God is Bigger Than the Boogie Man
Psalm 10
(September 16, 2001)
Introduction
I had an idea of what I wanted to talk about today, but all that changed Tuesday.
I, like you, began that day like I begin most days. Getting showered and dressed, and driving to work, when I heard the news.
I pulled into the church parking lot and went back to the classrooms to see if the school had heard, and as I entered the youth room, all the students were listening to the radio, hearing the latest news.
Then I went to work at Herberger’s, and everybody there had heard the news. The store was very quiet that day, with very little customer traffic.
I suppose most were glued to the TV and radio, listening to the events, that may have a body count greater than Pearl Harbor and the Titanic combined.
And all of us were touched by it.
We held a memorial service here on Friday, as President Bush requested for churches, and two firefighters, a sergeant from the Air Force, and others joined us as we prayed and sang.
And what struck me hardest about that time was seeing the fire truck pull into the parking lot, and watching these two men come in, with black bands around their badges in mourning of their lost comrades in New York.
I was touched by their sense of brotherhood, and honored that they would be present.
I hope they, the military represented, and the police force, represented by Kandis Schwab, wife of Police Chief Ken Schwab, were honored as well.
Also this week, I had the opportunity to speak at the city-wide prayer service held at First Baptist Church on Thursday.
It was a blessing to see the people there, and also to see that one of the radio companies was broadcasting the service over two of their stations.
And the theme that kept repeating itself through my mind was that people needed to know that God was still in control, and that we can cry out to Him in the midst of this horrible tragedy.
So this morning, I want us to take a look at how King David reacted to horrible circumstances.
If you were at the service Thursday night, or heard it on the radio, you will recognize the outline, but I am using a different psalm, so don’t think you have heard all this before, at least Thursday night.
King David was no stranger to adversity. He faced danger and adversity throughout his whole life.
As a shepherd boy he had to face dangers from the lion and the bear. As a young man he faced the giant Goliath, knowing that failure to kill him would mean defeat for the entire army of Israel.
Before becoming king, he was hunted like an animal by Saul, who was intent on killing him.
And it didn’t get much better after he became king.
In fact, it seemed to get worse. His children were constantly fighting and bickering amongst each other, and one was murdered by another after raping a half-sister.
And if that wasn’t enough, his own son Absolom tried to have him killed so he could take over the kingdom.
David was no stranger to trials and suffering.
And he was no stranger to God. His relationship with God was such that He could cry out in disbelief and wonder.
Turn with me, please to Psalm 10. If you are using the Bibles in the seats, it is on page 386.
We will not read the whole passage now, as we will work through it as we go through the message.
The first thing I want to cover this morning is that…
I. It’s okay to ask, “Why?” (vv. 1-11)
Read along as we look at verses 1-11:
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble."
7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.
9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees."
David, seeing the successes of the wicked, asks the same questions we are asking today, and making the same complaints.
The wicked prey on the weak.
They revile the Lord.
They seem to prosper.
They seem secure.
Their mouths are full of evil.
They look to ambush their victims.
And in a phrase particularly and eerily contemporary, he says that the victims of the wicked are crushed, they collapse under his strength, thinking God does not see.
Is it any wonder that David cries out in verse one –
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
David cries out, asking why!
But here’s something interesting. David does not record that he ever received an answer.
And what I get from that is that we can cry out from the anguish of our hearts, wanting, even demanding, an explanation from God, but that He does not promise one in every case.
God is not afraid of your questioning. But let me caution you that there is never a place for cynicism when it comes to questioning God.
Come to God with the questions on your heart, but avoid the attitude that demands an answer thinking that God owes you something, because he doesn’t.
God may choose to give an answer for this, but He may not. That is up to Him.
It’s okay to ask, “Why?” It’s also okay to ask, “Help!”
II. It’s okay to ask, “Help!” (vv.12-15)
Read along in verses 12-15:
Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself,
"He won’t call me to account"?
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.
The implication here is that God can do something about the situation. God is strong, and He had displayed His might on behalf of Israel and David many times.
It’s because of this that David says:
Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won’t call me to account"?
He sees the futility of such thinking, and he addresses that when he says in verse 14:
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.
Knowing the power of God, David demands that God takes action, asking Him to break the arm of the wicked man, and such.
But I want you to keep things in mind:
1. Vengeance belongs to God, sometimes
by divine retribution, sometimes by his agency, the government.
God will call the evil men to account, make no mistake, but vengeance belongs to Him and the government He put into place.
2. We who are not of the official state
agency in charge of that retribution are called to what? Forgive.
“What are you, nuts, Preacher?”
No. I need to forgive, and so do you.
Examples of forgiveness toward Japanese commander at Pearl Harbor.
Example of Corrie ten Boom toward prison guard.
We need to show the love and forgiveness of Christ, not take retribution into our own hands.
It’s okay to ask why, it’s okay to ask help, and…
III. It’s okay because He is still the King.
(vv. 16-18)
Follow along for verses 16-18:
The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Look again at verse 16:
The LORD is King for ever and ever
Folks, the Lord is King forever and ever. This does not say, “unless there are attacks in New York and Washington.
He is King regardless of circumstances; regardless of the actions of evil men; regardless of war; regardless of anything, He is the King, and nothing ever has, or ever will change that.
And just as this King sees trouble and grief, as seen in verse 14, He also hears the desire of the afflicted.
He ministers to them, encouraging them, listening to them cry, defending the fatherless and oppressed.
And remember that God uses people to do these things. God moves in us to minister, to encourage, to listen, and to defend.
These are actions of God through the people of God, and I want to encourage you to ask God how and where He would have you to do this.
And why does God act on behalf of the afflicted?
Because He is able.
Because it pleases Him.
So that man may terrify no more.
Conclusion
Folks, it is not always obvious that God is working, but He truly is. I was reminded this week by one of the teachers at ACHS that not even a sparrow falls to the ground outside the knowledge of God.
He was aware of those people taken from earth by the hands of evil and twisted men.
And while we may never grasp the reasons why, we can grasp the hand of the One who does.
We must reach out our hands and hearts in faith to the One who created the universe and holds it in His hand.
Invitation
God knows the sorrow of loss. His Son died at the hands of evil men.
Gospel presentation.
Closing Hymn #502, My Country, Tis of Thee.
