THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

X. God's Deliverance From Deceptive Abusers

(Psalm 10:1-18)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

From the national level down to the personal level, we need to know how to handle deceptive abusers:

(1) At the national level, (a) the mainstream media (Associated Press) story, "Biden says Trump, supporters still a threat" (Republican-American, January 7, 2021, p. 1A) claimed that President Biden's speech about the January 6, 2021 riot at the U. S. Capitol drew "a contrast between the truth of what happened and the false narratives that persist about the Capitol assault, including the continued refusal by many Republicans to affirm that Biden won the 2020 election. 'We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie,' Biden said. 'The former president of the United States of America has spread a web of lies about the 2020 election.'"

(b) However, in contrast to the viewpoint of this mainstream media story, the January 6, 2022, Republican-American editorial, "Could riot happen again?" (p. 8A) reported that "Hillary Clinton, the Democrats' standard-bearer against Mr. Trump in 2016, made and continues to make similar claims" to that of Mr. Trump and many of his supporters on the results of the 2020 election "in explaining her own defeat. 'There was a widespread understanding that this election (in 2016) was not on the level,' Mrs. Clinton said less than a month before the 2020 vote. Meanwhile, Democratic members of Congress spent most of Mr. Trump's term pushing the discredited notion that Mr. Trump owed his 2016 victory to assistance from Russian operatives. It therefore is no wonder that thousands of Mr. Trump's supporters answered his call to rally at the Capitol on the day the electoral votes were to be counted and that some of them let their anger over the election's outcome get the best of them."

(c) Nevertheless, a letter by Frederick Krug of Watertown, a lawyer (Ibid., January 10, 2020, p. 8A), asserted an intolerant, angry response to this editorial, claiming it "was a master class in distortion," that "(w)hat happened" at the Capitol "was . . . a murderous onslaught of fanatics whose goal was to overturn the results of the . . . presidential election, undermine our Constitution and execute then-Vice-President Mike Pence by public hanging." Another letter by Christian Bratina of Litchfield (Ibid., January 8, 2022, p. 8A) similarly charged that the Republican-American editorial was "disinformation (lies)," that a "lack of support for democracy by Republicans, including this newspaper's editorial board, are the cause of the rapid slide of the United States into turmoil and autocracy . . . The effectiveness of right-wing disinformation on Republican voters gives little hope that this country can prosper in the future."

(d) However, syndicated columnist Victor Davis Hanson's piece, "Who are the real insurrectionists" (Jewish World Review, January 6 cited in "Quotable," Ibid., January 8, 2022, p. 8a) claimed, "'A cynic might suggest (Democrats) . . . mask their own revolutionary propensities by projecting them onto their opponents. After all, who is trying to federalize election laws in national elections, contrary to the spirit of the Constitution? Who wished to repeal or circumvent the Electoral College? Who wishes to destroy the more than 180-year-old Senate filibuster, the over 150-year-old nine-justice Supreme Court, and the more than 60-year-old 50-state union?"

(e) Indeed, far-left Democrats now do what Marxists have long been doing – "seducing people into believing in the tenets of socialism" by use of "the 'Hegelian Dialectic process.'" (Brannon S. Howse, Marxianity, 2018, p. 9) This practice involves "creating cultural conflict by generating scenarios that intentionally pit one view of an issue against another, and then proposing a socialistic approach (the economic system underlying communism) as the solution. The dialectic – two things set against each other – is intended to destabilize the non-socialistic culture and to hoodwink the unsuspecting populace into accepting a socialistic option." (Ibid.)

(2) We face deceptive abusers at the local level: Believers in Christ regularly tell me of trouble they face in dealing with associates or relatives who deceptively angrily verbally abuse them and try to manipulate them.

Need: So, we ask, "How are we to respond to deceptive abusers?!"

I. In Psalm 10:1-11, the psalmist described how evil men deceived the vulnerable to afflict them:

A. Upset over the wrongs he was observing, the psalmist asked God why He seemed to stand afar off and seemingly hide Himself in times of trouble, Psalm 10:1.

B. Those wrongs involved how evil men proudly oppress the "afflicted" ('ani, B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 776-777) by using deception to take oppressive advantage of the vulnerable, Psalm 10:2-11:

1. Being fearless of punishment from God (Psalm 10:2-6), the wicked oppressor speaks words full of treachery and harm, planning to do mischief to others by use of those words, Psalm 10:7.

