Day 4: Psalms 10-12

The final way of reading the Psalms in a church is responsorial recitation.  In this method, the verses are sung by the choir or a cantor.  After a group of verses, a refrain is sung by the congregation.  The refrain is usually drawn from one of the verses.  My church uses responsorial recitation.  The psalm is chanted by a member of the choir and the congregation sings the refrain.  Apparently this method is becoming more and more popular, but It depends greatly on the skill of the cantor.  When Annie at my church chants the psalm, the angels weep.  

Psalm 10

1	Why do you stand so far off, O LORD, *     and hide yourself in time of trouble?
2	The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor, *     but they are trapped in the schemes they have devised.
3	The wicked boast of their heart's desire; *     the covetous curse and revile the LORD.
4	The wicked are so proud that they care not for God; *     their only thought is, "God does not matter."

5	Their ways are devious at all times; your judgments are far above out of their sight; *     they defy all their enemies.
6	They say in their heart, "I shall not be shaken; *     no harm shall happen to me ever."
7	Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression; *     under their tongue are mischief and wrong.
8	They lurk in ambush in public squares and in secret places they murder the innocent; *     they spy out the helpless.
9	They lie in wait, like a lion in a covert; they lie in wait to seize upon the lowly; *     they seize the lowly and drag them away in their net.
10	The innocent are broken and humbled before them; *     the helpless fall before their power.
11	They say in their heart, "God has forgotten; *     he hides his face; he will never notice."
12	Rise up, O LORD; lift up your hand, O God; *     do not forget the afflicted.
13	Why should the wicked revile God? *     why should they say in their heart, "You do not care"?
14	Surely, you behold trouble and misery; *     you see it and take it into your own hand.
15	The helpless commit themselves to you, *     for you are the helper of orphans.
16	Break the power of the wicked and evil; *     search out their wickedness until you find none.

17	The LORD is King for ever and ever; *     the ungodly shall perish from his land.
18	The LORD will hear the desire of the humble; *     you will strengthen their heart and your ears shall hear;
19	To give justice to the orphan and oppressed, *     so that mere mortals may strike terror no more. This sounds like a continuation of the previous psalm.  Same theme. Today is my birthday.  I am 53 today.   Last Sunday, I received a birthday blessing at church.  I teared up.   I made it to my birthday! Psalm 11 1 In the LORD have I taken refuge; *     how then can you say to me,     "Fly away like a bird to the hilltop; 2 For see how the wicked bend the bow and fit their arrows to the string, *     to shoot from ambush at the true of heart. 3 When the foundations are being destroyed, *     what can the righteous do?" 4 The LORD is in his holy temple; *     the LORD'S throne is in heaven. 5 His eyes behold the inhabited world; *     his piercing eye weighs our worth. 6 The LORD weighs the righteous as well as the wicked, *     but those who delight in violence he abhors. 7 Upon the wicked he shall rain coals of fire and                               burning sulphur; *     a scorching wind shall be their lot. 8 For the LORD is righteous; he delights in righteous deeds; *     and the just shall see his face. The LORD is righteous and delights in righteous deeds.  And yet "Upon the wicked he shall rain coals of fire and burning sulphur; a scorching wind shall be their lot."  A lot of anger in this writer!  He was greatly wronged at some point! Psalm 12 1 Help me, LORD, for there is no godly one left; *     the faithful have vanished from among us. 2 Everyone speaks falsely with his neighbor; *     with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart. 3 Oh, that the LORD would cut off all smooth tongues, *     and close the lips that utter proud boasts! 4 Those who say, "With our tongue will we prevail; *     our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" 5 "Because the needy are oppressed, and the poor cry out in misery, *     I will rise up," says the LORD,     "and give them the help they long for." 6  The words of the LORD are pure words, *     like silver refined from ore     and purified seven times in the fire. 7 O LORD, watch over us *     and save us from this generation for ever. 8 The wicked prowl on every side, *     and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone. I like the image of the wicked prowling on every side.   "…and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone."  Makes me think of the Kardashians.  They prize fame, but their fame is worthless.