They had no reluctance about shedding it, nor had they any fear of the God who repays evil. They were prepared to "murder the innocent," saying in their hearts, "You will not call to account" (Ps. 10:8, 13).

God has long been a patient Observer (v. 14). But patience is not indifference, as the world will learn by terrible experience. God will repay in perfect righteousness. The helpless who have committed themselves to Him will find Him a real helper — a Helper of the fatherless, those who have no one on earth to depend upon.

When we look at these great examples of human wickedness in Scripture, our minds are often in danger of forgetting one thing. The Holy Spirit marks out the moral features of Christ's chief adversary among men. What He shows us there is simply the ripe development of what is in the human heart of every one of us.

So now we have his ways — a monotony of wickedness. The psalmist tries to describe it, and can only repeat himself in different ways. The picture is a wild beast, a beast of prey. It is human only in this: it carries the cunning and forethought of the hunter. Man without God is only such a beast. The spiritual part has sunk into the animal, and that gives the animal an unnatural power for evil.

Verses 8 to 11 then emphasise the deceit that marks his every activity. Verses 8 and 9 are literally true of some men. They may also be a picture of the antichrist. He will be able to do such things by proxy — that is, with servants to carry out his evil plans. But God will hold him responsible for the evil his servants do at his direction. Many men are clever enough to hide that they are the source of the wickedness. They manipulate their deluded servants.

They are "the poor" (v. 2). That is, of course, poor in spirit, and not merely poor in worldly possessions. Their poverty of spirit is the exact opposite of pride, and pride is the mark of frail mortal man.

Even the numerical structure seems to fall through here in the smaller sections. The alphabetic structure has already done so, and yet by design. So we may recognise design here too. These three verses show what is still a nameless horror, like the fourth of the imperial beasts in Daniel's vision (Dan. 7).

We study the great examples of human wickedness in Scripture from a distance, and our minds are often in danger there. The Holy Spirit sketches the moral features of Christ's chief adversary among men. We forget that this is only the ripe development of what is in the human heart of every one of us. Fallen and corrupted nature produces "the man of sin" — nature grown to full wickedness under the nurture the devil is allowed to give.

We come so little into collision with the men of this age. One reason, we may be sure, is that we are so little marked by the features that stand in such sharp contrast to them. The wicked in his pride persecutes "the poor." He does, whatever the age. The moment "the poor" shows up, he itches to persecute him. We have the wicked with us right enough. But where is the poor? Well, if the wicked of this age compliment us and pat us on the back, that raises some serious questions.

Faith still holds firmly to an All-seeing One. He is as interested as He is observant, and certain to step in. The wretched one is sunk in affliction. Still he throws himself on Him who has proved to be the helper of those with no natural help. The height of the evil is just the supreme need that God must answer, and He takes it on Himself. Every other help is cut off. Is not the soul in this condition the very "orphan" He has pledged Himself to?

These verses set out, with vivid seriousness, the plans and deeds of human wickedness that is prospering. They open up the hidden springs of godless action, and show that all of them rise from one source: the atheism of the heart. That heart-atheism soothes and encourages the madness of a rebellious will as it runs its desperate, self-destroying course. But these are general statements with the widest practical use. Under them the Spirit of God is clearly tracing in this psalm the moral features and actual conduct of the Wicked One, as they show themselves in his treatment of the faithful remnant of Israel, whose urgent cry is heard in the opening verse.

Craft marks his acts, and behind that craft lurks the violence of a beast. His victims are the godly — the innocent and the poor.

The picture is of a wild beast, a beast of prey. It is human only in this: it has the cunning and forethought of a hunter. Man without God is only such a beast. His spiritual part has sunk into the animal, and that only gives the animal an unnatural power for evil.

He crouches, he humbles himself, and the poor have fallen by his strong ones.

And he is crushed, he is brought low, the wretched has fallen by his might.

Even the numerical structure seems to fall through here in the smaller sections. The alphabetic pattern has already fallen through, and yet by design. That may make us see design here too: the three verses show a horror that still has no name, like the fourth of the imperial beasts in Daniel's vision.

Verses 8 and 9 are literally true of some men. They may also be a picture of the antichrist, for he will be able to do such things by proxy — that is, with servants to carry out his evil plans. But God will hold him responsible for the evil his servants do at his direction.

