Psalms Project, Psalm 10

Another day another Psalm. While I love the Psalms, I definitely struggle with using them as writing prompts when they get redundant. Saying "woe is me" or "how great is our God" over and over again is difficult to draw inspiration from. That is why I tend to focus on a single line or sentence that seriously inspires me and work with that as much as possible. It may be a stretch but it rounds out the picture of the Psalms. I am able to see the other sides of the Psalm. Who is chasing David? Why are they like that? That is where Psalm 10 went for me today.


Psalm 10

1 Why, 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 about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9     like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
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 will never notice;
    he covers his face and never sees.”
12 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, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
    you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
    the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

Verse 3 in this Psalm really struck out to me, "He boasts of the cravings of his heart." The assumption is that the cravings of his heart are wicked or broken. However, he boasts of these wicked cravings and twisted desires.

What Jay Gatsby and My Eleventh Graders Have in Common

“He boasts of the cravings of his heart.” – Psalm 10:3

Raise a glass to the Age of Hands

Under short skirts and soiled dreams.

Tonight we celebrate long legs,

Grey ties on a girl’s wrists,

The epic of booze like a fountain

Dribbling lava down our throats.

Choke, choke, choke.

Pet her until sandpaper palms

Send bubbles floating up the spine

And nestle in the grooves the mind.

Teach a daughter to wear neon lights,

Sprinkle glitter on her thighs and

Glow-sticks in the hair mothers braided.

Let the light cast shadows on her dress.

Your spilt whiskey perfumes cold breasts.

Memory is last week’s pornography.

Hearts boast of the chemicals in their veins.

Let us rejoice and be glad.