PSALM 11 : “When the Foundations are destroyed … continue to trust in God.”

David often had to run for cover during the course of his life. He had to escape from Saul’s fury numerous times and on one occasion he even had to flee from one of his own sons, Absalom, who had led a palace revolt against his father. In the midst of such challenging and dark days, David composed some of his most helpful, wonderful, God- centered Psalms. This is one of them. You might even say that the opening line of Psalm 11, “In the LORD I take refuge” was one of David’s mottos ! 

These verses contain an account of a great temptation to David’s soul. He was tempted here to distrust God. It appears as if someone was beginning to sow doubt into David’s mind, telling him that it was time to escape from a certain situation. Perhaps it was even his own self, talking to himself, causing him to doubt God’s goodness and sufficiency, telling him to flee from a given situation (e.g. like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, when he was tempted to flee from Jezebel into the desert of Sinai). 

It seems that David was responding to such a person (or perhaps even to himself) saying, “how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain?” Do we not know such times when we have been tempted by the thoughtless counsel of our friends? Good friends can sometimes, in the name of love give us pragmatic rather than godly counsel. At other times we ourselves may be our worst own enemies. We are often inclined to listen to voices in our head (inspired by fear or self- preservation), whereby we are tempted to run away from a given situation, when we actually need to stay and trust God in that situation. David, good theologian that he was knew in his heart what was right. This is seen by his response: ….“how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain?“ David was responding to this by speaking truth to himself, “A refuge other than the Lord? Never!“ 

Clearly, whoever was talking to him saw no hope for David’s present situation: 

“David, your God cannot protect you in this situation. Flee!” Such times are dangerous, for our fleeing may actually lead us away from the will of God. 

"David, you cannot trust God with this. You have to escape and flee to the mountains to take refuge there!” If it is the voice in our head that is talking to us, then we need to respond by not allowing self to talk to us, but it is essential at such a time for us speak to self! 

 That is what David does here,“Now listen,” he says to himself, and the moment he starts to speak truth to himself he has the victory. 

Psalm 42, of the sons of Korah, takes a similar approach. 

The threat to David’s soul was undoubtedly very real. Perhaps Saul or Saul’s men were waiting to assassinate David while he was on his way from here to there… [2] for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart. 

Here is David’s dilemma: 

[3] if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 

Under Saul’s government the foundations of righteousness and law and justice were being destroyed. For this reason God had already withdrawn from Saul. And Saul knowing that David was to be his successor could not accept that fact and tried to kill him many times. 

What is the man of God to do in such a case? Flee like a bird to the mountains? 

I like the answer that Charles Spurgeon gives [1]: 

“His answer to the question, "What can the righteous do?" would be the counter-question, "What cannot they do?" When prayer engages God on our side, and when faith secures the fulfillment of the promise, what cause can there be for flight, however cruel and mighty our enemies? With a sling and a stone, David had smitten a giant before whom the whole hosts of Israel were trembling, and the Lord, who delivered him from the uncircumcised Philistine, could surely deliver him from King Saul … There is no such word as "impossibility" in the language of faith…” 

David knew better. 

Throughout his life David had known God’s favour and protection. 

It was God that had made him king. 

It was God that was going to keep him in this hour of trial. David’s greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ knew this when His hour of greatest trial had come. Jesus did not flee from the cup. He stayed, and He prayed, “not my will but your will be done!” (Luke 22:42) 

DAVID’S REPLY TO DOUBT 

 

Where is God at this time of crisis? 

Where is God when I need him most? He is where He always is. 

David says, [4] The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; I may not know how I will get out of this crisis, but I shall rest assured that He knows the way that I should take. 

“…his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.” (v.4). God is in control. He sees everything. That is David’s comfort. He knows that he has a Sovereign Protector who is in control of his life and his destiny. He is on his throne observing and examining everything that sinners would do against the righteous. 

WORDS OF PERSPECTIVE AND WARNING 

1. Perspective

[5a] The LORD tests the righteous, 

The Bible teaches us time and again that our heavenly Father permits his children to undergo crises, trials of our faith, to test us and to help us to see what is in our hearts, and to learn thus that our dependence is entirely upon the Lord. In this there is no evil intention towards his children. It is based on His fatherly love for His children. As a father He disciplines his children (Hebr.12:3ff) 

2. Warning

[5b- 6] … but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. [6] Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 

The picture here reminds us of Genesis 19 (Sodom and Gomorrah) when God rained fire and brimstone upon these ungodly cities – suddenly and unexpected. This will be the way when Christ returns – suddenly and unexpected. (Matt. 24,25) 

It will be a great shock for the wicked, who have thought that God would never do this. The righteous need to remind themselves of this and take heart that God has not forgotten them. 