When we look at these great examples of human wickedness in Scripture, our minds are often in danger of forgetting one thing. The Holy Spirit marks out the moral features of Christ's chief adversary among men. What He sets before us there is only the full-grown form of what is in the human heart of every one of us.

God will not forget the humble. He sees what the wicked does. He has prepared the heart of the humble so as to bless them. God has broken the arm of the wicked, and the nations too have perished out of His land by His judgment. He is King for ever and ever. "The man of the earth" will oppress no longer.

He triumphs over all these enemies, and over the seemingly defenceless people of God. That triumph deceives him into thinking that "God has forgotten: He hides His face: He will never see it" (v. 11).

One closing comment takes us back to his attitude toward the divine government. That government still has its hold upon him: "he has said in his heart, The Mighty has forgotten: He hides His face; He has never seen it."

"He has said in his heart, God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see" (v. 11). So it is clear he knows there is a God, but thinks God is unable to take account of what the deceiver is doing. What an awakening it will be when he is caught red-handed in his fight against God, and sent with the Beast into the horror of the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20)! What a dreadful end for this proud challenger of the God of creation!

Two things distress the remnant. One is the wickedness of Antichrist rising to its height. The other is that, when it does, he seems to prosper hugely while God lets the godly suffer. God also seems to hide His face, as if He cared nothing either for the prosperity of the wicked or for the suffering of the godly.

Why such a gap between the faith and the experience? But in truth faith here does not rest on experience at all. It confesses that, as to His government, clouds and darkness may be around Him. In the end experience will come round to faith, and meanwhile the testing will prove needed and helpful. But faith is in the invisible. It does see Him who is invisible. It has its ground and its arguments. It is not credulity; it has sure evidence, all its own.

When we look at the great examples of human wickedness revealed in Scripture as things outside ourselves, our minds are often in danger of forgetting one thing. The Holy Spirit marks out the moral features of Christ's chief adversary among men. What He sets before us there is only the ripe development of what is in the human heart of every one of us.

Men leave God out, and explain everything as if there were no God. Whenever I act as if God were not — that is, without reference to His will — I so far say in my heart, "There is no God."

So now it is time for God to arise and act. This final act of denial and defiance is the hand that points to the last possible limit of God's patience. The living God must show Himself. The Mighty One must put forth might. The suffering of the righteous calls for it; and so does the cool contempt of the wicked. To wait longer would not be patience; it would only make the evil worse.

Why such difference between the faith and the experience? But in truth faith in no way rests upon experience here. It confesses that, as to His government, clouds and darkness may be all around Him. True, at last experience will come round to faith, and meanwhile the trial will prove needed and helpful. But faith is in the invisible — it sees Him who is invisible — it has its ground, its arguments; it is not gullible belief, but has sure evidence, all its own.

The faith of the godly in this terrible trial. They appeal to God to show His hand — "lift up your hand." They plead for God's intervention: first, because of the suffering of His afflicted people; second, because God Himself has been condemned. For the wicked has said in his heart, "God will not call him to account." The suffering of God's people, and the vindication of God's character, both call aloud for God's intervention in judgment.

So now it is time for God to arise and act. This final denial and defiance points like a hand to the last possible limit of God's patience. The living God must show Himself. The Mighty One must put forth might. The suffering of the righteous calls for it; and so does the cool contempt of the wicked. Patience will no longer be forbearance, but the making worse of the evil.

The acrostic sequence starts again in verse 12 because it points to the Lord stepping in. He will patiently allow the antichrist to have his way. That lasts until the antichrist sets up "the abomination of desolation" in the temple area of Jerusalem — an idol image to the Roman Beast. This will be a bold challenge to the authority of God, so that His judgment falls very swiftly after this... He will certainly not forget the humble. His answer will come swiftly and solemnly to those who renounce God, thinking they can avoid giving an account to Him.

They call upon God to lift up His hand — not to forget the humble. Why should the wicked despise God? Jehovah has seen it and will repay; the poor committed himself to Him... Jehovah is King for ever; the nations have perished out of His land. There is the public judgment; now the secret of the Lord. Jehovah has heard the desire of the humble. He prepared their heart, and then listened.

Faith holds confidently to an All-seeing One, as interested as He is observant, certain to step in. The wretched one is sunk in affliction. Still he hands himself over to Him who has proved Himself the helper of those with no natural help. The height of the evil is simply the extreme need that God must answer, and which He directly takes upon Himself. With every other help cut off, is not the soul in this condition the very "orphan" to whom He is pledged?

