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Psalm 10:4 - Pride is a Problem!

Psa.10:4; Pride is a Problem!

Psalm 10:4 (KJV) The wicked, through the pride of his 
countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. 

Psalm 10:4 (NIV) In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in 
all his thoughts there is no room for God. 

Psalm 10:4 (NCV) The wicked people are too proud. They do not 
look for God; there is no room for God in their thoughts. 

CONTEXT/OVERVIEW

In some Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions Psalms 9 and 10 
are joined as one. [New Bible Companion] 

Psalms 9 and 10 may have been originally a single acrostic poem, 
the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew 
alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm. [Life Recovery 
Devotional SB] 

Although this psalm lacks a superscription, David is likely the 
author in view of the close relationship between this psalm and Ps. 9. 
[Ryrie SB] 

Individual lament psalm, [Ryrie SB]

Psalm 10: The Psalm of the Victim. [The 365-Day Devotional 
Commentary] 

WORD STUDY

The singular is used collectively of the many in Israel who have 
given no thought to God. (Wycliffe Commentary) 

The "pride of his countenance" is a phrase that is used because 
pride shows itself mainly in the countenance, or in a lofty air and 
manner. (Barnes' Notes) 

COMMENTARY

The idea here expressed is not necessarily that the wicked 
denies the existence of God, but that he does not take God into his 
reckoning. However, today it is true that the wicked tries to make himself 
believe that there is no God. Constant self-assertion of the idea 
practically makes him an atheist, although it is to be doubted whether it is 
really possible for any man to be an absolute atheist. The wicked man 
acts as if there were no God, [SDA Commentary] 

The evil man's hatred of the godly expresses a total disregard 
for the Lord and his commandments. He is filled with self (v. 3; 
NIV, "the cravings of his heart," lit., "the desire of his soul").... 
He "praises" (hillel; NIV, "boasts") himself but spurns the 
covenant God (v. 3). His goal in life is a purposeful avoidance of God 
(v. 4). He is not an atheist, but instead he has conveniently chosen 
to live without God (cf. 14:1; Jer 5:12). Worship of the 
Creator-covenant God has been exchanged for worship of himself, 
the creature (Rom 
 1:23). [Expositors Bible Commentary] 

[Will not seek after God].... either that the wicked man will not 
seek after God in prayer, or that he will not inquire after the 
proofs of his existence and attributes; or that he will not seek after 
his favor, or that he will not endeavor to know the divine will.... 
The sinner is unwilling, in any appropriate way, to acknowledge God. 
(Barnes' Notes) 

We stand afar off from God by our unbelief, and then complain 
that God stands afar off from us... The sinner proudly glories in his 
power and success. Wicked people will not seek after God, that is, 
will not call upon him. They live without prayer, and that is living 
without God. They have many thoughts, many objects and devices, but 
think not of the Lord in any of them; they have no submission to his 
will, nor aim for his glory. The cause of this is pride. [Matthew 
Henry Commentary] 

Pride lures us into living independently of God... The proud 
person depends on himself rather than on God. This causes God's guiding 
influences to leave his life. When God's presence is welcome, there is no 
room for pride, [Life Application SB] 

Pride will prevent him from seeking God in the following ways:
It makes him unwilling to recognize his dependence upon any 
being; 
it makes him unwilling to confess that he is a sinner;
it makes him unwilling to pray;
it makes him unwilling to seek aid of anyone, even God, in the 
business of life, in the prosecution of his plans, or in sickness and 
affliction; 
it makes him unwilling to accede to the terms of reconciliation 
and salvation proposed by God, unwilling to repent, to believe, to 
submit to His sovereignty, to acknowledge his indebtedness to mere 
grace for the hope of eternal life. 
Pride is at the root of all the atheism, theoretical or 
practical, on the earth; at the root of all the reluctance which there is 
to seek the favor of God; at the root, therefore, of the misery and 
wretchedness of the world. (Barnes' Notes) 

The wicked prey on the poor, having no regard for man or God. 
This practical atheism manifests itself in his total lack of 
recognizing God's presence or law. The wicked's arrogance conceives of God 
as totally irrelevant to matters of daily life. Man is his own 
king. [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary] 

The wicked man does not consider that he has God to contend 
with. [NIV SB] 

APPLICATION

The Bible is a Christian's guidebook, and I believe the 
knowledge it sheds on pain and suffering is the great antidote to fear for 
suffering people .... 
When I suffer pain over any length of time I try to reflect on 
the good which the Bible has promised pain is producing in me... 
"How does suffering accomplish this?" I ask myself. It produces 
perseverance, or steadiness, by slowing me down, by forcing me to turn to God, 
by proving to me that I can survive a crisis .... 
The Bible is filled with resources available to one trying to 
stave off fears and helplessness. Reading Job's thrashings in fear 
about God's seeming lack of concern can make mine easier to bear . . . 
. And knowledge about prayer to a loving God can ward off frenzied 
efforts to "muster up faith" in hopes of impressing God - prayer does 
not work that way, as the Bible shows. God is already full of loving 
concern; we do not need to impress Him with spiritual calisthenics .... 
Attitudes of fear and helplessness affect the quantity of 
suffering. At least we have the inspiring examples of those who have proved 
that the human spirit can ascend through the words of circumstances. 
And because man is both body and spirit, Christianity can offer a 
true and healing hope, (Where Is God When It Hurts by Philip 
Yancey). 
APPLICATION Whenever you face a trial, pray for God's help. Pray 
that God will be glorified in the situation. And thank him for the 
care he shows. [Inspirational SB] 