Here is the final reminder of that fact: 

[7] For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. 

That is how the Psalm ends – with an assurance of God’s love for those who will trust in the Lord ! 

APPLICATION  

The crisis of faith for David occurs in vv. 2&3,  “how can you say to my soul, “Flee (plural) like a bird to your mountain, for behold , the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted the arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 

The assault is directed against the heart of David’s trust in God – and in God’s Word to David. 

This is what happens so very often in the lives of believers. 

Their confidence in God gets shaken and when this happens they look for alternative measures. 

 Be careful when this happens. 

 The question that Satan posed to Eve in the garden of Eden, “Has God really said?” (Gen 3:1), remains Satan’s standard question and basis of assault upon us. 

When the authority and the veracity of God’s word is undermined what can the righteous do?  Here are a number of ways in which the Namibian church is currently being tempted and tested with respect to her trust in the Lord: 

1. Much of Namibian church leadership draws attention to their own authority and wisdom and not God’s authority and Word. It is men and women with big titles (Reverend, bishop, apostle) that rule the church by their own authority, and not under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. 
2. Much of church worship is not Christ centered but man centered. Many Namibian churches engage in no serious attempt to make the Word of God known to their congregations. Much of what is called ‘preaching’ is based on the imitation of messages preached by American and African health- wealth and prosperity teachers. Messages resemble ‘motivational speaking’ characterized by modern business gurus, and ‘pop psychology’,which is a rehash of Dr. Phil and Oprah Winfrey and the likes, dressed up in Christian language. Most often it is not Christ and His word proclaimed that attracts people to the church. It is music and innovative stage productions that draw people who want to be entertained. In Namibia, endless choir items, liturgical dances etc. tend to crowd out the place of the preached word. In many Namibian churches you will find little or no systematic and public reading of the Bible in worship, but you will find plenty of testimonies that glorify men and not God. 
3. Many churches (particularly the older ‘main line’ churches) are succumbing to theological liberalism, tampering with the authority of the Bible by saying things like, 

• “…the Bible is not the Word of God – the Bible becomes the Word of God as it encounters me”. 
• Others say that the Bible is not the Word of God but the word of men about God. 
• Other streams of liberal teaching which make a direct assault on the foundations of historic, biblical Christianity are movements like the Jesus seminar which denies the miracles of Christ and who teach among many things that Jesus was not really  resurrected. They teach that belief in the  resurrection is based on the visionary experiences of  Petyer, Mary and Paul - and therefore they say that these are subjective expoperiences that cannot be verified. 
• Postmodernism another of these liberal streams, denying that you can know anything written in the Bible for sure. Clearly such an undermining of Christ and the clear words of Christ in the name of what is commonly called ‘scholarship’ and ‘academic integrity’ and ‘the new hermeneutic‘ is devastating to many a sincere believer. 
• Liberal theology in its many forms is deeply subversive, undermining the foundations of the historical Christian faith, and so  we may rightly  say, “if the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). We observe the impact that liberalism has on the church. We see how it lowers the spiritual temperature of the churches. We see it in the way in which our churches have very little real impact upon our society. 
• The standard response of churches who no longer believe in the authority of Christ and the sufficiency of His Word is to get churches involved in social projects that have an appearance of relevance in the community. Now, nobody despises soup kitchens and the clothing of the poor and the looking after orphans and widows. These are indeed the out-workings of a biblical faith, but this is not the core activity of the church. It flows from the core activity of the church, which is the preaching of the gospel, with conviction, clarity and utter confidence that Jesus will change the heart of the man or woman who will look to Him and believe in Him. 
• Our churches are not primarily social clubs or social welfare organisations. Churches are life- saving stations where sinners are mended and healed to be offered up for service to this broken world in the Name of Jesus our King! And our service always begins with the Word of God.

So, what can believers do when the foundations are being destroyed? David’s answer is this: 

1. Don’t flee. Stand resolute! Don’t abandon your position on the authority of Scripture! 

2. Know that God is in charge. He is in His temple. He is on the throne. 

3. Know that He makes a distinction between the wicked and the righteous. 

4. Know that He has appointed a day of judgement, and if you will be patient you will see His deliverance and in time to come you will see the wicked judged. You will see His face! 

[1] Treasury of David: C.H. Spurgeon, Psalm 11