Psalm 10:16-18, Antiphon, Psalm 10:12 Arise, O Lord; O
God, lift up Your hand; forget not the afflicted. Those
who are at the mercy of the oppressors have no one to go to except the One who
created heaven and earth. Thus, the psalmist pleads to the Lord to rescue him
from the attacks of unscrupulous men. When wickedness rises against us, we run
to the waiting arms of the only One who can help us.
Psalm 10: From Times of Trouble to Calm Confidence
Because this psalm has no title (in the midst of
several psalms that do), and because it shares some similar themes with Psalm
9, some have thought that it was originally the second half of Psalm 9. There
are more reasons to doubt this than to believe it; this psalm rightly stands on
its own as a psalm of lament at the seeming prosperity of the wicked but
ultimate confidence in the judgments of God.
The psalmist simply called upon God to take action.
“LORD, this wicked man finds comfort in the idea that You won’t do anything
against him. Arise, O LORD; lift up Your hand against this wicked man!”
It is not stated in this untitled psalm, but it is often assumed that David wrote this psalm, because it is arranged in the midst of several psalms that are specifically attributed to David (Psalms 3-9; 11-32). Yet we know David to be a man of valiant action and warrior spirit, not the kind to stand passively back while the wicked murdered and terrorized the weak and helpless. The only exception to this would be if the wicked man were in a place of God-appointed authority, such as Saul was in Israel. Perhaps this psalm was a cry of David for God to stop Saul, because David knew that it was not his place to lift his hand against the LORD’s anointed.[2]
The Theme for
Epiphany 4, “Opposition to the Word of
God,” is seen in all three readings. In the Old Testament lesson, (Jeremiah
1:4-10), God promises to deliver those who fear the Lord. In the Epistle lesson
(1 Corinthians 12:31b – 13:13), the solution to opposition is love. In the
Gospel for Epiphany 4 (Luke 4:31-44), Nazareth rejects Jesus for preaching the
truth. Because we live in a fallen world, our prayer is echoed by the hymn for
the Day, “Lord, keep us steadfast in Your
word.”
Jesus Has Authority to Forgive Your Sins and Give You Life
“For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” (Luke 4:36)
Jesus was sent to “preach
the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43). His preaching is an
epiphany or manifestation of God, because His Word reveals the authority of His
Cross and Resurrection, by which He has atoned for the sins of the world. By
the preaching of His Gospel in every place, He silences the unclean spirits and
casts out demons, heals the diseases of body and soul, and restores life and
health to His creation (Luke 4:40–41). For the sake of His divine love, He is “patient and kind” toward us; He “bears all things,” “endures all things,” and “delivers up His body” to save us (1
Corinthians 13:3–4, 7). So also for the sake of His love, He calls and sends
His prophets, as ministers of His Word, “to pluck up and to break down, to
destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10).
[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-10/
[3] Lectionary Summary LCMS commission on worship
[4] Collect for Psalm 110, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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