He persecutes the poor, but it is his pride that drives him to do it. He is covetous and "blesses the covetous" (v. 3), and his pride leads him to boast of this evil trait. Again, he has no desire for God: "God is not in all his thoughts" (v. 4), and this is because of the pride of his countenance. He shuts God completely out of his thoughts, because he is full of self-sufficiency and imagines he will never be moved. Then comes the question, "Why does the wicked renounce God?" (v. 13). The answer is obvious. Only the most unbearable pride could lead him to treat God with contempt.

He declares that God has not seen his sin, or that if He has, He does not mind and will never call him to account for it. And so with complete assurance he says in his heart, "I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity" (Ps. 10:6). Before the end of that Psalm, however, we find that he is moved. The God whom he despises seeks out his wickedness, breaks his arm, and destroys him out of the land. He is not only moved, but removed in judgment. His boasted security turns out to be a lie.

Psalm 10 — the previous psalm declared a judicial inquiry. This one is an appeal to Jehovah, who is King, on behalf of His land and the afflicted in it, against the wicked. He persecutes the poor, he glories in his own thoughts, he encourages the covetous, and despises God and His government. He scorns his enemies, he murders the innocent and helpless, and hardens his conscience against God. The Spirit of Christ in intercession asks, Why? — for he has said in his heart, "You will not call to account."

In general the word is singular. It is always singular in Psalm 10, and every time Psalm 9 uses it except verse 17. In verse 17 it is plural, to show that all of them will be cast down into sheol. The singular, I judge, describes a character. Yet I do not doubt there will be one special wicked one, The Lawless One (2 Thess. 2:8), the Antichrist. Here he is known by his character, not by a direct prophecy of his person.

Judas betrayed innocent blood and they condemned it. He at least had some feeling of remorse for what he had done — enough to drive him to take his own life. They had no feeling whatever. What was innocent blood to them? They had no scruple about shedding it, nor had they any fear of the God who repays evil. They were prepared to "murder the innocent," saying in their hearts, "You will not call to account" (Ps. 10:8, 13).

He had seen it all, though the proud heart of the Wicked had told him flatteringly that God had forgotten. This is the crowning misery of man. Unless mercy rescues him, he is Satan's fool for all his boasted wisdom. He dreams of independent action while his will is entirely swayed by the deceiver... Meanwhile, God's ear is open to the cry of His distressed people. He tests the faith He gives them for a while, so that patience may have its perfect work... The land where the Oppressor will do his final evil work is none other than Immanuel's inheritance. His quarrel, therefore, is with God and not with man.

The work of the liar and the murderer has reached its height. So now the solemn call goes up to Jehovah to avenge His own cause by delivering His afflicted people. He had seen it all, though the proud heart of the wicked man had told him the flattering lie that God had forgotten. This is the crowning misery of man. Unless God's choosing mercy rescues him, all his boasted wisdom leaves him nothing but Satan's fool.

When the LORD told Moses about the evil plot against Israel, Moses might well have used the words of the Psalmist: "But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands" (older wording: "to repay it with Your hand"). Later Moses told the people about the danger that had threatened them. Enemies had hired Balaam the son of Beor to curse them. But the LORD their God would not listen to Balaam. Instead He turned the curse into a blessing, because the LORD their God loved them.

For a long time God has been a patient Observer (v. 14). But patience is not indifference, as the world will learn by terrible experience. God will repay in perfect righteousness. The helpless, who have committed themselves to Him, will find Him a real helper — a Helper of the fatherless, those who have no one on earth to depend upon.

Rulers and governors who served the mood of the moment have been all too willing to put God's choicest saints to a cruel death at the command of the so-called "Church." But in the coming day of repayment God will remember everything done in Israel and in Christendom. He will yet avenge innocent blood (Rev. 18:24).

Faith still holds with confidence to an All-seeing One, as interested as He is observant, and sure to step in. The wretched one, sunk in affliction, still hands himself over to the One who has proved Himself the helper of those with no natural help. The evil at its worst is simply the supreme need that God must answer, and He takes that need on Himself. With every other help cut off, is not such a soul exactly this "orphan" to whom He is pledged?

They are "the fatherless" (ver. 14). They have no natural protector; no one on earth to stand up in their defence, and protect their rights.

