Commentary - Psalm 10:8-11

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Psalm 10, the psalmist is not engaging in abstract theological speculation about the problem of evil. Rather, he is painting a brutally realistic portrait of unadulterated wickedness in action. This is not theoretical evil; this is evil with dirt under its fingernails. The wicked man is depicted as a predator, a cowardly hunter who stalks the weak and vulnerable. His methods are deceit and ambush, his targets are the innocent and afflicted, and his motivation is a practical atheism that has concluded God is either blind or indifferent. This passage serves as a sharp, unflinching diagnosis of the sinful heart when it is given over to its own devices. It shows us the anatomy of rebellion, which is crucial for understanding why the gospel is not just good news, but necessary news.

The progression is stark. We move from the wicked man's methods (v. 8), to his mindset (v. 9), to the devastating results of his violence (v. 10), and finally to the corrupt theology that undergirds it all (v. 11). This is a man who has built his entire operating system on a damnable lie: that there is no final accountability. He is a fool, in the robust biblical sense of the word. And the psalmist lays his case out before God, not because God is unaware, but because this is what the righteous do. They bring the outrages of this world into the court of heaven and lay them before the Judge of all the earth, confident that He will, in His time, do right.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 10 is a lament, a cry to God from a world where the wicked seem to prosper with impunity. It follows directly on the heels of Psalm 9, and some scholars believe they were originally one psalm. Psalm 9 is a song of praise for God's judgments, while Psalm 10 asks why God seems to be standing so far off when judgment is so desperately needed. This creates a powerful tension. The believer is celebrating God's past faithfulness and justice while simultaneously crying out in the face of present injustice. Our passage, verses 8-11, forms the heart of the psalmist's complaint. It is the detailed evidence presented to the court, the "exhibit A" of the wicked man's crimes. This is not just a general complaint about "bad things happening." It is a specific, detailed indictment of a particular brand of sinner and his blasphemous worldview.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 8 He sits in the places of the villages where one lies in wait; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.

The portrait begins with the methodology of the wicked, and the first thing we note is its slithering cowardice. He does not engage in open battle. He sits in the places of the villages where one lies in wait. This is not the behavior of a warrior, but of a thug and an assassin. He finds the places of routine, the common paths, and turns them into a trap. He operates in the hiding places. Sin loves the dark because its deeds are evil. The target is specified: he kills the innocent. This is not a crime of passion or a tragic mistake. It is calculated, cold-blooded murder against those who have done nothing to deserve it. And notice the diligence of his malice. His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. The Hebrew word for "unfortunate" here carries the sense of helplessness, the luckless one, the person who is already down. This is the very definition of predatory behavior. He is not looking for a fair fight; he is looking for an easy victim. This is the antithesis of the godly man, who is to defend the weak and the fatherless. The wicked man sees vulnerability not as a call to compassion, but as an opportunity for exploitation.

v. 9 He lies in wait in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lies in wait to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.

The psalmist now employs a simile to drive the point home. The wicked man is like a lion in his lair. This is not the noble "Lion of Judah." This is a ravenous beast, driven by instinct and appetite, patiently waiting for the moment to destroy. The lion is powerful, but here the emphasis is on its cunning and its ambush tactics. The repetition reinforces the deliberate nature of his sin: He lies in wait to catch the afflicted. He is an active hunter of the weak. The imagery then shifts from a lion to a fowler. He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. This speaks of deception, of setting a trap that the victim walks into unawares. This is how sin operates on a grand scale. It is rarely straightforward. It uses bait, lures, and deception. The devil is not only a roaring lion, but also a serpent. He promises freedom and delivers bondage. The wicked man, as an agent of the evil one, uses the same playbook. He draws the poor man in with a promise, a deal, a lie, and then the net is sprung. This is true of the loan shark, the pimp, the false teacher, the corrupt politician. They all use nets.

v. 10 He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.

Here we see the final moment of the attack. The posture of the wicked is one of feigned humility for the sake of the kill. He crouches, he bows down. This is the coil before the spring. He makes himself seem smaller, less threatening, right up until the moment he strikes. It is the ultimate deception. He might even adopt the language of piety or service to get close to his victim. And the result is devastation. And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones. The word for "mighty ones" can refer to his own strength, his claws, or perhaps his band of fellow thugs. The point is the overwhelming force brought against the helpless. The victim has no chance. This is the grim reality of a fallen world. Left to ourselves, the strong devour the weak. This is why we need a Savior who does not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, but who comes to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free.

v. 11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

Now we get to the root of the whole rotten tree. All the wicked actions described before this are the fruit. This verse gives us the seed from which they grow. It is a theological conviction. He says in his heart... This is not a public proclamation; it is the deep, settled belief that governs his life. And what is this belief? First, "God has forgotten." He believes in a senile, detached deity. A God who creates the world and then wanders off, paying no mind to the details. Second, "He has hidden His face." This is the idea of an indifferent God. Not only does He forget, but He actively chooses not to look. He doesn't want to be involved. Third, the damnable conclusion: "He will never see it." This is practical atheism. It is the operating principle of every sinner who thinks he can get away with it. He has defined God in such a way as to make his sin consequence-free. This is the essence of foolishness. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and this man has no fear of the Lord. He has built his entire life on the premise that the Judge of all the earth is asleep at the switch. And it is precisely this blasphemy that the rest of the psalm, and indeed the whole Bible, rises to refute.

Application

This passage forces us to confront the raw nature of sin. We are often tempted to domesticate wickedness, to explain it away with psychological or sociological excuses. The Bible will have none of that. It shows us that sin is predatory, cowardly, and at its root, theological. The wicked man acts as he does because he believes certain lies about God. This should be a sober warning to us. What we believe about God directly impacts how we live. A low view of God's justice and omniscience will inevitably lead to compromise and sin. A high view of God, a biblical view, is the wellspring of holiness.

Secondly, this passage should drive us to Christ. The helplessness of the "unfortunate" in this psalm is a picture of our own spiritual state apart from grace. We were caught in the net of the devil, helpless and afflicted. We had a predator, and we had no defense. But God did not hide His face. He did not forget. He saw our plight, and He sent His Son. Jesus is the one who came to crush the head of the serpent, to disarm the principalities and powers. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, defending them from the lion and the wolf.

Finally, this passage gives us a model for our prayers. When we see injustice, when we see the wicked prospering and the innocent suffering, we are not to despair. We are to do what the psalmist does: bring it all to God. We are to lay out the case, in detail, and cry out for Him to arise and act. We do this, not in a spirit of personal vengeance, but with a zealous desire for God's name to be vindicated and His justice to be established in the earth. And we do it with confidence, knowing that the wicked man's creed is a lie. God has not forgotten. He has not hidden His face. He sees all, and He will one day make all things right.