Psalm 10:17, 18 God Hears

Psalm 10:17, 18 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Psalm 10 follows on from Psalm 9 and could possibly have been part of the same psalm at one time. In the psalm there is a description of the wicked - their arrogance, their boasting, their blessing of the greedy and reviling of the LORD, etc, etc. The wicked think to themselves that God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees but the psalmist is praying for justice. What gives him confidence about this is the final consideration at the end of the psalm concerning the afflicted - people like himself. He is sure (and being inspired he must be right) that the LORD hears the desire of such people and encourages them. He listens to their cry. Indeed, one of his characteristics is to defend the fatherless and the oppressed. In other words, the very things that we instinctively think are to our disadvantage do actually serve to put us in an advantageous position. Such people know the LORD's encouragement and protection. He hears their cries. All this is in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. God is not willing to leave the needy to the mercy of the strongest and most influential of the earth who so often take advantage of their position and power to oppress the weak. These verses are an encouragement then to all who are in trouble and need and a warning to those who rely on themselves instead of on him. As it is sometimes put, one plus God is a majority.