10F ORGET NOT THE POOR, O LORD As we have said this psalm is closely connected with the previous one. While in psalm 9 the psalmist speaks about external enemies, in psalm 10 he writes about the internal enemies who oppress the poor and the orphans, ignoring God's judgment. Psalm 10 ends with faith in the Lord, who is compassionate towards the orphan and the oppressed and determined never to let devious and wicked people, whether in the community or in the world at large, tyrannize defenseless folk and drive them from their homes. This psalm concentrates on the "heart" [6, 11, 13], as it declares that the wicked is proud. "He has said in his heart , I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity" [6]. In contrast the humble heart is a dwelling place of Christ, the humble and modest One. In fact the proud heart has no place to Christ, for it is the throne of Satan. "He (the wicked) has said in his heart, God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see" [11]; "He has said in his heart,You will not require an account" [13]. The pure heart sees God as His beloved Savior, while the defiled one, i.e., the heart of the wicked suffers atheism and believes God has forgotten his wickedness and consequently will not judge or examine him. THE OCCASION Some see that this psalm as several others, was composed in general terms and not for a special historical event. It represents a cry for help issuing from the church in times of persecution. At such times, its eyes and concerns are devoted to bearing witness to the gospel. It also helps believers to endure their personal troubles and afflictions as well as the pressures exerted by proud or evil ones. Strangely enough, this psalm is convenient for the persecuted, righteous believers suffering tribulation, wherever and whenever they may be, i.e., at any period of time or place. It also describes the suffering church of Christ and the doom of her wicked enemies. On the other hand, Some scholars give this psalm a special historical origin and this could be any of the following occasions1: * Saul's persecution of David. * An invasion of Canaan by the hordes of Philistines. * Concerning Sanballat and other enemies during the Babylonian captivity (Neh. 4:1). * The dreadful persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes at the time of Maccabees. Some scholars consider that Pss. 9 and 10 express the groaning of the Church under the tribulation of the expected Antichrist, atheism and immorality,that will undermine its ultimate sufferings. THE OUTLINE 1. Why stand You away far off, O Lord? [1]. II. The wicked and his features [2-11]. III. Do not forget the poor O Lord [12-18]. 1 Plumer, p. 150. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 1. WHY STAND AWAY FAR OFF, O LORD? God never forsakes His saints in their troubles. The believer, however, at such times, waits a long time for divine consolation, complains of God's withdrawal. Consequently, he asks: why stand you away far off, O Lord? God's presence is undoubtedly a source of joy and consolation to His people. Doubting His presence creates anxiety and instability. Some scholars conceive this question as a lover's misgiving and a sacred objection that is not unusual in a holy interaction. Something similar occurred on the Cross, based on the faith that God sees everything and that He alone can grant rescue, for He is a just God who ultimately vindicates justice. Why then does He seem to be an indifferent spectator and withhold assistance when it is so much needed1? "Why....do you hide in times of trouble? "[1] In the Hebrew version, verse one occurs and carries the meaning of "why do you disappear in time of trouble?!" What is psychologically disturbing to a believer is the disappearance of God and the withdrawal of His holy face rather than the actual condition of tribulation. Hardship will certainly end one day, but what I yearn for is the presence of Your Face at such times... I feel the pain while I enjoy the experience of Your Hands wiping away my tears. 2. THE WICKED ONE AND HIS FEATURES The wicked one here may refer to the Antichrist, or to those who have his attitude. The psalmist delineates their moral characters and features. These may serve as the accusations brought against a criminal in court and consist of the following: a. Pride, boastful, and arrogant [2, 3]. b. Atheist [4]. c. Corrupt [5]. d. Deceitful and scheming [7, 8]. e. Violent [9]. f. Hypocritical [8]. a. Proud, boastful, and arrogant: Through their pride, the wicked attempt to burn the poor man, but in fact they bind themselves by their own sins. The Psalmist says, "At the pride of the godless, the poor man burns; they are caught in the crafty counsels they have planned" [2, 3]. It is quite natural for the proud to molest the poor for no purpose but to burn him. However, the cup which Babylon filled for Christ's Church is the same that it will drink of (Rev. 17:6, 18:6). Similarly, the dogs that licked Naboth's blood were the same that licked the blood of Ahab, the king (1 kings 21:19). Moreover, the gallows Haman prepared for Mordecai were the same used to execute Haman (Esther 7:9). "They are taken in their thoughts, which they think" [2], that is, their evil thoughts become chains to them... The tongues of flatters bind souls in sin. St. Augustine 1 Ibid, 151. https://coptic-treasures.com/ "For the sinner