Psalm of the Victim (Ps. 10)
The Greek philosopher Plato argued that it was better to have 
wrong done to us than to do wrong. Few today would agree with him. 
Being a victim seems somehow shameful, weak. 
But in Psalm 10, the poet explained far better than Plato ever 
could why victims are more blessed than persecutors. If at any time 
you feel like a victim--misused by your boss, by a friend, family, or 
even by "the system," this is a psalm you might turn to. If you do 
you'll find no prescription for changing circumstances. What you'll 
find is a description of what happens inside the perpetrator, and 
inside the victim. 
The perpetrator (vv. 1-11) is described by words like pride, 
arrogance, and boastfulness. His apparent success feeds these attitudes, 
and prosperity leads the victimizer to assume he is safe. Others are 
dismissed as weak, and God either fails to know or doesn't care. 
On the other hand, the victim (vv. 12-15) experiences his 
helplessness. This leads him to commit himself to the LORD. In his suffering 
the victim has nowhere to turn but to God. 
God, "King forever and ever" (vv. 16-18), hears the afflicted. 
The Hebrew concept of "listen" implies not only hearing but 
responding. God as Ruler of the universe will act to judge the wicked and to 
defend the oppressed. 
This psalm of the victim recognizes the fact that injustices may 
exist for a time. But it reminds us that the people who persecute us 
do so out of a deadly pride and arrogance, and will surely be 
punished. On the other hand, being victimized brings us closer to the 
LORD. 
How much better to be a victim who knows God, than a victimizer 
who scoffs at Him! [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

The next time you suffer as a victim, thank God that you are not 
the victimizer. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

Psalm 10
A Prayer of Helplessness
Helplessness. It is an experience shared by everyone. There is 
no way out. There are no alternatives. It is an experience full of 
fear, rage and despair. Because our culture places such a high value 
on individualism and self-reliance, the experience of helplessness 
is full of shame for us. We expect that others will blame us for 
letting it happen. And we end up blaming ourselves. In times of 
helplessness, however, shame and blame are not helpful. What might be helpful 
is to know that God understands helplessness and that he hears our 
prayers. 
Warming Up to God: Recall a time when you felt helpless. Picture 
God in that situation with you as your protector and defender. How 
does that make you feel? [Quiet Time SB] 

10:1-18 Notice how David begins this psalm in despair and ends 
it in victory. David seems to have worked through his feelings as 
he wrote. Indeed, many people throughout history have written 
poetry or kept a journal as a way of listening to themselves more 
closely, chronicling the ebb and flow of their growth, and savoring the 
holy moments of God's work in their lives. Journaling can be an 
especially valuable practice. [Life Recovery Devotional SB] 

10:1-11 God sometimes seems faraway when temptation is strong. 
In truth, he is never far from us. Temptation sometimes becomes 
strongest when our friends seem to be able to do things without getting 
trapped the way we do. We tend to follow along and end up in trouble. We 
need to realize that even though our friends seem to be in control, 
they also are headed for trouble; they just don't recognize it yet. 
They may seem to be doing well, but this is only the way things 
appear. The truth is that they are probably in serious trouble. We need 
to make sure that the apparent success of others doesn't lead us 
away from God's program for healthy living. [Life Recovery SB] 

10:1: Why do You hide? Atypical complaint of the righteous 
sufferer.. For example, Job cried out, "Why do You hide Your face?" (see 
Job 13:23, 24). God's seeming absence in the midst of suffering 
always adds to our anxiety. But we must remember that the feeling of 
aloneness is due to our blindness, not to God's absence. [Passages Of Life 
SB] 

Does God Sometimes Hide From Us? (10:1)
It would seem so. Our prayers may go unanswered year after year. 
We may wrestle continually with a problem and never find spiritual 
insight to explain it. Or we may endure ongoing suffering with no relief 
in sight. 
Many factors can contribute to such a dilemma. Though we may 
discover some reasons for this problem, there may be other factors that 
are impossible to determine in this life.  
David's poetry often expresses a feeling of abandonment by God. 
He was not alone with such feelings: Job, Moses, Jeremiah, Elijah 
and other Biblical people of faith echoed David's emotions. Even 
Jesus felt this way when he quoted David's haunting cry, My God, my 
God, why have you forsaken me? (22:1). If those with such great faith 
rode emotional waves like these, we can at least know we're in good 
company when we experience similar frustrations. 
Ironically, David paints an entirely different picture in other 
psalms. He describes God as always being with him, for example, when he 
asks, Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your 
presence? (139:7) 
At times, we may sense God's presence covering us like a warm 
blanket of love and protection. At other times, we may feel nothing but 
an eerie and depressing silence. Psalms such as this one show us 
that such feelings of abandonment are not unusual. But as David 
reminds us elsewhere, we can be certain God is always with us no matter 
how we feel. [Quest SB] 

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? (Psalm 10:1)
God is . . . an ever-present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). But He 
allows trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its 
overwhelming pressure, so we may be brought to the end of ourselves.... We may 
be sure that He who allows the suffering is with us throughout it. 
It may be that we will only see Him once the ordeal is nearly 
passed, but we must dare to believe that He never leaves our trial. Our 
eyes are blinded so we cannot see the One our soul loves. The 
darkness and our bandages blind us so that we cannot see the form of our 
High Priest. Yet He is there and is deeply touched. Let us not rely 
on our feelings but trust in His unswerving faithfulness. And 
though we cannot see Him, let us talk to Him. Although His presence is 
veiled, once we begin to speak to Jesus as if He were literally present, 
an answering voice comes to show us He is in the shadow, keeping 
watch over His own. Your Father is as close to you when you journey 
through the darkest tunnel as He is when you are under the open heaven! 
from Daily Devotional Commentary [Streams In The Desert By Cowman]