10:12-15 David appealed to God to act for the righteous against the wicked. He could not understand why God allowed the wicked to continue to spurn Him. It was not because their actions had escaped the Lord's notice. Beside this, the righteous were trusting in Him, and He had helped the helpless in the past. David wanted God to break the power (symbolized by the arm) of the wicked and to search out and destroy all their wickedness until it disappeared.43
10:16-18 These closing verses express the psalmist's confidence that God had heard his petition. Because Yahweh is sovereign, the ultimate authority in the universe, the nations that refused to submit to Him would perish. God's land was Canaan, but in a larger sense all the world is His land since He is King of all creation. In view of who God is David was confident that even though God did not judge the wicked immediately He would do so eventually.
This psalm, as the preceding one, ends with a reference to the frail mortality of man (enos, v. 18; cf. 9:19-20). In view of God's power it is not right for Him to allow frail man to terrorize his fellows. Nevertheless since God is sovereign only He can decide when to step in and judge the wicked.44
God's failure to execute justice immediately frustrates the righteous. We can live with this frustration because we know God is powerful enough to avenge the defenseless. He is also sovereign and just. Furthermore His past acts of deliverance should encourage us as we wait for Him to bring justice to pass in the world.
