God's Portrait of a Wicked Man

I. THE CONCERN FOR THE LORD (Psalm 10:1)
• This Psalm is God's portrait of a wicked man
• It pictures the man whom God abhors
• It depicts the wicked man's relationship to God, to other men, toward himself

A. The Supposition of Trouble
Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1)

1. That God stood "afar off"
2. That God hid Himself "in times of trouble"

B. The Question Presented—why?

II. THE CONTEMPT FOR THE WICKED (Psalm 10:2-11)

A. The wicked man's relationship: (Psalm 10:2-11)

1. The wicked man's relationship: Toward other men
   a. Toward the poor (Psalm 10:2, 7, 8, 9, 10)
   (1) He persecutes the poor (Psalm 10:2).
   (2) "His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity." (Psalm 10:7). A cursing man is a cursed man. A man that says "damn" this and that is a cursed man. Men curse because they are cursed.
   "Deceit" is deliberate and planned.
   "Fraud" is outright thievery
   (3) His eyes are privily set against the poor (Psalm 10:8).
   (4) He ensnares the poor (Psalm 10:9).
   (5) He wants the poor to fall (Psalm 10:10).
   b. Toward the covetous (Psalm 10:3)
   (1) He blesseth the covetous
   (2) Whom the LORD abhorreth
   c. Toward his enemies—"he puffeth at them" Spreads wickedness (Psalm 10:5)
   d. Toward the innocent—"in the secret places doth he murder the innocent" (Psalm 10:8)
2. The wicked man's relationship: Toward the Lord (Psalm 10:4, 11)
   a. He will not seek after God—a relationship with his maker because of his pride (Psalm 10:4).
   b. God is not in all his thoughts—he plans his future without taking God into consideration (Psalm 10:4).
   c. He deems God to be apathetic or ignorant of the earth