praises himself for the desires of his heart; and the unjust man blesses himself" [3]. The wicked extols the wicked desires of his heart or his soul, considering himself very happy as he walks in the broad way. He glorifies himself in his shame, as he has long been vaunting it. It is a dangerous thing for a man to bless the wicked and envy them for their temporary prosperity, confusing sweet for bitter and light for darkness. It seems that the wicked are not satisfied with mere evildoing. Their pride leads them to boast concerning their wickedness and degrading lust. What is even worst, is that they distort reality to make evil seem good and vices seem virtues. If they are angry they explain that to be a sign of courage and lucidity enacted to maintain truth. Upon surrendering to lust, they explain that this is a sign of maturity, experience and flexibility. The words of the prophet are relevant to such behavior as he says: "Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20). "For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul; and the unjust man is blessed" [3]. If he is dissolute, he is called happy; if he is avaricious, it is said that he saves his money1. Fr. Caesarius of Arles Pride breeds the desire to satisfy corrupt lusts through injustice or greed...for there is a close link among those three: pride, adultery, and violence. In many instances of adultery and physical immorality, man has just to examine his inner depths to discover that, most often, the cause is pride. Thus a youth who fasts, reads the Bible and gives thanks but who is violent in his dealing with his parents or critical with his colleagues may often be someone vanquished by secret lust and corrupt habits. "For he says in his heart: I shall never be shaken; no harm will ever come to me" [6]. The wicked in his prosperity misinterprets the divine long- suffering; instead of leading him to repentance, it hardens him in his iniquity. He thinks his evil works will not have to be accounted for. He considers himself above any questioning or judgment! In his arrogance, the proud says in his heart that he will never be shaken nor he will die. Thus he dismisses God from his assessments and plotting. Pride is such a dangerous thing! It is a sin that turns all blessings into curses, and makes men shameless. There are many kinds of pride (Prov. 16:18; 29:23): one is proud of his humble origin, another of his noble birth; one of his precious clothing, another of his poor and rough garments; one of his virtues, another of his vices. b. Atheism: "The sinner provokes the Lord; in his great anger he will not seek Him. God is not before his eyes" [4]. According to the words of St. Augustine, behind every atheistic stand there is some kind of lust. For even though a certain person's mind and logic indicate the presence of God, he wishes to comfort his conscience and satisfy the lust of his wicked heart and 1 Sermon 59:7. https://coptic-treasures.com/ body as well as his unjust practice by excluding God from his plans. While a believer's heart enjoys God and constantly utters His holy Name with every breath, the wicked ignores the grace of God, wishing to believe that He is far off, away from the world; and that He does not care about man's acts or his life and does not condemn him! As long as a wicked man enjoys some kind of prosperity, he imagines that God and His judgment cannot possibly touch him whenever he meets opposition, he is sure of his power to vanquish or tear the opponent apart by a puff or breath1. In other words, if sin had its way, it would both dethrone and annihilate God and ultimately cancel His presence from the heart, His royal seat. As far as it can, sin affects a wicked man's words, thoughts and actions in a way that underlines the absence of God. The wicked misunderstands God's patience because of his spiritual blindness. Accordingly, the psalmist says that God is not before his eyes for he says in his heart that no harm will ever come to him, and that God will not look unto his deeds. But God is everywhere even though the wicked does not wish to admit that. It is due his evil blindness that the wicked wishes to believe God is absent, or at least that He does not see his deeds, or even if He sees wishes to ignore them. St. John Chrysostom finds that violence, injustice and anger are at the root of atheism, saying, [Anger is darkness. "The fool," says the Scripture, "has said in his heart, there is no God" Ps. 14:1. Perhaps this applies to the angry man, for he too says: "There is no God." And the scripture says: "Through the multitude of his anger he will not seek" (after God) [4]2.] If anger dims the eye, i.e. damages the inner vision of the soul, then man is deprived of the heavenly light. We should not be surprised when we find atheist societies characterized by two features: immorality, especially physical lust, and man's deification. Those who are victims of physical immortality do not wish to have to restrain or reckon with them. Similarly, those who defy themselves do no wish to have God who would interfere with their lives. It is the Antichrist who will try to instill these two ideas: immorality and deification. c. His ways are profane: "His ways are always profane; Your judgments are removed from before him; He will gain mastery over all his enemies" [5]. Since God is holy, and His true believers are saints bearing the features of their Father, it follows that the enemy of goodness is corrupt and his followers bear his features within them and are corrupt too. Just as holiness is an inner state of being, a state of communion with God expressed through words as well as thoughts; similarly, corruption is a state of inner death prevailing and destroying everything in man. This corruption is the fruit of unification with the evil one, which has laid hold of a person in a way that disables him from shaking it off except if he attains the grace of God. 1 Plumer, p. 154. 