PSALM 11 This Psalm records the well-intentioned but faithless advice of David’s friends when he was a fugitive from King Saul. David lifts his eyes to the Lord to find faith in a time of testing. He knew the safest place to stand was in radical trust in God.
1In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.
5 The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.
6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face
SECTIONS
I. Trust in the Lord
II Urgent advice to Flee. Tells of plan of the Wickedness. Concern for fate of righteousand
II Psalmist tells reasons for Trust in the Lord
III Psalmist states fate of the wicked & righteous
or
(1) Introductory affirmation (11:1a);
(2) The Two Voices;
A. The Voice Urging Flight (11:1b-3);
B. The Voice Urging Faith (11:4-7).
THEME: genuine trust in the Lord’s protection in the midst of crisis
QUESTIONS:
What have David’s advisors told him to do and why?
What is David’s answer to them?
When in your life have you found yourself running away from a problem?
What is your natural reaction when you face fear? What is the first thing you do?
What do you think it means when David says in verse 5 The Lord examines (tests) the righteous?
What is the fate of the wicked in the end?
What does the Lord love? What does the Lord hate?
Sometimes there are circumstances in which it would be wise to flee from adversity. Jesus Himself fled from His enemies, and instructed His disciples to do so likewise (Matthew 10:23; John 10:39). At times, flight may be the will of God. Fleeing from the wicked or evil does not always indicate a lack of confidence in God’s ability to deliver. On this occasion David was assured that it was the will of God that he stay and face the wicked. Even though the fearful’s advice to flee was logical and reasonable, David had an eye of faith that could see beyond the reasonable. He believed in God, and thus spoke of his confidence to all those who doubted. (Psalm 116:10).
In this journey of faith, we do not walk by sight, but by faith (II Corinthians 5:7). David understood this well. He looked to the God who dwells in the heavens for his help. He would not trust in the natural world, but looked to the spiritual world. He was faced with a choice as to who he would put his confidence in: man or God? David chose to put his confidence in God.
Blueletterbible.org
In the years before he took the throne of Israel, David lived a fugitive’s life, constantly in danger and hunted by King Saul. During this time, friends advised him, “Flee as a bird to your mountain.” His friends meant well, but David knew it was the wrong thing to do. He reacts with near outrage: In the LORD I put my trust; how can you say “Flee as a bird to your mountain?” No matter how well intentioned his friends are, they’re giving him advice based on fear. This advice didn’t line up with David’s trust in God.
The advice is well meant, but ungodly. It’s like when Peter advised Jesus to not go the way of the cross (Matthew 16:22-23). We must be careful with the advice we give to others. We can be too confident in our own perception of a situation. Our motive can be good , but the advice wrong. David’s friends are trying to make him afraid of a secret attack. When we fear the things we can’t see, we are really walking in fear! David’s friends may have been using an element of manipulation too. They may have thought “Look, for his own good we have to get David to get out of here so let’s exaggerate things a little bit to get him to leave.” But it wasn’t justified. Manipulation is never right, even if it’s for a good cause.
When fear comes upon us, we can only have faith by spending time with the LORD. When we think about our problems, the advice of friends out of fear often overwhelm us. When we pray about our problems, the answer of faith assures our hearts. The LORD’s throne is in heaven: this is the source of David’s confidence. It is not foolhardiness or self-reliance. Instead, David has confidence in a holy, all-powerful, all-knowing God.
“His eyes behold”- David doesn’t need to take advice given out of fear, because he knows God sees his situation and is taking care of him. T”he LORD tests the righteous: again”- David is answering the question, If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” David answers, “The righteous know that the LORD is testing them, and because a loving God is testing them, they know they they won’t be forsaken. God is in conrol.
“Upon the wicked He will rain coals…” -God will punish the wicked. This gives David confidence. After all, if the ungodly persecute the righteous, how much more will the righteous God persecute the ungodly? For the LORD is righteous: this was a comfort and encouragement to David. When we are rebelling against the LORD, His righteousness is no comfort to us. But David knew he was the innocent victim of persecution, and he knew the righteous LORD would take up his cause.
David considers the greatness of God, and it outweighs the danger. For David, trusting God was the safest move of all. His friends may or may not have meant well, but David would not receive their advice of fear. Instead, he would answer with faith.
Explainingthe book.com
In today’s society you hear many news reports. Aren’t there some jobs you’d like to avoid right now? Would you get a lot of encouragement from our mainstream culture to be a Christian politician these days? Or what about being a police officer? Imagine the scrutiny and constant danger. If you make one mistake – you might be dead or end up on the evening news for making the wrong move. And you won’t get much sympathy, either way. How about being a Pastor? As a pastor you’re open to all sorts of attacks. Many attacks are from outside the church – from a culture that’s increasingly hostile to the Gospel message and to what, for centuries, would be considered normal Christian living.
FEAR might be a strong deterrent for many who would want to enter any of these vocations today.- Fear of persecution, of what people might think, of being misunderstood, of being forced to do something against your conscience, of imprisonment if you make the wrong move.
