Nobody Knows But Jesus

Psalm 10:12-18

12Arise, O LORD!

Punish the wicked, O God!

Do not forget the helpless!

13Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?

How can they think, “God will never call us to account”?

14But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.

You take note of it and punish them.

The helpless put their trust in you.

You are the defender of orphans.

15Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!

Go after them until the last one is destroyed!

16The LORD is king forever and ever!

Let those who worship other gods be swept from the land.

17LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.

Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.

18You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

so people can no longer terrify them.

The old spiritual says, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen; nobody knows but Jesus.” And that, in a nutshell, is the message of this psalm.

The psalmist is speaking on behalf of the needy, the helpless, the orphans, and the oppressed. These people have every reason to feel ignored by the rest of society, because all too often they are. But the Lord knows what they’re going through.

But what about those who oppress these poor ones? They may say, “God will never call us to account” (verse 13), or they may think that God is dead (verse 4). But this psalm spells out the truth of the matter: God does see what happens (verse 14). He knows the hopes of the helpless and listens to their cries (verse 17). He will comfort them (verse 17) and bring justice to them (verse 18).

So does this mean we can stop here and let God take care of the helpless and the oppressed? Not at all! Maybe “nobody [truly] knows but Jesus,” but Christians are still called to carry out God’s work on earth. All too often we just pass by on the other side (see Luke 10:31-32), ignoring others’ needs and suffering.

When you hear the cries of the helpless, what do you do? Are you like the uncaring Levite, who passes by on the other side, or more like the Lord, who hears and knows and cares?

He who reigns above the sky

Once became as poor as I.

Poor and needy, though I be

God, my Maker, cares for me.

OLD SCOTTISH PSALTER, ADAPTED

A Word on Words

By asking the Lord to “break the arms” of wicked people (verse 15) the psalmist is calling upon the Lord to break their power.

Bible Networking

For more on God’s concern for the poor, read Amos 5:10–6:8.