Psalm 11 | A Foundation Like No Other

I enjoy reading blogs and articles.

The first sentence in Psalm 11 acts like a summary sentence in an article and then the rest of the article expands on that idea.

David first sentence states: “In the LORD I take refuge.” David is going through a very trying time where the foundations of society are falling apart. Wicked people are coming after him.

Notice: The first three verses paint a hopeless picture.

Ps 11:1“1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul (somebody is speaking to David), “Flee like a bird to your mountain,

The verb “flee” (נוּד) means “move to and fro, wander aimlessly, retreat, flee, fly away.” (Allen Ross)

Sometimes is okay to flee persecution (Jesus said/Paul did). What is not okay is to give up and given in to fear and become paralyzed in your faith.

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;

The enemy comes after those who want to live for Jesus.

2 Tim 3:12 “12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

David is being attacked simply because he wants to please God.

[same person speaking to David] v.3, “...if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?””

I’m glad you asked.

The first three verses paint a hopeless picture while the rest of the chapter paints a hope-filled picture.

Main Idea: A SOCIETY THAT IS FALLING APART NEEDS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO ARE NOT

Realities

The LORD rules the world

The Lord examines the hearts

The Lord is judges the earth

The Lord will ____ His face

The LORD rules the world

When David is asked,“if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”” His answer is simply,

4a“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven

In other words, “The Lord rules the world” which is also known as The sovereignty of God.

He is King and Lord over his creation.

He is in control over all things including his plan of redemption for humanity.

His divine name (YHWH), expresses that he indeed rules the universe for he is the one who was, who is and who forever shall be

When the foundations are being destroyed, God doesn’t freak out.

When the foundations are being destroyed, God gives his people an encouragement to glance at the problem but then gaze at God.

Look up!

David’s’ confident declaration, The Lord is in his holy temple; The Lord’s throne is in heaven” remind me of Isaiah 6. Isaiah ministered during a time where society was falling apart and Judah’s king had died.

Isaiah 6:1“1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

On Tuesday November 4, 2024 we will vote for a US President.

I don’t know who is going to be the president on January 2025, but I can tell you who is going to be sitting on heaven’s throne.

On Tuesday November 3, 2026 we will vote for a Minnesota governor.

I don’t know who is going to be the governor on January 2027, but I can tell you who is going to be sitting on heaven’s throne.

The LORD, YHWH is on the throne. YHWH: the one who was, who is and who forever shall be

Presidents and governors have come and and are now gone but The Lord God is still on his throne. Pastor’s have come and are now gone but God is still on his throne.

Is it possible that one of the reasons why we are so anxious and depressed is because we lose sight of who is sitting on Heaven’s Throne? Instead our eyes are set on who is sitting in the Oval Office.

David declares that the headquarters of God’s Kingdom is in the heavens which confirms that he is the sovereign king over the affairs of the world.

We ought to remember these simple words: “He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

A SOCIETY THAT IS FALLING APART NEEDS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO ARE NOT

Remember, God rules the world. I recently became aware of the friendship between Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon.

Luther was the leader of the church reformation movement in Europe in the 1500s. Luther had questioned some teachings and practices by the Roman Catholic Church. He was excommunicated from the church in January 1521. In April of that same year he found himself answering allegations of heresy at the Diet of Worms in front of an assembly of princes and bishops overseen by the Holy Roman Emperor. All Luther had to do was to “recant” and things would go back to normal. He responded with these n, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me.”

From that moment Luther was running for his life. Luther’s friend and right-hand guy was Philip Melanchthon. Melanchthon was a very nuanced scholar and very good with how he said things but had a little defect, he was a worrier.

Melanchthon would often freak out and say, “Luther run for your life or you going to get arrested. If you get arrested then the reformation movement is going to come an end.”And Luther would look at Melanchthon and say, “Let Philip cease to rule the world.”

I can relate to Philip for there are times when I am trying to rule the world.

“Let Philip cease to rule the world.”

Turn to your neighbor.... “Please cease to rule the world.”

(1) the LORD rules the world

The LORD examines the hearts

Ps 11:4-5 “4 his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.”

