Psalm 10 — 11
the Lord, and He will protect you and direct your paths.
God defends His own people (vv. 17–18). The wicked boast that they will not be moved (vv. 5–7), but God has other plans for them. He hears the prayers of the persecuted, He sees their plight, He strengthens their hearts for whatever trials He permits (Rom. 8:28), and He eventually judges those who abuse them. People of faith can depend on the God of heaven, but the self-confident and arrogant "people of the earth" have no future with the Lord. Life without the Lord is empty and vain (49:12–20; 62:9). Christians have their citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and their names are written down in heaven (Luke 10:20). They don't belong to this world, although their ministry is in this world. God's people have been "redeemed from the earth" (Rev. 14:3) and have heaven as their home. The phrase "them that dwell on the earth" is found often in the book of Revelation (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 12:12; 13:8, 12, 14; 14:6; 17:2, 8) and describes not only where these unbelievers live but what they live for—the things of the earth. The "earth dwellers" may seem to have the upper hand today, but wait until the Lord reveals His hand!
What the Enemy Does (v. 2) "For, look" (niv) suggests that these counselors are walking by sight and evaluating the situation from the human perspective. (See 2 Kings 6:8–23.) It's good to know the facts, but it's better to look at those facts in the light of the presence and promises of God. There was a secret plot afoot, not unusual in an Eastern palace. The bows and arrows may have been literal, but it's more likely they are metaphors for deceptive and destructive words (57:4; 64:3–4; Prov. 26:18–19; Jer. 9:3, 8; 18:18). Perhaps this psalm was written during the early days of Absalom's campaign (2 Sam. 15:1–6). David was upright before God (v. 2) and righteous (vv. 3, 5), and he knew that the Lord was righteous and would do the right thing (v. 7).
What Can the Righteous Do? (v. 3) David was God's appointed king, so anything that attacked him personally would shake the very foundations of the nation. God had abandoned Saul as king, and Absalom had never been chosen king, and both men weakened the foundations of divine government. (See 75:3; 82:5.) Society is built on truth, and when truth is questioned or denied, the foundations shake (Isa. 59:11–15). The question "What can the righteous do?" has also been translated "What is the Righteous One doing?" God sometimes "shakes things" so that His people will work on building the church and not focus on maintaining the scaffolding (Heb. 12:25–29; Hag. 2:6). But the traditional translation is accurate, and the answer to the question is "Lay the foundations again!" Each new generation must see to it that the foundations of truth and justice are solid. Samuel laid again the foundations of the covenant (1 Sam. 12), and Ezra laid again the foundations of the temple (Ezra 3). In spite of all his trials, David lived to make preparations for the building of the temple and the organization of the temple worship. During the checkered history of Judah, godly kings cleansed the land of idolatry and brought the people back to the true worship of the Lord. Christ's messages to the churches in Revelation 2—3 make it clear that local churches need constant examination to see if they're faithful to the Lord, and we need to pray for a constant reviving work of the Spirit.