Psalm 11 - The Foundations Have Collapsed!!!
Collapse…
Have a look at the world around you and the word that describes what is going on the best is collapse. Collapse of what truth is. Collapse of the family structure and role. Collapse of nations. Collapse of economies. Collapse of what is right. Collapse of the rule of law. Collapse of sanity. Collapse of courage. Collapse of all that seems to have bound us together in ages past.
The world is shaking apart around us…and what are we to do?
This observation and the question that always follows such insights was addressed by King David some 3000 years ago in Psalm 11.
Psalm 11…
Verse 1: “I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!”
David always starts his Psalms well. Psalm 11 is no different.
He starts with a profound statement “I trust in the Lord for protection…” - David’s perspective on his life and his ability to be king, and rule well can only come from God’s protection of him and his people.
David then makes another profound statement to some unseen person, and it is one that shows some level of incredulity on David’s part. He says “So why do you say to me, ‘Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety’…?” - like he doesn’t understand why they are even telling him to do that when his full faith and trust is in Yahweh, his god - the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Basically, David is saying if god is protecing me, then why should I go anywhere? Why should I leave that protection at all?
These are fair questions and one’s that we should be asking ourselves too. Why do we seek to leave situations (like workplaces, or churches), when we know that God is protecting us, and that we may have a role in providing HIS light in that place.
God’s protection of those that believe in Him and have put their faith in Him is a common theme throughout the entire Bible. From the salvation of Noah and his family from the flood, through to the protection and guidance afforded to the Hebrews as they wandered through the desert.
Some supporting scriptures include:
A) Deuteronomy 31:6 - “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
B) 2 Thessalonians 3:3 - “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”
So we can hold onto this as a truth in our own lives.
Verse 2: “The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right.”
Now this second verse sounds more like situations we are most familiar with in today’s world.
Not only is violence rising to a crescendo, but people are sniping away at others from the shadows (oh you mean like anonymous keyboard warriors on the internet?….ah yeah precisely! - be they Christian or not).
Lives are being ruined by the words of others, and the wicked ones are taking aim at those who are righteous and are doing the good will of God.
In today’s world we are seeing evil directly attack what is good in our world, in our society and in our homes.
Those who lie, who love violence and who are evil can only do so from the shadows, because they hate the light because it illuminates their sin. So they stay in the darkness of the shadows, and do their vile deeds there.
Wickedness and violence seem to go hand in hand, and there are scriptures that echo this verse (and later Verse 5),
A) Proverbs 21:7 - “The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.”B) Genesis 6:11-13 - “ Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!” - beware, this day will return soon!!!
Verse 3: “The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”
Again, this sounds all too familiar doesn’t it?
In our world today…and I do mean the whole world…the foundations of what is good are being torn down in front of our faces. Rioting, destruction, theft, murder, violence are all increasing because evil persepctives and beliefs are undermining the governments, the education systems, the militaries, the business corporations and more importantly the communities of the world.
What can we do? David asks. It is a most valid question. When we see our cities being burnt, and rioters stripping shops of their good, and people lay dead in the streets from violence, and war - what can we do?
In reality we can do nothing…and that is the grim truth of it. We can change how our government is responding to issues in our nation and abroad. What we can do is cry out in prayer and lament to the one who is in control of all things - God in heaven. Then trust him that he will protect us and keep us, even in the midst of great struggle and darkness.
Lawlessness and wicked deeds and evil hearts are also common themes throughout the Bible, and verses inform us of their impact and their evidence.
A) 2 Thessalonians 2:7 - “For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.”
B) Psalm 119:150 - “Lawless people are coming to attack me; they live far from your instructions.”
Verse 4: “But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.”
David points the reader to a significant truth in the central core of this psalm. “The Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven…” - notice the word ‘still’. That means currently, it means ongoing, it means in the days in which we live - God is still ruling over everything.
That fact should be of supreme encouragement to us. Even as things appear to be falling apart around us…God is ruling with divine authority from heaven. And there will be a time - very, very soon - where He will send His son to rule the Earth in all of His glory.
There are other scriptures that tell us that the Lord Almighty resides and rules from his Temple in Heaven, this shows us that not only that God is supreme ruler over everything, he is also the high priest of everything.
A) Acts 17:24 - “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”
B) Revelation 11:19 - “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.”
Verse 5: “The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.”
This verse links back in with Verse 2. Violence, evil and wickedness all are interwoven with each other, they are inseparable. And God hates them all.
Scriptures abound in the Bible talking about God’s hatred of violence and how it is linked to evil, such as Proverbs 13:2 informs us that “From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.”
But the real important point that David makes in this verse is the first statement - “The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked…”. This is about searching for the truth of a person (not what we can see on the outside but what is on the inside of them).
Consider Proverbs 5:21 which says “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.”
Or perhaps even 1 Chronicles 28:9 which says “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
God knows you better than we know ourselves. It might be time to ask the Lord for guidance on the areas of our lives that need to be made clean and sanctified.
Verse 6: He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.”
Does this sound familiar? It should. This is precisely what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah - towns whose inhabitants were filled with great wickedness.
It is also what is going to happen prior to Jesus’ return - evidence of this can be seen in Revelation 8:7 which informs us that during the trumpets that get sounded after the opening of the 7th Seal - “The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.”
God’s wrath is coming, and when it comes it shall be so devastating those who are not protected by God will quake with fear.
In the days that we live in, it might just be a good idea to be sure of which side you are on, and be right with the Lord.
Verse 7: “For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.”
God is a god of justice, his justice is perfect…but it isn’t our justice. Isaiah 55:8 reminds us of this where it says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”
Furthermore, in Isaiah 5:16 it informs us that, “…the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.”
Our justice is filled with vengeance. We want those that have harmed us to feel pain and suffering just as we have. But God’s justice is about eternal consequences. You see God can forgive sins (even when others sin against us he can forgive them if they repent), but those who continue to live evil, wicked lives…well they are directly standing against God, and he kinda takes that personal…so there are eternal consequences of that choice.
So, Psalm 11…a short but very powerful psalm by King David. One that we can relate to and resonate with in these dark days in which we reside. It is a psalm of courage and a psalm of hope.
Know this…God is in charge. He was back in David’s time, he is still in charge now, even as the world falls apart around us. Be strengthened by it, be encouraged by it…our hope will come to judge the world and to rescue the righteous.