David uses human terms to describe God’s actions (anthropomorphisms)

His eyes see

His eyelids test the children of man. This is probably a reference to squinting the eyes in order to focus on an object.

God is deeply involved in the lives on his people. For God’s people, God’s tests are good. God’s test are purposeful. They are not mean nor meaningless. It’s called a “foundation test” to see what your life is built on.

"Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so that you will discover that He is the rock at the bottom." Tony Evans

Ps 11:3 “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?””

if the foundations are destroyed, what is left? God is.

Let me ask you, Is he your foundation? Any foundation other than God is going to be destroyed.

“The Lord test the righteousness” in order to show you who/what your foundation really is.

In Psalm 11, the LORD was testing David’s heart with the threat of anarchy and persecution in order to test and strengthen the foundation of David’s life.

Tim Keller tells the following story: A lumberjack went out to cut down trees. He looked up, and he was about to cut a tree down. He saw a bird making a nest in the tree. So in mercy, he took the side of his ax, and he clobbered that tree and shook it.

That poor little bird, after it had kind of cerebral hemorrhage almost, figured out, “I can’t do it here.” So it moved over to the next tree and started to build a nest in the next tree. The lumberjack said, “Oh no! I’m going to cut that tree down too. I have to cut all these trees down.” So he went over there, and he started to pound on that tree until the bird was shaken. Then she flew over to the next tree, and she started to make a nest. He keeps pounding the different trees, relentlessly dogging and harassing this bird until finally it flew up and made its nest in a rock.

The LORD examines the heart in order to reveal and show us where our foundation truly is.

A SOCIETY THAT IS FALLING APART NEEDS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO ARE NOT

Our society needs followers of Jesus who stand on Jesus the rock.

(1) the LORD rules the world

(2) the LORD examines the hearts

The Lord loves righteous deeds

Ps 11:5-7 “5 The Lord tests the righteous, 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. 7 For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”

It is so tempting to go along with the culture. To say, what is the point of living a life of integrity?

A SOCIETY THAT IS FALLING APART NEEDS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO ARE NOT

In other words, we are called to champion righteousness in the midst of a corrupt society even when faced with opposition.

Notice the contrast between those seek to please God and those who live for themselves. The Lord loves righteous deeds but his soul hates the wicked.

Ps 5:4-6 “4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

God and His Word is the standard of righteousness. Whatever does not measure up to this standard is sin.

It is so tempting to go along with the culture and join the “deceive one another” movement in order to get ahead in life.

God on the other hand says, “I love righteous deeds.”

Do you want to have an impact in our society? What does that look in everyday life.

Students. Use whatever tools you have at your disposal, but make sure your work is your original work. No plagiarizing. Remember the Lord loves righteous deeds.

Contractors, construction workers,, plumbers and electricians. Don’t cut corners. Be honest about your work and the quality of the materials. (My dad worked for a contractor who would find ways to cheat customers). Remember the Lord loves righteous deeds.

Car dealers and mechanics. Please be honest. Most of us don’t have a way to inspect your work. We trust you when you tell us that you changed the oil and the oil filter. And please don’t charge for extra thing such as “blinker fluid.” Remember the Lord loves righteous deeds.

Business owners. Make sure you treat and compensate your employees well. People bear the image of God. Remember the Lord loves righteous deeds.

All, make sure to avoid cutting corners for the sake of getting ahead. Remember the Lord loves righteous deeds.

It is temping to think of Psalm 11 in terms of religion: Do this, don’t do that.

But v.7 ends with a beautiful promise.

Ps 11:7 “7 For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”

The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.” When we seek the face of God, we are seeking His presence.

Seeking God’s face means desiring to know him deeply and wanting His presence more than anything this world could offer.

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God (health, wealth, prosperity)

Gospel: I obey God to get God – to delight in and resemble him.

Religion uses a language of transaction, but the gospel uses a language of relationship.

In Christ, we are made right with God. We are given the righteousness of Christ.

A SOCIETY THAT IS FALLING APART NEEDS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO ARE NOT