Seder 112: Psalm 10---Temporary Success of the Wicked

Psalm 10 is one of 34 psalms that has no superscription in the MT, one of only 3 in Book 1 (the others in Book 1 are Psalms 1 and 2).  In the LXX, there are 17 psalms with no superscription, and Psalms 9 and 10 are combined as Psalm 9.

Like Psalm 73, Psalm 10 deals with the question of the temporary success enjoyed by the wicked (see verses 2-11).  When the wicked exploit others with seeming impunity, they may be emboldened to ramp up their bad behavior and mistake God's patience for indifference.  They imagine that they will "not be moved" (v 6), something that is really only true for those who trust in God (Ps 15:5; 16:8; 125;1).

The wicked tend to use speech as a weapon.  "His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity" (v 7).  Paul quotes this verse from the LXX in Rom 3:14 as part of a string of scriptures showing man's universal sinfulness.  We shouldn't think of "the wicked" in this psalm as just someone other than us; we all have sinned.      

The psalmist prays in vv 12-15 for God to intervene on behalf of those exploited by the wicked.  He appeals to God's reputation (v 13) and righteous character (v 14) and prays a "thy kingdom come" prayer for the elimination of all evil (v 15).  In verses 16-18, God's universal rule is affirmed.  The success of the wicked is just a temporary phenomenon.

Seder 45: Psalm 14---The Ubiquity of Folly

 "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God, " begins Psalm 14.  This kind of fool is not what we now call an atheist. one who does not believe in the existence of God.  Instead, this is what we might call a "practical atheist", a person who knows that God exists but does not believe that God will hold him accountable for his deeds    \

In biblical wisdom literature, the wise are those who fear God and heed his teaching.  Wisdom literature contrasts the wise with fools, those who do not fear God or heed his teaching.  This kind of folly is synonymous with wickedness, as we see in the remainder of Ps 14:1:  "They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good."  

The psalmist laments the fact that there is so much of this folly extant, even among God's people. "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one" (v 3).   He affirms that God does indeed see and care about human behavior, which means that fools are in for some unpleasant surprises when their day of reckoning comes.  

The psalm closes with a prayer for the restoration of Israel (v 7).  

Paul quotes Ps 14:1-3 along with a number of other passages (Pss 5: 9; 140: 3; 10: 7; Isa 59: 7-8; Ps 36: 1) to make the point that all people have sinned (Rom 3:9-18).  Interestingly, there are some manuscripts of the Septuagint in which verses 13-18 of Romans 3 are inserted between Ps 14:3 and Ps 14:4, clearly a Christian interpolation.