The wicked in his pride does persecute "the poor." He does indeed, no matter what the age may be. As soon as "the poor" is in evidence he simply itches to persecute him. The wicked we have with us right enough. But where is the poor? Well, if the wicked of this age compliment us and pat us on the back, it raises some serious questions!

Jehovah has heard the desire of the humble. He prepared their heart, and then He listened. That listening will show itself in judging — in being Judge for the fatherless and the oppressed. Then the man of the earth, the man whose strength and hope were in the earth, will oppress no more.

He persecutes the poor, but it is his pride that moves him to do it. He is covetous and "blesses the covetous" (v. 3), and his pride leads him to boast of this evil feature. Again, he has no desire for God: "God is not in all his thoughts" (v. 4), and this is because of the pride of his countenance. He totally excludes God from his thoughts, because he is filled with self-sufficiency and imagines that he will never be moved... No wonder then that in verse 15 we have the prayer, "Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man" — a prayer which will be answered in due time.

When the wicked one rises up from character to a person, it will come true in the antichrist of the last days and in the midst of the Jews as here. As the Lord is from heaven, so he is emphatically from the earth — frail man but energised by Satan. The Psalm answers much to the cry of the elect, according to the parable of the widow who keeps asking, whom God at length avenges.

Then with the cry comes the flash of recognition: "Break the arm of the wicked and the evil one! You will seek out his wickedness till there is no more to find." And then the glorious accomplishment seems before the sight: "Jehovah is King for ever and ever: the nations are perished out of His land." The cleansing is done, the evil is thrown out... Only faith grasps this now, but it does grasp it. Faith can be as sure as if the thing were done.

"Break the arm of the wicked and evil man" (v. 15). We read the answer to this in Zechariah 11:17: "Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!" Sudden and dreadful will this judgment be!

"Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none" (Ps. 10:15). This is not language for a Christian under persecution. It suits those who stand with Christ when the days of His patience are over, and He is acting in judgment towards the world.

At the same time, the godly man knows that "vengeance" belongs to God. This is surely a truth the Christian needs to remember... In the presence of provocation, anger, and deliberate insults, let us beware of seeking to take vengeance. The insults and injustice may stir righteous anger. Still, we cannot be trusted to take vengeance. That the Lord keeps in His own hands.

But God, having broken the arm of the wicked, the nations also have perished out of His land by His judgment; He is King for ever and ever. "The man of the earth" will no more oppress.

Then with the cry comes the flash of recognition: "Break the arm of the wicked and the evil one! You will seek out his wickedness till there is no more to find." And then the glorious accomplishment seems to be there before his eyes: "Jehovah is King for ever and ever: the nations have perished out of His land." The cleansing is complete. The evil is thrown out. The nations that forced their way into Jehovah's land are found there no more. It is still only faith that grasps this, but it is grasped. Faith can be as sure as if the thing were done.

ad: very often translated "for ever," and with another word, olam, "for ever and ever." "The LORD will reign forever and ever." Exodus 15:18. "The LORD is king forever and ever." Psalm 10:16... Ad is also translated "everlasting": "Everlasting Father," or "Father of the everlasting age." Isaiah 9:6. Also "eternity": "the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity." Isaiah 57:15.

The Jew should have found it a precious support that underneath rules like these stood one principle: the land belonged to Jehovah. This secures an inalienable title for Israel in the long run. The Gentiles have trodden down the land and its capital for many centuries; but their times will be fulfilled.

The wicked man, trusting in himself, "said in his heart, I shall not be moved," only to come under the judgment of the LORD (Psalm 10:6, 16). The godly man, trusting in the LORD at his right hand, can say, "I shall not be moved." And he can say it with complete confidence. For if the Lord says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," then we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:5-6).

The godly are carried on in thought to the setting up of the kingdom on earth in power. Nothing short of this is God's design. Nothing less will meet the need of His tried, persecuted, earthly people. And notice who will bring this happy outcome about: One who is a man, and could die. He will show everyone what the wicked one of Psalm 10 really is. That man banishes God from his thoughts in the pride of his heart and scoffs at his enemies. He is only a man of the earth. He must give way before the power of the Son of Man, who, though He has died, will return as man to reign.

Anticipating God's intervention, the godly celebrate with praise His answer to their appeal. As a result, the judgment of the wicked, summed up in Antichrist, will bring in the everlasting kingdom of the Lord — "The LORD is king forever and ever." As for the godly, God will answer their prayer, establish their heart, and end their sufferings. Never again will "the man of the earth" terrify them.

