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Psalms 10:1-18 (ANIV)
1 Why, O 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 of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me;
I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”
7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.
9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover;
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 has forgotten;
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, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

[1]
Psalm 9-10 may have originally been a single acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one poem.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Unspecified in Bible Text. I have set the scene in the early morning,

LIGHTING NOTES:
The (unseen) sun is on the left (east) casting shadows to the right of objects and figures.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
The “wicked man” can be seen in the centre of the picture, hiding behind the rocks, with a dagger or short sword in his hand.
There are various people walking towards or away from the safety of a walled village or town in the distance.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Psalm 10 is an example of a psalm of Thanksgiving, which describe a situation of distress & how God delivered the psalmist.

The “wicked man” (mentioned in verse 2, 13 and 15) is wearing red-brown robes and has an evil, smirking expression of contempt on his face. His intentions are clear from verses 8 and 9, “He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. 9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless;”

Here’s the scene without the figures in the foreground

Background of Psalm 10 – The wicked man lies in wait

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Background of Psalm 10 – The wicked man lies in wait