2 In Acts hom. 39. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The above verse [5] reveals the wicked man's relation with his own soul (inner corruption!) and with God (complete rejection of His will!) as well as with others (dominance and authoritarian!). It is as though inner corruption is closely related to practical atheism and violence. d. Deceitful and Scheming: "His mouth is full of cursing, gall and deceit, under his tongue are trouble and pain. He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places to kill an innocent man; his eyes are fixed on the poor man" [7, 8]. The mouth of a wicked person is full of curses, bitterness, and deceit as he bears the spirit of Satan, his father, within him. Satan, who is condemned, instills condemnation through the mouth of his followers. On the other hand, Jesus Christ, who is called the Blessed as He is the source of all blessings, upholds His believers as a blessed community. There is no greater contrast in the world than that between blessings and curses. Accordingly, St. James, the Apostle says: "Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be so. Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?!" James 3:10, 11. Our Lord is wholly sweet and enhances the soul with inner sweetness whereas Satan is marked by bitterness that fills wicked souls with loathsome bitterness. Our Lord is the Justice that shines out in believers as the Truth. As for Satan, the enemy of goodness, he instills in his followers the spirit of treachery and deceit. "Under his tongue are trouble and griefs..." [7]. Under his tongue and not on his tongue, because he will devise these things in silence, and to men will speak other things, that he may appear good and just, and a son of God. St. Augustine "Under his tongue is trouble..." [7]. The wicked (poneros) has his name from (ponen), "to have trouble." And, indeed, thus the Scripture is ever calling "wickedness" by the name of "labor1." St. John Chrysostom In his treachery, he meets with the rich in order to plot under cover how to kill the poor... here it could be a reference to what the evil one did, exerting all his power, to kill the Lord of glory who became poor for our sakes. Satan used the rich and the great, those who were rulers and leaders as well as religious teachers, to undo Him! Satan watches the poor treacherously and violently, waiting for the opportunity to seize and kill him! There is such a great contrast between the eyes of the Lord that look at the poor in order to inspire in him the spirit of hope and confidence as well as life itself; and those of the evil one which are filled with jealousy and wickedness! Some scholars consider that the toil and grief hidden under the tongue of the wicked consists of heresies. He talks in soft sweet words that coat the poison of heresies underlying them. He conceals his intentions not because he is ashamed but for fear lest his schemes be discovered. This might explain why Fr. Onesimus interprets the words of the psalmist, "He sits in secret places with the rich" by saying: [Satan chooses those whom he believes to be wealthy in words and lies, and sits within them as though they 1 In Acts hom. 7. https://coptic-treasures.com/ were hidden, secret traps.] He even uses philosophers and wise men to conceal his wickedness behind their thoughts so that it may seem logical and convincing. e. Violent: "He lurks in secret like a lion in his den; he lurks to make a prey of the poor" [9]. Since heretics and deceivers as well as the wicked accept to be a lion's den, the latter slyly conceals himself in them. He conceals himself within their thoughts, intentions, feelings, philosophical view, talents, and conduct, with the purpose of exploiting all their potentials to serve his ends. Satan hides as a thief in secret places and dens. He is like a lion in his den, lying low then leaping suddenly on its innocent prey and tearing it! He appears careless and thus tricks his prey into believing in his disinterest. Suddenly, however, he bounces forward and digs his claws into the victim's flesh to tear it into pieces! Among the opponents of the Church it is difficult to find someone characterized by honesty, sweetness, sympathy or gentleness. Conversely, such people are typically violent and sly! "He lurks in secret as a lion in his den" [9]. By a lion in a den, he means someone characteristically violent and deceitful. For during the persecution of the early Church, violence took form of confiscating property and inflicting suffering and death. Some Christians were compelled to sacrifice. The second persecution is crafty, which is now conducted by heretics of any kind and false brethren; there remains a third, which is to come by Antichrist, than which there is nothing more perilous; for it will be at once violent