Psalm 10:12-18 12Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. 13Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? 14But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 15Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. 16The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. 17You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.
Psalm 37:5-6 5Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Lift up Your hand
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
There are times when life seems unfair, and I suppose in every human heart there comes those vengeful thoughts. And it’s not about justice either; we just want to get even. We see people who take advantage of others, use their position to gain wealth, or mistreat those who cannot defend themselves. Sometimes it’s ourselves. Sometimes, the people being hurt have little influence, few resources, and nobody willing to speak on their behalf. They may feel forgotten by everyone, including God. When we find ourselves in such circumstances, Psalm 10 offers an important reminder: God has not forgotten the helpless.
But we should remember bringing justice is God’s venue, not ours. The expression "lift up your hand" describes God's power and willingness to act. David knows that human beings may be unable or unwilling to help those who are suffering, but God is not limited by human weakness. He has the power to change circumstances, expose wrongdoing, and bring justice where injustice has prevailed.
This should encourage us when we face difficulties. We may sometimes wonder whether God sees what is happening in our lives. Perhaps someone has treated us dishonestly, taken advantage of our kindness, or caused us unnecessary suffering. We may have tried to resolve the situation without success. But no matter how strong or skilled we think we are, at our root we are all fragile and frail. We ae prone to seeking revenge and getting even, but David reminds us that we can bring these matters before God.
Consider a person who has been treated unfairly at work. I have a friend who is a high-level position in state government and who is struggling with a team member who has the habit of complaining about my friend to a different manager in a different track. My friend is a church leader who trusts God implicitly, but he is still human and still bothered by the situation. Although others may overlook the situation, God does not. We should not interpret God's silence as indifference. He may not respond according to our timetable, but He has not abandoned those who trust Him.
As Christians, we should also recognize that this passage calls us to action. If God cares about the helpless, we should care about them too. We cannot sincerely ask God to lift up His hand while refusing to extend our own hand to someone in need. Sometimes helping means providing practical assistance. At other times, it means speaking up for someone who is being mistreated or simply taking time to listen.
The wicked think they are immune
One of the disturbing things about wickedness is that those who practice it sometimes seem completely unconcerned about the consequences. Psalm 10:13 says, "Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, 'He won't call me to account'?" The wicked person has convinced himself that he can do whatever he wants without answering to anyone. He may believe that because he has money, influence, authority, or connections, nobody can hold him responsible. He may even convince himself that God is not paying attention.
This is a dangerous way to live because it removes accountability from everyday decisions. When people believe there are no consequences for their actions, they can become increasingly selfish and cruel.
Recently there has been a rash of public failures of men in ministry. People are usually shocked about such things: “I thought he was such a man of God!” God does not tolerate His children hurting others of His children, and I guarantee that for considerable time before the public failure, God was engaged in private correction. But the person didn’t listen to Him.
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.
What a reassuring statement! God sees the trouble and grief of those who are suffering. Their pain is not hidden from Him, and their circumstances are not unimportant. The wicked may ignore the suffering they cause, but God does not. He sees the person who cries privately, the family struggling financially, and the individual who has been pushed aside because someone else considers them unimportant.
There is also an important lesson here about our own behavior. We should never assume that because nobody sees what we are doing, our actions do not matter. God sees our private decisions just as clearly as our public behavior. Sometimes we are tempted to justify questionable behavior because we believe it is necessary to get ahead. We might exaggerate the truth, take something that does not belong to us, or treat someone unfairly because we think they will never find out. Psalm 10 reminds us that God sees beyond appearances. The same God who sees the suffering of the helpless also sees the actions of those who cause their suffering.
God's concern for the hurting reveals something about His character. He does not measure people's worth by their influence, financial position, or ability to defend themselves. He cares about those whom society may overlook. We should therefore examine how we treat people who cannot offer us anything in return. Do we show kindness only to those who can benefit us? Do we make time for people who are struggling? Do we notice those who are lonely, discouraged, or neglected? God sees the afflicted. We should learn to see them too.
Call the evildoer to account
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.
The expression "break the arm" is a picture of removing someone's power to do harm. David is asking God to stop the wicked person from continuing to oppress others. He wants the source of the injustice removed, not simply the immediate suffering relieved. This is an important distinction. Sometimes we concentrate only on helping people recover from the harm they have experienced. While that is necessary, we should also recognize the need to stop the wrongdoing itself.
In our example of the fallen ministers, we see victims rising to wave the banner, and we often see a plethora of others joining the chorus of criticism. This is not the world attacking God’s men; it is God removing those men from the power to do harm.
David understands that God is the ultimate judge. Human rulers come and go. Governments change, powerful people lose their positions, and those who once seemed untouchable eventually face the limitations of human life. But God's authority never ends. This should give us confidence when we see injustice that appears to have no solution. We may not be able to correct every wrong or bring every offender to justice ourselves. However, we can trust that God remains sovereign over everything.
In verses 17 and 18, David expresses confidence that God hears the desire of the afflicted. He asks God to encourage their hearts, listen to their cries, defend the fatherless and oppressed, and ensure that earthly people will no longer terrify them.
What about me?
Notice the movement in David's prayer. He begins by asking God to intervene, acknowledges that God sees suffering, and finishes with confidence that God hears and will act. This is a pattern we can follow in our own prayers. We can honestly tell God when something is wrong. We do not need to pretend that injustice does not bother us. We can ask Him to protect those who are suffering, restrain those who cause harm, and bring about what is right.
At the same time, we must be careful not to become bitter or seek personal revenge. Trusting God's justice means allowing Him to determine how and when judgment should take place. It does not mean ignoring wrongdoing or refusing to use appropriate ways to protect people. It means that revenge does not belong in our hearts. Psalm 10 leaves us with a comforting truth: God has not forgotten the helpless. He sees their suffering, hears their cries, and remains King forever. Those who believe they can escape accountability may deceive themselves, but they cannot deceive God.
Our responsibility is to trust Him, care for those who are vulnerable, and refuse to participate in the kind of wrongdoing this psalm condemns. When we see someone suffering, we should not turn away. When we witness injustice, let us not pretend it does not exist. And when we feel helpless ourselves, let us remember that we can call upon the God who sees, hears, and acts. God does not forget the helpless, and neither should we.