Why do You stand afar off, O Yahweh?
Psalm 10
Why do You hide Yourself in times of distress?
In his lofty pride the wicked hotly pursues the afflicted;
Let them be caught in the thoughts which they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of his soul’s desire.
And the greedy man curses and spurns Yahweh.
The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.
All his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
His ways prosper at all times;
Your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
He says in his heart, “I will not be shaken;
From generation to generation I will not be in adversity.”
His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
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.
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.
He crouches, he bows down,
And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
He says in his heart, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
Arise, O Yahweh; O God, lift up Your hand.
Do not forget the afflicted.
Why has the wicked spurned God?
He has said in his heart, “You will not require it.”
You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand.
The unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the helper of the orphan.
Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
Yahweh is King forever and ever;
Nations have perished from His land.
O Yahweh, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their heart, You will cause Your ear to give heed
To give justice to the orphan and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.
Introduction
The opening to this Psalm is something everyone has experienced at some point, undoubtedly. “Why do You hide Yourself in times of distress?” is the objection the Greek philosopher Epicurus made when he famously claimed that God cannot be both good and omnipotent at the same time due to the presence of evil in this world. This objection has vexed many believers, even leading to apostasy for a significant number.
If Epicurus made such a compelling argument, though, why would the psalmist make the same appeal? Could it be that the question itself introduces presuppositions we cannot claim? Perhaps one of those fundamental presuppositions is that “good” means “good for each individual man.” If this were the case, it would absolutely bolster the Epicurean objection. But what if it was not the case?
Consider another famous dilemma in the Trolley Problem. Here we are presented with a scenario where an out of control trolley is speeding down the track toward a group of people tied down to the track. Take no action and they will all surely die. But you have the option to pull a lever and divert that trolley to a second track where a singular person is tied down. What makes this ethical question interesting is that it does not merely ask you to determine whether one life is worth more than many, but whether you will actively participate in the death of one to save many.
In the Trolley Problem, the circumstance forces you into a difficult decision. An omnipotent God would not have such limitations, of course, unless those limitations were self-imposed. Consider, for instance, what creation is purposed to do. Does it exist for the glory and comfort of man?
The arrogance of unbelief
By holding a man-centric view, the unbeliever has made assumptions about reality that simply do not hold water. These assumptions cascade into conclusions like, “There is no God” or, “I will not be shaken.” Even contradictory conclusions arise, like, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” All this because the unbeliever fundamentally believes he is the point of creation. If creation does not serve him, then it is a flaw in the creator and not in himself.
This is the fundamental issue with the so-called “Problem of Evil.” Evil only presents a problem if it does not serve a purpose. What purpose, though, could evil serve to a good God?
Consider the story of Joseph. He was the favorite son of Jacob (also known as Israel), much to the chagrin of his brothers. Because of their jealousy, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery where he experienced further injustice up and until he miraculously was given post as governor over all of Egypt, allowing him to turn around and save his family from famine. This story culminates in the brothers’ repentance and their reconciliation. Joseph makes this important remark to them, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive.”
Here we see the Trolley Problem in action. God chose the suffering of one over the death of many in order to demonstrate His power, mercy, and lovingkindness. And even the evil that came upon Joseph was not one of permanence. He was delivered from that evil, too, and all to the glory of God.
What the so-called “skeptic” misses when he appeals to the problem of evil is that creation is intended to give glory to the creator and not to the creation.
Justice to the orphan and the oppressed
Notice, then, the confidence the psalmist has in the goodness of God. Temporary evil does not disprove His existence. Rather, it demonstrates His greatness. Justice only finds itself in the punishment of the evildoer. An evildoer can only be punished if he does evil. And so we can be confident that God will bring all things together in justice and goodness, not allowing even a single sin to pass by without payment.
And that payment is one He made on the cross for all who would believe, offering true and lasting forgiveness to sinful men and women. He will bring justice for those who cry out for it. He will sustain and raise up those who are most helpless in this world. It is difficult to say any is more helpless than the orphan. A child is totally and entirely dependent on her parents for life. For a child to be without parents is to be completely at the mercy of any who would pass by. And ours is a God of mercy as well as justice. Rejoice that you can share in His mercy, and pray for His justice to come swiftly, setting all things right.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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