I’m not trying to absolve the wrongdoings of anyone in any of these groups that I’ve mentioned. I’m simply saying that there are many reasons for a Christian, who wants to do the right thing, to fear entering these vocations. David experienced similar thoughts in Psalm 11. And these thoughts were apparently being put into his head by others planting seeds of doubt into his heart. David’s was faced with a choice: flee from trouble or face it with the Lord’s help.
Being a Christian baker or police officer is fraught with difficulties these days. What about being the king of Israel? David had to let his faith in God overcome his fear of the wicked. Be encouraged by David’s resolve, which we could summarize in this statement: “Let Your Trust in the Lord Remove Your Fear of Evil.”
David flees to God for protection and comfort. He finds God as strong and immovable and safe as any fortress could ever be. How many times have you fled to the Lord? When we flee to God we will experience his comfort and protection – spiritually and even physically. We could flee from difficulties. Or we could learn a lesson from David and how does he responds to the threat of wicked people around him?
David reminds himself of the Lord’s position. Do you remind yourself of that? When you read the news or hear of troubling realities in this world, do you remind yourself of God’s lofty position of sovereignty? The wicked target the righteous on the earth. But no matter what happens to his people, the Lord our King will never be defeated. The wicked can rebel against him – they do all the time. But they’ll never defeat him. He’s in charge and sovereign. David reminds himself of that truth in order to think and respond correctly to this discouraging report.
The Lord tries the righteous. To “try” means to test or examine. The word “test” in this case means as if testing metal. Zacharia 13:9 uses this term to refer to refining silver or purifying gold. Refining metals involves intense heat. Heat melts away the impurities in that metal and leaves the metal more pure and strong and valuable.
God is pictured doing this to two groups of people.Verse 5 – the Lord specifies that he does this to the righteous. He “tests” or purifies the righteous in many ways. One way to check our genuine faith and to increase our purity is by allowing us to hear and experience discouraging things, as David did. But when do you receive reports that threaten your very life? Or reports that your livelihood could be in danger if you continue to follow the Lord? Right now, you’re seeing all around you indications that the very foundations of our society are crumbling around us. You are in a different world than a few decades ago. Soon, it might cost you your life to be a Christian. People just seeking health, wealth, a good time, and social prestige will be tested and found not to be genuine. But when the Lord tries the righteous, they draw closer to Christ and cling to him. They abandon sin in their life.
The Lord purges and purifies his own. But the wicked – the ones who just love violence – especially the kind of which the righteous is the target – those kinds of people God hates. Does that shock you? Do you wonder if “hate” means something different? Well, it doesn’t. Don’t be offended by that. It’s the truth and it’s meant to comfort you. The Lord will rain some pretty awful things down upon these men, but we’re not authorized to do that. David isn’t even thinking of taking this kind of retribution into his own hands. He’s confident that God will avenge him and his group of righteous men.
The Lord will rain down fire and brimstone just as he did upon Sodom and Gomorrah for their many horrendous sins. This was to serve as an example for those who would live ungodly lives. And I think it’s noteworthy – the righteous and the wicked both are pictured as experiencing fire. The fire applied to us proves our genuineness and increases our purity, strength, and value. On the other hand, the fire applied to the wicked will destroy them.
And so why fear the wicked? Why be shaken by reports that they’re out to get you? Are you fearing evil men? Are you afraid that some day they’ll rise up and even take your life? Are you feeling like the very foundations around us are crumbling? Don’t fear. Be like King David and Let Your Trust in the Lord Remove Your Fear of Evil.
Scripturestudies.com
We say we have faith in God, but when tested, how does our faith stand up? Do we crumble at the first sign of affliction? Does our faith remain strong? Where do you flee when your faith is tested?
David lived a life full of testings. As a shepherd, he was attacked by lions and bears (I Sam. 17:37); he battled Goliath (I Sam. 17:45); he was pursued by King Saul (I Sam. 19-31). He spared Saul’s life twice when he had opportunity to kill him (I Sam. 24; I Sam. 26). As king, David faced civil wars (2 Sam. 3), angry Philistines (II Sam. 5), and a rebellious son bent on killing him (2 Sam. 13). David’s was a life tested.
What good would an untested, unproven faith be? Many say that they believe in God, that they trust in God, but mere words mean nothing. Faith, to be discerned, must be tested; and faith, to be tested, must bear affliction. We learn the extent of our faith by seeing how well it stands up under affliction. A fair-weather faith is no faith at all.
One of the best ways to demonstrate our faith is to trust in God. Trust in God is essential for a child of God. What child distrusts his own father? We should run to Him when trouble comes; we should listen to Him, not others, in times of trouble. This is what David does-“In the LORD I take refuge.”
In spite of David’s stated faith, he is advised to “flee like a bird to [his] mountain.” David is upset at this advice. He says, in effect, “Knowing my trust in God, how can you suggest such a thing?”
We are not told who gave David this advice. Quite possibly, it came from his friends and allies. The best of friends are capable of giving the worst advice. For example, when Jesus told Peter of His upcoming death and resurrection, Peter rebuked Him, saying: “Never, Lord!… This shall never happen to You” (Matt. 16:22). Christ’s response was: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.” Peter, in giving his advice, had the best of intentions, but his advice was wrong. We must test all advice, even that from Christians.
