PSALM 10

TEHILLIM 10

1 Why standest thou afar off, O Yahweh? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

The veiled hand

à The whole situation in Eden required the visible hand of God. The veiled hand—the indirect guidance—would not have been adapted to a time when there was but as yet a single individual, and be in harmony with the Superior Will which had given him being.

The ways of Providence were for after times, when men had multiplied, and sin had introduced that confession out of which the Divine wisdom purposes the evolution of order, and the highest good.

The veiled hand belongs to times of evil only. When the ministry of reconciliation—

("to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them")

shall have accomplished its object, there will be no need for God to hide Himself from the inhabitants of the earth.

His power and wisdom are now manifest, for they cannot be concealed; but His existence and His love have to be laboriously discerned. He has withdrawn the open manifestation of Himself, both from Israel and the Gentiles; but on the day that He has appointed—on the day when His earth family is complete and His will paramount everywhere under the sun, there will be an end to concealment.

This is one of the great and precious promises—that we shall know as we are known (1 Corinthians 13: 12)—that heaven will be open—(John 1: 51); that the tabernacle of God will be with men, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and there shall be no night there (Revelation 21: 3; 22: 5), that God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15: 28).

The visible hand of God Ch 4

2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

The characteristics of v3 - 11 parallel those of the papacy

- as Bro Thomas notes in Eureka 13.12.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom Yahweh abhorreth.

Covetousness is desiring to have something that belongs to someone else.

àNo covetous man will be allowed to enter the Kingdom of God.

This is Paul's teaching (1 Cor. 6:10; Ephes. 5:5), and his teaching is infallible.

Are we covetous? If so, we must alter or for ever die. The covetousness which God condemns is the hankering after things which we ought not to possess. It extends to anything and everything for which the heart should not crave.

Israel's law shows the comprehensiveness of the divine meaning—

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, wife, manservant, maidservant, ox, ass, nor anything that he has" (Exod. 20:17).

Covetousness goes even farther than this — it touches the yearning for things, which, under certain circumstances, may be justifiable enough for us to have, but become forbidden things in virtue of the wrong use to which we intend to put them.

To long for more than we can faithfully or wisely use is covetousness. It is not wrong to make money, but it is wrong to make money for purposes of hoarding, or spending lavishly or improperly on self. "Covetousness," says Paul, "is idolatry" (Col. 3:5).

This confirms what has been said. A covetous man ignores God, and worships self. Covetousness is not stealing, but if not watched soon leads to it. Covetousness is a deadly microbe, and if not energetically destroyed quickly develops odious consequences — grumbling, discontent, unprincipled scheming, cruel grinding, carnal wantonness.

There is, therefore, solemn significance in Christ's warning—"Beware of covetousness." But let us note in considering this subject that a rich man is not necessarily, as is so often harshly said, a covetous man, nor is a poor man necessarily free from this crime.

Abraham was rich, but not covetous. Gehazi was not rich, and was covetous. Both rich and poor in Israel gave themselves over to covetousness, which, alas, is a common sin of all generations.

Bro AT Jannaway

The Christadelphian, Sept 1902

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee". Heb 13: 5

I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel - Paul the apostle. Acts 20: 33

4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after Elohim: Elohim is not in all his thoughts.

Gratification is their rule of action, and that on the lowest plane -- self indulgence and mutual glorification for advantage. They worship and serve the creature in one another. They enjoy the things God has made without any reference to God. His worship, His fear, His love, are sentiments totally foreign to them. Their likes and inclinations are the law of their actions. They are not subject to the laws of God. They look no higher than man in all their dealings and all their relations.

Nazareth Revisited Ch 53

5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.

9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

11 He hath said in his heart, Elohim hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

12 Arise, O Yahweh; O Elohim, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn Elohim? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

The poor committeth himself unto thee

àDo not let us imagine that when the nations of antiquity, and the Jewish race, and the first generation of believers were given over to reprobation because they dishonoured God by a lukewarm and half-hearted attendance upon His word, that we shall fare any better if we offer Him a like insult.

God is great and we are small. God is eternal and we are of yesterday: God upholdeth all things, and we uphold nothing, but are ourselves upholden by Him every moment. Most reasonable therefore it is that we choose His honour and His fear as the mainspring of our life.

And most profitable shall we find it for ourselves. If we commit our way to Him, magnifying His word as He has magnified it, giving it first place in the economy of our lives, He will guide our steps to a greater enlargement of spiritual attainments, strengthening us with all might in the inner man, and filling us with the knowledge of His will.

But if we hold the treasure of His wisdom with a loose hand, He will forsake us and leave us exposed to influences and circumstances that will be to our destruction. We are not without illustration of this in our day. We have seen many who though they knew the truth, were not walking in the love of it, but in the love of themselves and the things connected with the present life—we have seen them swept from their moorings by a wind of doctrine which has been permitted to blow upon them to their destruction.

"Who is wise and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein."

The Christadelphian, May 1874

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

The Man of Sin - see also v 18

àThe Spirit in David makes the following address to him in Ps. 52

"Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O Mighty Man? The mercy of AIL is all the day. Thy tongue, deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue!

But AIL shall beat thee down forever, He shall take thee away, and pluck thee from thy dwelling-place, and will root thee out of the land of the living. The righteous shall see and fear, and upon it they shall laugh, saying, Behold the man that made not Elohim his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."

Daniel styles this Mighty Man, "THE KING "--a man of power ; ruling potentially and sovereignly over nations, during many centuries to the epoch of his destruction in the time of the end. He is thus described in Dan. 11: 36-39.

"And the King shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every ail (or Power); and shall speak marvellous things concerning the AIL of ails (the Power of powers, or the greatest, and the source, of all power) ; and he shall flourish till the indignation shall be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

Neither shall he regard the gods of his ancestors, elohai avothahv; nor the desire of wives, nor regard any eloahh, " or god." "But upon his place (or throne) shall he do honour to the mahuzzim eloahh, eloahh mahuzzim--the god of guardians: and to an eloahh, 'or god,' which his ancestors knew not shall he do honour with gold, and silver, and with costly gems, and durable things. Thus shall he do to the Bazaars of the guardians pertaining to a FOREIGN GOD (eloahh) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall give them authority over many; and shall divide the land for gain.

Thus, we see exhibited in the ancient and remarkable oracle of the Deity, an Absolute Sovereign Power, which repudiates the gods of his predecessors, and sets up in their place a god of foreign origin, who becomes a constituent of the power by which he is enthroned. Hence, the power consists of, or is represented by, the King and his god; who exalt and magnify themselves above every power, temporal and spiritual, claiming sovereignty and lordship upon the whole habitable.

Eureka 12.16.

16 Yahweh is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

17 Yahweh, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.