2. That harm involves ambushing vulnerable people like a lion that secretly lies in wait to catch the one he intends to afflict only to capture him, drag him off and destroy him, Psalm 10:8-10.

3. The author of the psalm revealed that the wicked man performs this brazen abuse because he thinks God will not hold him accountable for his evil deeds, Psalm 10:11, 13.

II. The psalmist thus called on God not to forget the afflicted, but to intervene in his behalf, Psalm 10:12.

III. The author also stated that God beholds all such wrongdoing and provocation, that He considers it and delivers the oppressed so that they learn to commit themselves to the Lord as their Helper, Psalm 10:14.

IV. Thus, the psalmist asked God to "break the arm," figurative for breaking the power of the wicked, to make him give an account to God for his sin, Psalm 10:15. (Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Psa. 10:15)

V. The psalmist added that God is the Sovereign King for ever and ever, that the wicked nations will perish from His land, and that God has thus heard the desire of the afflicted and will strengthen their inner man while also causing abusively wicked men not to increase their terror again, Psalm 10:16-18.

Lesson: Though the wicked who deceptively abuse the vulnerable think God will not hold them accountable for their wrong, God Who is Sovereign King forever sees and considers the wrong and delivers the afflicted who call on Him by breaking the power of the wicked and eventually removing them from the earth while strengthening the inner man of those He delivers.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) If we suffer deceptive abuse, (a) be assured that God Who is forever sovereign over all (b) fully sees and considers it and (c) will deliver us if we call on Him. (i) He will break the power of the abuser to harm us and in time remove him from us (ii) while strengthening our inner man.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . .)

We apply this sermon's lesson to the issues presented in our sermon introduction (as follows):

(1) Regarding the question of who won the 2020 presidential election, and the claim about an alleged "big lie" that 70 % of Republicans reportedly believe, that alleged "big lie" being that President Trump won, (a) regardless who won the election, it should be of no concern to us believers in Christ, for Romans 13:1 KJV claims "there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." God ordained that President Biden at least be allowed to be president to fulfill God's plan, and in view of our studies of Revelation 3:21 with 7:17, the conduct of the Biden administration fits God's prediction there of a Mini-Great Tribulation marked by leaders of intrigue and oppression! (b) Also, pushing the narrative of an alleged "big lie" is part of the plan by Marxists who use the Hegelian Dialect to push such an inflammatory narrative to create instability in society to further their agenda to federalize election laws contrary to the spirit of the Constitution, to repeal or circumvent the Electoral College and to destroy the 180-year-old Senate filibuster, the 150-year-old nine-justice Supreme Court and the more than 60-year-old, 50-state union just as Mr. Hanson claimed. (Ibid., Hanson) (c) As implied in Revelation 3:21 with 7:17, such Marxist activity will cause many to be disillusioned with oppressive leaders so that they look elsewhere for truth and balm and find it in Biblical churches that expound Bible truth. (d) So, instead of getting upset over the current situation, we believers in Christ should rely on the Holy Spirit for a positive outlook as we understand God's purposes and stick to His calling for us!

(2) Regarding the deceptive abusers we face in associates locally, God wants us (a) not to try to solve the problems involved in our own strength, but (b) call on Him for His help, (c) trusting Him to be sovereign in all we face, (d) to be aware of the abuse and (e) to believe that He will deal with the abuser and (f) strengthen our inner man.

(3) Regarding how some people like the letter writers mentioned in our introduction are becoming intolerantly biased against anyone who has a view that differs from the narratives pushed by Marxists, people who are afflicted with an angry mental "drunkenness" or closed-minded bias against reality, we note that such a mindset fits that of the "Babylon the Great" false religion that will cause all nations to be "drunk" with the false belief of its idolatry that leads to intolerant wrath against all who do not hold to its views (Revelation 18:3)! God will arrange for the antichrist to destroy this "Babylon the Great" entity in the future Great Tribulation Period, Revelation 17:16-17! Marxism may thus be a contributor to "Babylon the Great" by way of its ideological influence, so we should not compromise with Marxism in any way opposite what even the Roman Catholic Church and many evangelicals do (Ibid. Howse, p. 7-8). Rather, we should hold firmly to written Scripture's truth, 2 Timothy 3:12-17 with Ephesians 5:11-18.

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life. May we respond to deceptive abusers by trusting God to be sovereign and good as our All-Sufficient Help so that we call on Him for relief, believing He will judge the abusive and edify our inner man.