Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
This psalm belongs with those that voice the sorrows and afflictions of the Hebrew captives in Babylon, especially in the latter years of that captivity when persecution and distress were severe. It is the righteous cry of people oppressed by the wicked, an inspired prayer asking God to arise and act justly for the poor and oppressed by lifting up His hand and not forgetting the humble.
It is not merely a plea for vengeance against the wicked. Though oppressors claim that God has forgotten and will not see the suffering, God has not forgotten His people. It carries assurance of divine help and final deliverance from persecutors, with a coming day of retribution in which each person receives a just reward.
This psalm belongs with those that voice the sorrows and afflictions of the Hebrew captives in Babylon, especially in the latter years of that captivity when persecution and distress were severe. It is the righteous cry of people oppressed by the wicked, an inspired prayer asking God to arise and act justly for the poor and oppressed by lifting up His hand and not forgetting the humble.
It is not merely a plea for vengeance against the wicked. Though oppressors claim that God has forgotten and will not see the suffering, God has not forgotten His people. It carries assurance of divine help and final deliverance from persecutors, with a coming day of retribution in which each person receives a just reward.