Psalm 10: 8-18

Text
Wickedness sitteth in the lurking places of the villages. In the secret places doth it murder the innocent, its eyes are privately set against the poor. It lieth in wait secretly as a lion in its den. It lieth in wait to catch the poor. It doth catch the poor, when it draweth them into its net. It croucheth, and humbleth itself, that the poor may fall by its strong ones. It hath said in its heart, that thou, divinity, hath forgotten and hideth thy face and will never see it. Arise, O guide, O divinity, lift up thine hand, forget not the humble. Why doth wickedness condemn divinity? It hath said in its heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou hast seen it, for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it…with us, thy hand. The poor committeth himself unto thee, thou art the helper of the orphan. Thus shall the arm of wickedness be broken and evil as well. Seek out wickedness till thou find none.
Thou art my guide for ages and ages. Heathen ways are perished out of thy land.
Thou hast heard the desire of the humble, thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause the ear to hear. To bring justice to the orphan and the oppressed, that the people on the earth may no more oppress.

Text Notes

• "for ages and ages" is more literal than the 1611 "for ever and ever". The original conveys both a sense of indefinite time AND of character (of "my guide").

Reflection
The message is clear in this passage. Wickedness is here characterized by its pursuit of the innocent poor. To gain by the oppression of others. And our guide works through us: "with us...thy hand." Spirit's work within us is to prepare our heart and cause our ear to hear the real need. Then we are to "bring justice to the orphan and the oppressed." Sometimes all this seems overwhelming to me. Our inequities seem built in. Let me listen and do what I can to be the hand of Love.

Psalm 10: 1-7

Text
Dost thou stand afar off, O guide? Dost thou hide thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in their pride do persecute the poor, let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For wickedness boasteth of its heart's desire, and blesseth covetousness, which thou abhorrest. Wickedness, through the pride of its countenance, will not seek after divinity, divinity is not in all its thoughts.
Its ways are always grievous, thy judgments are far above out of its sight, as for all its enemies, it puffeth at them. It hath said in its heart, I shall not be moved for I shall never be in adversity. Its mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud, under its tongue is mischief and vanity.

Text Notes

• Except for the 2nd verse, this psalm's long passage on wickedness is again abstract in form. Thus, the focus remains on the nature of wickedness rather than seeing others as our personal enemies.

Reflection
Why, indeed, does it seem that our guide is so far from us during times of trouble? Part of our problem is our religious indoctrination: we have over anthropomorphized God. As we mature in faith, we realize the real nature of divinity within us. This presence is subtle, but powerful! To ignore the best within each human being is to not seek after divinity. And, that is genuine wickedness. May my life be free of deceit and fraud. Integrity found in self respect. That's something worth celebrating!

Psalm 9: 17-20

Text
Wicked ways are turned into hell and all the nations that forget divinity. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ages. Arise, O guide, let not flesh prevail. Let my heathen thoughts be judged in thy sight. Put them in awe, that is, that the nations may know themselves to be but human. Selah.

Text Notes

• This King James Inclusive Version retains the usage of "hell" in the OT unlike most contemporary versions. The dozens of occurrences are overwhelmingly present tense,i.e. Hell is Now.
• "Awe" captures more fully the semantic range of the original and is more appropriate in psalms for meditation than the rendering "fear".

Reflection
To forget divinity, that of God in every person, is to be "turned into hell". This text also makes explicit what it means to be wicked: to forget the needy. And, to allow the "expectation of the poor" to perish. These are truly "heathen thoughts" that I must overcome with love, which flows from God, my divine center.

Psalm 9: 11-16

Text
I sing praises to thee, which dwelleth in Zion and declare among the people thy doings. When inquisition is made for blood, thou rememberest them, thou forgettest not the cry of the humble. May I enter into mercy, O consider my trouble which I suffer from thoughts of hate. Thou liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may show forth all thy celebration in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in thy wholeness. My heathen thoughts are sunk down in the pit that they made, in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. Thou art known by the justice which thou executeth: the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Text Notes

• Psalms for Meditation again makes abstract, thus internal, the sense in another phrase. In this case it is "thoughts of hate" rather than "them that hate me".
• And, the fullest meaning of the original is captured in the word "wholeness" rather than "salvation" as in KJV1611.

Reflection
Any form of religion that fosters hatred of 'the other' is a death-oriented faith. A genuine inward sense of God is that which lifts me up from death. Much of what passes for fundamental faith seems to be mere tribalism. Real salvation is "wholeness", an inclusive embrace of life as it really is. Our Guide will lead us into justice and deliverance.

Psalm 9: 5-10

Text
Thou hast rebuked the heathen ways, thou hast destroyed wickedness, thou hast put out that name for ages and ages. O thou enemy within, destructions are come to a perpetual end, and destroyed are cities, their memorial is perished with them. But thou, my guide within, shalt endure for ages. Thou hast prepared thy throne for justice. And shalt judge a world in rightness, thou shalt minister justice to the people in uprightness. Thou also wilt be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know thy name will put their trust in thee, for thou hast not forsaken those who seek thee.

Text Notes

• The K-JIV makes the internal struggle clear: "heathen ways" rather than "heathen"; "enemy within" instead of "enemy", etc. In meditation, the focus is on our inward "rightness" with eventual outward justice.

Reflection
Yes there are. There are "heathen ways" exalted in our culture. And internalized too often within me. Destructive, even violent, lifestyles are the proposed solutions to our world's problems. But, "thou has prepared thy throne for justice". That is the crying need. As I win the battle over the selfish enemy within, then I can see justice for the oppressed in society around me.

Psalm 9: 1-4

Text
I will celebrate thee, O guide, with my whole heart. I will show forth all thy marvelous works! I will be glad and rejoice in thee. I will sing and celebrate to thy name, O thou most high. When mine enemy thoughts are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause, thou dost sit in thy throne judging right.

Text Notes

• The King James Inclusive Version, K-JIV, has "celebrate" where the KJV1611 translates "praise". Both English words are part of the broad sense of the original.
• In these Psalms for Meditation, "enemies" are understood as "enemy thoughts".

Reflection
To celebrate for the sheer joy of it! The Psalmist captures the flavor of the spirit I feel when we gather in Meeting for Worship. It is good to be glad and rejoice. The inward guide "judges right" and those self-serving enemy thoughts can be vanquished! They "fall and perish at thy presence". And so celebration leads to a life lived intentionally.

Psalm 8: 5-9

Text
For thou hast made them a little lower than the messengers, and hast crowned them with glory and honor. Thou madest them to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things under their feet. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Presence, our guide, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Text Notes

As is well known, the general sense of the word often rendered "angels" in the KJV1611 is "messengers". In these psalms for meditation, the more basic sense is typically used.

Reflection
Yes, we sense our "dominion" over creation, even over the "beasts of the field". But, what shall we do with this supremacy that we feel?! My need for respect for other creatures is great. I suspect that this is the only "crown of glory and honor" that humanity can wear: respect for all of life. Do I recognize that the very excellence of "thy name" consists in it being fully recognized "in all the earth?