Psalm 10. Continuing with the theme of God's righteous judgment, especially the last two verses of Psalm 9, the psalmist (probably still David) asks why God does not immediately act in the face of evil (Psalm 10:1). Things often seem to be going so well for the wicked (verse 5).

To strengthen his plea for God to take righteous action, the psalmist describes his enemies' disregard for God. The wicked man says, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble.... God has forgotten; He covers His face and never sees.... He won't call me to account" (verses 6, 11, 13, NIV). Emboldened by such reckless thinking, the wicked man persecutes the poor, murders the innocent, crushes the helpless and curses God. He plots, boasts, lies and deceives (verses 2-13). The psalm summarizes, "In all his thoughts there is no room for God" (verse 4, NIV).

Wickedness does not escape God's notice, however—and He will justly punish (verse 14). God will call for an accounting: the wicked will no longer terrorize the earth (verses 16, 18). The reference to the nations perishing in verse 16 ties back to Psalm 9. When Christ returns to rule the earth, He will put an end to wickedness and establish true justice (Psalm 10:15-18).