You frustrate the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge.
The lawless despise and consider the counsel of the poor to be foolish and doomed to fail, because his hope is in the Lord. In their eyes, relying on God may seem like weakness or pointless confidence, but the psalmist immediately shows the opposite: “The Lord is his refuge.” That is, what people mock is in fact the poor man’s greatest security. Here “the poor” is not only a person in material need, but also one who has no human strength, position, or influence to lean on. People may treat trusting in God with contempt, but their mockery does not change God’s faithfulness. The verse encourages the believer not to be ashamed to trust the Lord, even when those around him consider it groundless. It also warns us not to despise the weak or his simple faith. When they mock the one whose refuge is God, they are actually failing to see the most important reality of his life. The Lord is a protector for those who take refuge in Him.