psalm 10

But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.

(Psa 10:14)

LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

(Psa 10:17-18)

We see here in this psalm the story of the wicked, the way He oppresses the fatherless, the helpless, the humble… It’s a theme that comes up over and over in the Psalms. You see these wicked men who begin to believe that there is no God, they begin to behave like they are the top of the chain of command, and no one can stop theme or even correct them for the wrongs that they do.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the word “oppress” this way:

1. To load or burden with unreasonable impositions; to treat with unjust severity, rigor or hardship; as, to oppress a nation with taxes or contributions; to oppress one by compelling him to perform unreasonable service.

2. To overpower; to overburden; as, to be oppressed with grief.

3. to sit or lie heavy on; as, excess of good oppresses the stomach.

The original Hebrew word that is used here is the word ARATS. It literally means to cause someone to be filled with dread. The idea connected with it was that by harassing in individual you could so overwhelm them with fear and dread of what you may do to them, you could cause them to do whatever you wanted them to.

The thing the oppressor doesn’t realize is that GOD IS WATCHING, AND HE WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. He is going to repay and bring justice… He tells us here that in the end, the man of the earth will oppress no more. It will come to an end. One day all of the harassment will end. All of the foul and evil things done to people who are weak and needy will be put to a stop.

We read here that in the meantime, the helpless are to “commit themselves” to the Lord. So for you, if you are suffering today, if you find yourself harassed and afraid because of an enemy that may be physical or spiritual, commit yourself to the Lord. Encourage those around you, the helpless, the needy, the fatherless, and the humble; to do the same. The Lord will see to it that one day this to shall be made right.