A Guest Post from Apricot Blossom

What God has to say about wall street and other legal loan sharks.

PSALM 10
1: Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
2: The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3: For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
4: The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
5: His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
6: He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7: His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8: He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
9: He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
10: He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
11: He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
12: Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
13: Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
14: Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
15: Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

I think it is interesting to find these gems of pro-poor sentiment that are spattered about the bible. While the psalm says that the wicked don't have fear of God in thier hearts, I believe it equates to the lack of fear of retribution. Free reign for the rich to take advantage of the poor: "He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net." Sounds like evil credit card tricks and bad loans to me. I find it both sad and comforting that these same class struggles have been around this long. Old testament long. This first part is the part I am interested in, but for sake of full disclosure here is the rest of the psalm:

16: The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
17: LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
18: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.