and crafty. Violence he will exert in empire, craft in miracles. To the violence, the word "lion" refers; to craft the words "in his den." St. Augustine He is a deceiver who has previously tricked Eve in the form of a serpent, and according to St. Gregory of Nyssa who says: [This is the Serpent, the great apostate, Hades itself with open maw, the tyrant of the powers of darkness who holds sway over death, and all the other things that the inspired word tells us of him1.] f. Hypocritical: Some Protestant commentaries2 consider that the evil one here is the Roman pope who works together with his cardinals against the true believers. They base their idea upon this saying: "He sits in lurking-places with the rich, in the secret places to kill an innocent man" [8]. Nevertheless most of the Fathers of the Early Church see that the wicked here is a sign of the "man of lawlessness" or Antichrist "the son of prediction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thess. 2:4). 3. FORGET NOT THE POOR, O LORD! [12-18] "Arise O Lord God, let Your hand be uplifted, forget not the poor" [12]. Having described the bitter characteristics of the wicked one and his violent fierce opposition to the children of the church - referred to as "the poor," the psalmist cries out 1 Comm.. on the Canticle serm. 2 Plumer, p. 155. https://coptic-treasures.com/ to God for help. He prays Him to come and save the poor, as though the Lord was sleeping in the boat and the psalmist calls, "Arise, O Lord!" Whenever our faith falters, we get weak and, as if we were asleep; or our Lord is asleep in our boat. We have therefore, to wake Him up just as the disciples did when they said: "Lord save us: we perish," (Matt 8:25). The Church then laboring in such times, like a ship in great waves and tempests, awakes the Lord as if He was sleeping, that He should command the winds, and calm should be restored (Matt. 8:24-26). St. Augustine As oppression strongly afflicts the psalmist here, he finds in the glorious Cross and the Resurrection of our Lord a secret source of power. He cries to the Lord that He might lift His hands to announce the power of His Cross; just as He did when His hands were powerfully raised on the Cross to destroy the source of evil, Satan, and his power. The psalmist prays the Lord to reign in his heart, granting him the power of His resurrection which conquered death. Thus he can say with Thomas: "My God and my Lord!" By calling upon the Lord to "Arise" the psalmist may wish the quick coming of the day of judgment. Then the Lord will arise and sit as Judge to condemn evil and reward the poor and the orphan, for he says in the final verse: "To judge the orphan and the humble man, that no man on the earth should continue to boast" [18]. Let us always bear in mind this tribunal, that we may thus be enabled at all times to continue in virtue; for as he has cast out from his soul that day, rushes like a horse that has burst his bridle to precipices... He that always retains this fear (of judgment) will walk soberly1. A man cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the resurrection2. St. Gregory of Nyssa Throughout his cry for rescue, the psalmist repeats the words: "the poor," "the orphan," and "the humble" as he perceives that He who was rich became poor for our sake. We, thus, have become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). He found that we were orphans as we had lost our Father due to our sins. Therefore He came, as a humble One, to carry us who are humble into His heavenly glory. Now, we have become rich and glorified, and no longer orphans. It is God's personal delight to help the feeble and defend the injured, besides announcing his adoption of the fatherless, protection of widows, and proximity to the humble. This explains why we pray in the Gregorian liturgy and say:"You are the help of those who are helpless, and the hope of those who are hopeless." God listens to His believers and hears their cries in times of tribulation. He does so because their hearts are prepared [17]. 1 In John hom 39: 1. 2 In John hom 45: 3. https://coptic-treasures.com/ His reply comes through the Prophet, "While you are still crying, He shall say: Here I am" (Isa. 58:9). Even before the bride has made her prayer, He hears her petition and attends to the preparation of her heart [17]1. St. Gregory of Nyssa The preparation of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:14) is nothing else than a most virtuous life; according to what the prophet says [17]2. St. John Chrysostom The psalmist closes the psalm by announcing God's miraculous deeds in the midst of His Church. He is there as He wishes to reinstate the joy arising from her salvation and affirming that He hears her cry in times of tribulation. Thus He destroys Satan's pride and arrogance. 1 Comm.. on Canticle, serm. 2 In Epn. Hom. 24. https://coptic-treasures.com/ PRAYER Return O Lord and look at Your Church, See the enemy - how like a lion waiting for its prey and throwing the nets up so as to catch it! Arise O Lord, Our Redeemer, and assist your bride! You, who have become humble for my sake, look at the humility of my heart! Stripe me from the state of orphanage, and let my heart rejoice in Your Fatherliness! Let Your eyes look at me as the enemy stares at me since he plans to devour me!
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