UBF Daily Bread

ARISE, LORD! LIFT UP YOUR HAND

Passage: Psalm 10:1~18

Key verse: 12

Psalm 10^[a]

¹Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^(A)
Why do you hide yourself^(B) in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,^(C)
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
³He boasts^(D) about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.^(E)
⁴In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.^(F)
⁵His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by^[b] him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”^(G)

⁷His mouth is full^(H) of lies and threats;^(I)
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.^(J)
⁸He lies in wait^(K) near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.^(L)
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
⁹    like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;^(M)
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.^(N)
¹⁰His victims are crushed,^(O) they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
¹¹He says to himself, “God will never notice;^(P)
    he covers his face and never sees.”^(Q)

¹²Arise,^(R) Lord! Lift up your hand,^(S) O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.^(T)
¹³Why does the wicked man revile God?^(U)
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?^(V)
¹⁴But you, God, see the trouble^(W) of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;^(X)
    you are the helper^(Y) of the fatherless.
¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked man;^(Z)
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever;^(AA)
    the nations^(AB) will perish from his land.
¹⁷You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^(AC)
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,^(AD)
¹⁸defending the fatherless^(AE) and the oppressed,^(AF)
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Psalm 10:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
Psalm 10:5 See Septuagint; Hebrew / they are haughty, and your laws are far from

1. Why are you so far off, O Lord? (1,2)

The Psalmist struggles with his doubt and fear when he sees arrogant men who prey on the innocent and helpless.

2. No room for God in their thoughts (3-11)

Men are capable of any kind of evil when they have no room for God in their thoughts. Such a man is proud; he decides that the law is for someone else; he has no scruples about destroying weaker people for his own gain. It is hard for us to see such men from God's perspective, and easy to envy or fear them, or to become their prey.

3. Arise Lord! Lift up your hand (12-18)

The Lord sees and knows. He helps those who commit themselves to him. He hears the cry of those who call on him. He is King forever. Man is of the earth. When the Lord lifts his hand, man can terrify no one.

Prayer: Lord, help me to make room for you in my thoughts daily, so that I will not become proud. Help me to commit myself wholly to you and not fear evil men.

One Word: Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand