Psalm 11 | Throwing It All Away
DAVID GOFF | August 5, 2020
In the Lord I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?
The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.
On September 11, 2001, soon after the terrorist
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Secret Service decided
that the safest place for President George W. Bush was on Air Force One.
The time spent in the air was filled with both uncertainty and
an intense fear of the unknown. After many hours, the Secret Service insisted
that the President not return to Washington D.C. The risk of a second wave of
attacks raised by the CIA seemed too dangerous to justify a return. Yet despite
their calls to retreat, the President responded by stating, “I’m coming home.” Later
that evening, Air Force One arrived in Washington, D.C., where he was able to
address the nation from the White House.
In Psalm 11, we see David facing a similarly dire
and tempting situation. Those around him encouraged him to throw away God’s
call on his life and flee for “safety” in the mountains. Despite the peril, David’s
faith in the Lord empowered him to stand firm.
In reflecting upon David’s response, we glean two truths to
encourage our faith and endurance in our circumstances:
The Lord is sovereign over your struggle
In Psalm 11, we see right from the first verse that David is
being tempted by those around him to consider abandoning his post and fleeing
for safety. Their words entice him saying, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”
(Psalm 11:1). Fleeing must have seemed like a reasonable option for David as he
was under a great deal of danger at the time. He describes his enemy’s
readiness to attack him as archers who “make ready their arrow on the string”
(11:2).
Yet, despite the difficulty, David stands his ground by focusing
on God’s sovereignty and holiness. In verse 4, David proclaims that the Lord and
His throne reside in His holy temple. The word “holy” describes the Lord as
being set apart and perfect in all ways, including His plans for David. David
could rest in knowing all that God ordains for his life is best. This would be
a truth that David could hold onto throughout his life, whether it be waiting
for a long seven years after being anointed to take the throne of Israel or
dealing with his rebellious son, Absalom.
This truth is also a helpful reminder in our own lives. When
God’s plans for our life seem hard - we may look for an easy way out. But we
should remember that He has a purpose, our good, and His glory in mind through
it all.
You might be thinking to yourself, knowing that God’s plans for
my life are perfect is very encouraging. But, does God understand all the
specific challenges I am going through?
The Lord knows all the details
The second encouragement we see in this Psalm is the fact that
the Lord knows all the details of our circumstances. We see this clearly in the
words, “…His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the
righteous…” (11:4-5).
When we think of God seated in His throne in heaven, we can
forget that He sees everything and is involved with all the details of our
lives. The prophet Jeremiah says it this way:
I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:10)
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that God is far away and
aloof. Take comfort in the fact that His all-seeing eye penetrates the hearts
and minds of every individual. As He sovereignly works out His will in your
life - He is also doing the same with each person around us. What an amazing
thing to consider and an amazing God we worship!
When God’s plan for our life seems hard - we may be tempted by
those around us to throw it all away. Yet, when we remind ourselves of the beautiful
truth that the Lord is sovereign and knows every detail of each struggle - we
can be encouraged. And when the voices of the tempters come, like David, we can
confidently put our trust in the Lord.
David
Goff is the Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church, Washington MI