No Checks on Their Deeds

Meaning in Psalm 10

Alfred D. Byrd

SOMETIMES, our God, it seems, is distant,
Hiding on high from things on the earth.
In days while we wait for a sign of judgment,
Many, saying, "No judgment will come;
The heavens are empty of One Who cares,"
Make gods of greed, self-love, and success,
And, preying on weakness, rise up in strength.
No law holds back the evil at heart.
The widow, the orphan — the evil see them,
Helpless, unguarded, as prey to be seized.
The evil, acting with caution at first,
Set traps for their prey from fear of judgment.
Meeting, however, no checks on their deeds,
The evil feel free to boast of their ways:
"They must be right," the evil call out;
"The wealth that we've won is a sign to all
Of how one prospers through serving oneself."

Their prey grow bitter at what they face.
"Has God forgotten the law?" they ask.
"Are the eyes of God too filled with heavens
To see the wrongs that go on on the earth?"
The poor and helpless grow near to despair
Until, when they see no light but God's,
They call on the One Who holds in one hand
All lives of humans, both good and evil.
"Justice, our God!" the helpless call out.
"An end to evil, rewards for the good!"

Our God, the king of heavens and earth,
Sees time in a way unlike our own
And nations as dust dispersed by the wind.
Our God may wait what seems long to our hearts
To act in judgment, but it comes at last:
The ones, ignoring warnings of grief,
Who dance until dawn must pay the piper.
Evil someday must make an account
For its frauds and thefts, and, judged as bankrupt,
Go off to prison until it has paid
Its debt in full to the law of truth.
When we see the law of God fulfilled,
The ones who trusted themselves will have failed,
But the ones who set their hearts on God
Will get their reward, the One Whom they loved.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.

Roots That Wither

Meaning in Psalm 9

Alfred D. Byrd

THE NATIONS that honor a dream of might—
Of wealth for a few, but work for the rest—
Will prosper awhile and win admirers,
Looking with envy at toys and guns
That offer status and keep it secure.
In cities that rise against the heavens,
Strongmen oppress the meek and faithful,
Helpless as far as the world can tell.
To those who look no deeper than skin
And see the present as fixed for all time,
This world, for all of its pain, is good,
A place for parties without an end.
A show of glitter distracts one's eyes
From roots that wither, seated in sand,
And can't withstand a wind of judgment
Ready to blow at the will of God.

Although the day of redress seems far
To those who suffer outside the mansions,
Judgment is coming on all who do wrong.
The acts of the proud have planted the seeds
Of ruin within their life of fun;
The traps that they set to catch the poor
Will spring on the proud, and none will mourn.
The cities constructed on blood will be dust
That drifts away on the winds of change.
A truth of the proud inspires a proverb:
"Shortly after the mighty have fallen,
No one recalls their names or their deeds."

Our God in heaven endures forever,
Watching our acts and choosing a time
To raise the righteous and lower the wicked.
Nothing can speed or delay our God
In doing what's right, as the One Who sees all
Alone can judge with wisdom and love.
At a time of God's, the nations will fall,
But we who look to our God in faith
Will receive our hope, a time of peace
Without an end with the One above.
While we wait through griefs, let us trust in God
And do what's right in the world below.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.

Heaven's Temple

Meaning in Psalm 8

Alfred D. Byrd

WHEN I GO outdoors when Your sky is clear,
The daystar, Your work, bedazzles my eyes
With light that's darkness compared with You.
At night, the moon and the stars reveal
To all with eyes to perceive Your glory
Smallness of humans, but greatness of God.
The sky that we see is just the floor
Of heaven's temple, where You reign unchallenged,
Maker and Master, by all that You've made—
Yes, even by us, who mirror Your image,
Thinking and dreaming of things on high.

The proud, my God, who look at themselves
As wise and mighty, just mock Your Name,
But those who've kept the hearts of children,
Looking with awe at wonders around them,
Never forget their coming from You,
The One Who will make the proud bow down,
But will raise the humble to sit at Your side.

You have made us humans near equals of angels,
Heavenly creatures of wind and fire,
And put us in charge of the earth and its wealth
Of lives from the sky to the depths of the sea.
Both the plants and the beasts that You made and called good
Depend on us for health and hope.
If we waste the earth, we'll lose Your blessing;
Owner of all, You will guard what's Yours!
If we tend with wisdom the works of Your hands,
We'll know Your favor, the light of Your face,
Which smiles at children who love their God.

Your Name, Eternal, is greatest of all
Of the names that You spoke to make the worlds;
Let all who love Your Name proclaim it,
Endless reminder to all who hear
That we come to nothing without our God.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.