Temptations to distrust God are common. Satan wants God’s children to lose confidence in their Father, and so he uses whom he can to plants seeds of doubt in believers’ minds. David’s advisors try to get him to lose his faith in God. Our faith is our best defense. We are told by Paul to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). When the “flaming arrows” fly, we do not need a place to flee, but a stronger trust in God.
To encourage David to flee he’s told, “For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.” David was facing a grim situation. His was not an unchallenged faith. The danger was imminent.
In addition, the advisor warns “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Iniquity and injustice were apparently widespread. The advisor sees the moral fabric of society as “the foundation,” and sees no hope for the righteous. In our times, we see the same thing. We witness the eroding of morality in society and decline in faith, and we wonder: “What can I do? Where can I flee?”
But he advisor is mistaken (as many are today) in his use of “foundations”. What is the true foundation? Is it a moral society, or a God-fearing government, or a Bible-believing church? No. The true foundation is God. Anyone who builds on any other foundation builds on shaky ground. The true foundation is everlasting, unwavering, undefeated, and indestructible. David responds by describing the true foundation: “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne.” The advisor sees only the external conditions and his view of the situation is based on fear and a lack of trust that God is in control. David’s view is based on faith and trust.
Dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com
We live in a day and age when the foundations of our biblical faith and the fabric of godly living are being systematically attacked by every quarter of society and dismantled in all areas of life. The unalterable truth of Scripture is discarded by liberal ‘Christians’ and evolving atheists alike.
Governments in general and society at large are systematically smashing down all the foundations of truth and the istitutions of God. They are being replaced with rational relativism; a distortion of what’s true; a celebration of evil; a contempt of God and desire to wipe out faith.
Often good men despair as apostasy sweeps through the Church & world and biblical truths are being destroyed by a Christ-rejecting sinful world. Often the desperate and despairing cry of the righteous is: if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The message of this psalm is confidence in God and an unshakable faith in his eternal plans and purposes.We are not to flee as a bird into the mountain but to place our trust in God. We are not to despair when the wicked flourish. We are not to tremble at what man can to do, for our hope is in the Lord. We must never forget that the Lord hates wicked and prideful men, who celebrate evil through violence and ungodliness – and the day is coming when they’ll stand before His judgement
No matter what circumstance we face in life, our hope is in God and our trust is in His unshakable Word of truth. When our hearts start to fear what is coming on the world or we cry out in despair: what can the righteous do?’ – Let us stand fast on the eternal truth of the gospel in these increasingly evil days – and remember that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Bible-studys.org
The foundation of society has been almost totally destroyed today. Our ancestors would be hurt deeply, if they could see the terrible things our society calls normal behavior. The United States was founded as a Christian nation to begin with. Today, most just turn their back to the filth on television, movies, books, and even common conversation on the street corner. What can the righteous do? We can raise a standard of righteousness and holiness where we are. Christians, do not participate in any of this. Set a standard for you and your family and live by it, then try to encourage others to live better too. The best thing to do is read your Bible every day, and find out what the will of God is, and then do His will. You may not change the world, but you can change the spot where you live. Refuse to be a part of anything you know is not of God.
My reflection on Psalm 11
I love the absolute confidence that David has in God. Oh to have the faith of David! Confidence is defined as full trust in; belief in the powers of, trustworthiness or reliability of a person! What a great definition. It’s also the belief or conviction that an outcome will be favorable. I love how in Wikipedia it says that self-confidence is trusting oneself. Arrogance or hubris is having unmerited confidence, and believing someone is capable or correct when they are not. We think our personal judgment, talents etc. will get us what we want in life. We fall into into self-confidence instead of God confidence. I’m learning more each day to turn to God with all my decisions. Should we move or take that job? Is that really where you want us to go or is that our plan for ourselves?
The dictionary uses faith, confidence, trust, and belief interchangeably. I love that trust and faith go hand in hand. I used to think they were different. I could believe there was a God but do I trust everything he lets happen in my life? Do I trust him with my life decisions? Do I have confidence he knows what he’s doing even when everything seems to be going horribly wrong? I’ve seen God work miracles in my life. The miracle of salvation, the miracle of saving me from so many thing that could have hurt me that I didn’t see coming. The miracle of his healing love, the miracle of healing me of certain medical conditions. How many miracles do I need to see before I quit questioning the God of the universe and his plan for my life? I long for the faith that moves mountains but I know I’m a work in progress!
If some country should attack our nation on our soil with soldiers and weapons landing nearby my home would I flee like a bird because we were being attacked? Or would I seek God first and stand my ground if he told me to stay put. That decision could mean I live or die. I hope I never see the day my world crashes in around me as David saw his. Yet he could say with confidence, trust, and faith, “God is in his holy temple. He observes. He sees me and knows what’s happening. I will not run away and take refuge in the mountain. I’ll take refuge in God and not anything else! He trusted God to bring justice, “On the wicked he will rain down fiery coals.” Oh God, give me the faith of your servant David.
SONG: Faith is our Victory, Victory in Jesus, Mighty to Save, If I Stand, Trust and Obey, Rock of Ages