Dwell in the Word: Psalm 11

Consider these questions as you dwell in Psalm 11:

1. How does David's trust in the Lord as his refuge contrast with the advice he receives from advisors in Psalm 11? What is the underlying threat David faces?

2. Why does David raise the question about the foundations being destroyed and its implications for the righteous in Psalm 11? How does he emphasize God's presence and watchfulness over his creation?

3. In Psalm 11, what is the nature of David's prayer for divine judgment upon the wicked? How does he express his confidence in God's righteousness and love for righteous deeds? How does this perspective relate to the Christian understanding of salvation through Jesus?

Subscribe to Dwell in the Word on Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Transcript:

We come to the eleventh chapter of the Psalter and we have another psalm that is attributed to David. Here we see some strong imagery about how David understands his relationship to Yahweh.

‌As we have seen many times so far in the first ten chapters and will continue to see as we move through the Psalms, the occasion for the writing of this psalm is a time of turmoil and where the psalmist is under attack of some kind. And we start out here without any indication that anything is wrong. It’s kind of like the game show jeopardy here. The psalm starts out with the answer. We see that David is taking refuge in the LORD and then he spells out how what is going on. It seems as though he has some advisors who think that he should run away. Basically, David is saying “Lord is my refuge so why would you suggest I take off like a bird to the mountain”. David trusts in the Lord to be his safety but some people think he should head for the hills. We read that this advise is coming his way because the wicked are bending their bow at him. It’s likely that this is more than just figurative language. Being king he would have felt the pressures of having enemies who would be looking to overthrow him and it explains why the advisors are telling him to get out of town. Those who are coming after him are playing for keeps. David isn’t just upset here because people are saying bad things about him. This is a threat of attack on him as the king of Israel.

‌As we move down to verse three then we see an important question being asked. If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do? In other words, if we just give up and let the enemies of God take over the city and the temple what would be left for the people of God? How would they go about their religious obligations? What would there lives be like if they didn’t have the kingdom and the temple? In response to this question he has asked David says that the Lord is in his holy temple and his throne is in heaven and he sees what is going. Even though God is in heaven, the psalmist wants us to know that he is not distant from his creation, he has an eye on them and in fact, he tests the righteous and he hates the wicked and those who are wicked and love violence. How will the people of God respond to this test? Will they love the law of God? Will they trust him? Will they seek him or will they be like the ones who are wicked and love violence.

‌And as the passage here closes up we see a prayer asking for divine judgment upon the wicked. It’s a harsh prayer asking for God to rain coals on the wicked and we see a recollection of the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah with the request for fire and sulfur to overcome them. And we see a familiar image from scripture with David talking about the portion of their cup. Blessings and curses are often referred to as a cup that are poured out and David believes that God will punish the wicked. And as the chapter closes up we read that the LORD is righteous and he loves righteous deeds and the upright shall behold his face. Just as David believes punishment is coming for the wicked he also trusts that reward comes to the righteous.

‌As we consider this Psalm for us today, we do so in light of what Jesus done for us. He has taken on the wrath of God for us and we are declared righteous because he has given us the gift of salvation and faith. He drank the cup of wrath for his people down to the dregs and so we know that our sins have been covered. Therefore, the call on our lives each and every day is to take refuge in this one who is our salvation. Regardless of what we face, we know that we are secure in the fortress of the LORD Jesus Christ. May we seek him and seek righteousness knowing that we shall one day, behold his face.