(vv. 16-18) Anticipating God's intervention, the godly celebrate with praise His answer to their appeal. The judgment of the wicked, summed up in Antichrist, will usher in the everlasting kingdom of the Lord — "The Lord is King for ever." As for the godly, their prayer will be answered, their heart established, their sufferings over. Never again will "the man of the earth" terrify them.

Jehovah has heard the desire of the humble. He prepared their heart, and then listened. That hearing will be in judging — in being Judge for the fatherless and the oppressed. So the man of the earth, the one whose strength and hope were there, should oppress no more.

God will fill the hungry because He Himself has stirred up the hunger. As with prayer, when God prepares the heart to pray, He prepares His ear to hear (Ps. 10:17). So with spiritual hunger: when God prepares the heart to hunger, He will prepare His hand to fill.

A spiritual prayer is a humble prayer: "Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble." Prayer is asking for charity, and that needs humility. It is fitting to see a poor nothing lying at the feet of its Maker: "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends. God accepts broken expressions when they come from broken hearts.

How few of the countless prayers continually offered — often sincerely, too — spring from a well so deep and pure! We are invited to make our requests known to God, whatever the burdened heart is aware of. How great is His grace! But prayer to God is always tied to communion, the state of the heart before Him. "If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God." How often the heart groans, yet not to Him! "They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds" (Hos. 7:14). "You will prepare their heart, you will cause your ear to hear." Fruitfulness to God, and the promise that He answers all prayer, are inseparably tied to abiding in Him.

"The Lord is King forever and ever" (v. 16). The challenge of the antichrist will have been completely silenced. No such challenge will ever rise again. Christ will reign for the thousand years of peace, and for eternity nothing can change His title of all authority. The nations that dared to attack His land will have perished. The psalmist voices the gratitude of the humble: the Lord has heard their prayer, and He will also prepare their heart for the unmixed blessing that will be theirs (v. 17).

This passage shows the Lord's kingdom that lasts forever. With it come the deliverance of the land of Israel from foreign rule, the humbling of the people before God, and His preparation of their heart.

Jehovah has heard the desire of the humble. He prepared their heart, and then listened. That listening will be in judging — in being Judge for the fatherless and the oppressed. So the man of the earth, the one who had his strength and hope there, should no more oppress.

So, in perfect righteousness He champions the cause of the fatherless and the oppressed over "the man of the earth," so that all oppression may cease (v. 18). The dreadful end of the man of sin will mean the greatest relief and blessing for the whole world.

In the Old Testament several words are used for "man." One of them is enosh, which we are told carries the sense of "frail mortal man," and is almost a term of contempt. This is the word used when the Psalmist asks his question in Psalm 9: "Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail" — and again, "Put them in fear, O Lord; that the nations may know themselves to be but men." It is used once more in Psalm 10, when he speaks of "the man of the earth."

Enosh may look like quite a big man to himself, and to others. When he rises to his full height he may do many pretentious things. He may defy God. He may oppress those who fear God. But after all, he is only "the frail, mortal man of the earth." With heaven he has nothing to do.

He persecutes the poor, but it is his pride that moves him to do it. He is covetous and "blesses the covetous" (v. 3), and his pride leads him to boast of this evil trait. Again, he has no desire for God: "God is not in all his thoughts" (v. 4), and this is because of the pride of his countenance. He completely shuts God out of his thoughts. Self-sufficiency fills him, and he imagines that he will never be moved.

The book of Psalms speaks of this coming one in prophecy, in his character as "the man of the earth" (Ps. 10:18), and also as "the bloody and deceitful man" (Ps. 5:6). These descriptions do fit the wicked in general in the coming crisis. Yet there is one person, and only one, to whom they can refer in the fullest sense. It is the character of the Antichrist, and not his person, that is before us in these and other Psalms.

So the godly are carried forward in thought to the setting up of the kingdom in power on earth. Nothing less than this is God's design, and nothing less will meet the need of His tried, persecuted, earthly people. And we should notice who will bring this happy outcome about: One who is a man, and could die. He will show everyone that the wicked one of Psalm 10 is only a man of the earth. That is the man who in the pride of his heart banishes God from his thoughts and sneers at his enemies. He must give way before the power of the Son of Man, who, though He has died, will return as man to reign.