My Refuge

Intro

When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteouss do?

We used to have two grain elevators in the small town that I grew up near. We used to take our old grain trucks there to sell grain. One of the trucks had dual exhaust cut off at the gas tank, the other had not much for brakes, both had no power steering. But we would fill these trucks and take them to the elevator and talk to the elevator op[erator. I was always amazed at how the grain could go from a pit in the ground, all the way up to the top of the elevator and then into the bins. But asd ytime went on people stopped going to the local elevators and started going to bigger centers or cement inlanmd terminals. It was a money losing prospect, so they either sold them to local farmers or tore them down. Well one of the elevators was sold and moved to a big farmer in the area, I cant remember how they moved it. But they started by tearing one down.

They started by tearing away at the foundations of the massive building. then when they had enough torn away from the foundation so they could make it fall a certaing way they would tear the rest away and let it fall. I remember coming back from school, the bus driver knew the elevator would be torn down that day, most of the community and area where there. So instead of dropping the kids off at home, he drove the bus to the area (iumagine doing that now) and let us watch. I was in High school by then. The excavator pushed againet the building, bairley being help up and the old building, with decades of grain dust stuck in it fell down and dissappeared in a cloud of dust and dirt. Then we all got off the bus to find our parents.

When the enemies approach, when the foundations crumble what do we do? do we crumble and fall like those old garain elevators? or do we take refuge in the Lord. David wrote some Psalms based on His life from the inspiration of God after having to run and we are going to go through a few of them. But based on what is going on in your life, what is your responser going to be: refuge in Yahweh of run for the Hills? Trust in the face of chaos is countercultural, but that is what we are called to do.

HBI - When evil seems to prevail and moral foundations collapse, the righteous must remain steadfast in trust, knowing that God still reigns, observes all, and will bring justice in His time.

1-3 - run away.

Psalm 11:1 CSB

I have taken refuge in the Yahweh. How can you say to me, “Escape to the mountains like a bird!

Remember what had been going on in the life of David. The tmeptation to flee, if there was any time, now would be it.

There are few threats that is being faced here. There is a physical threat being faced by Davd from the wicked, and the threat from people around David saying flee. I believe this is a metaphor, not for literally fleeing from danger as in running away from the theif that is going to rob you, but rather fleeing from Yahweh instead of to Him.

There is a sttement of faith

In Yahweh I have taken refuge, how can you then say to my soul...?

This is saying that He trusts in the Lord in spite of all that has been going on in His life. He rejects the idea to flee from God but rather asks a rhetorical question, Ho then can I flee from the Lord when He is my refuge?

and then the question of fear, coming seemingly from the counsel of some people around him

Escape to the mountains like a bird

Run away little birdie they tell Him. It seems like they do not have the wellbeing of Him at heart. “Where is your God”. This could almost be a way of chipping away at His foundation of God. Flee from your foundation, flee from the wicked for they will get you.

Psalm 11:2–3 CSB

For look, the wicked string bows; they put their arrows on bowstrings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

There is a real threat. Even in our lives there is a real threat

The reason to flee is seen here, the wicked are coming after you, they are trying to take you down, to chip away at your fvoundation in God.

but the question is when this does happen where are the upright in heart going to turn? When there is nothing left in the world to turn to what do you do? When the only course of action in life is to flee where do we turn for guidance and help? The world would tell us “every man for himself”. At least most people would. But the question is answered right at the very beginning of the passage, what are the righteouss to do?

Psalm 11:1 CSB

I have taken refuge in the Lord. How can you say to me, “Escape to the mountains like a bird!

Now this starts to make more sense, how can I take refuge in anything else when Yahweh is my refuge. This can be referenced in the NT as well.

Hebrews 6:18–20 CSB

so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Two unchangable things, God will never change, his plans will always come to pass and we can trust His word. Those are all part of one aspect of God. The second thing is that we can run to the Lord and take refuge in Him We can have eternal hope in the one true God. So we run to God in the midst of all that is going n in this life because He is our hope. We will come back to this later, more reasons why we can trust in the Lord to be our refuge in the midst of all that is going on.

vs 4-6

Psalm 11:4 CSB

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord—his throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; his gaze examines everyone.

The panicked flee in the face of danger, in the face of hate, in the face of evil. but we have a reminder. We cry out many times, where is God?

Yahweh is in His holy temple, that is God is in heaven, seated on His throne, in control as He lways ha been. The Lord still sees us and what we are going through. God is unperturbed by the chaos but does that mean that the Lord does not care at all for us? He remains unperturbed and unchanged by all that is going on, but does that mean he doesnt care?

Psalm 11:5–6 CSB

The Lord examines the righteous, but he hates the wicked and those who love violence. Let him rain burning coals and sulfur on the wicked; let a scorching wind be the portion in their cup.

Though God is not changed by the evil in the world we a personification of the character of God in that His anger will be poured out on those that do evil and violence and do not know God.

This is why the Lord can be our refuge, because he is unchanged by what goes on in the world, it will not spoil the plan of God.

the Lord sees, the Lord tests the Lord is righteouss and reigns on His throne. So this tells us that Yahweh possesses both the power and the character to counter and destory the wicked and there will be a day that He does this. This is to testify that Yahweh is a relevent, current active power in the world, even though we may not see it all the time. and not only thast, the Lord has the wisdom and the power to discern the righteouss - who live their lives for God, and the wicked - who even thoughthey may pretend can not fool God.

God is actively involved in the world, the Lord examines and sees the righteouss and the wicked and will judge them. So we should not confuse the Lord’s patience with inactivitey. the Bible is a little more clear on God’s involvement in the world and how sometimes people see what would look like inactivitey to God not caring but we need to understand a few things.

2 Peter 3:8–10 CSB

Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.

This passage, we forget sometimes, is dealing with the day of the Lord, the judgement of the wicked, the day of judgement. It is all in the timeing of God who is going to come like a theif in the night and we will not know the day or the hour but the factthat it is going to come but the Lord is outside of time and it will be his timing.

But rest assured that the Lord is going to come, He is going to judge the living and the dead. so we must take refuge in the Lord and give our lives to Him for we do not know the day or the hour. We must run to the Lord God and not away from Him when the danger comes, we must trust in the Lord for He does care for us. God is mighty, unchanged by the evil in the world and will come to judge and hold accounmtable the evil in the world. But the Lord still does Care for us.

1 Peter 5:6–7 CSB

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

The Lord does care for us. Thios passage is in reference to believers, but the Lord loved the world enough to send even His son to die for sin so that we could fin freedom in Him. But the Lord cares for the righteouss and therefore we are called to cast all our cares upon the Lord. God is not someone that is impassive and uncaring. Though the Lord is on His throne, we are still told the Lod cares for and will bless the righteoua, those that put there hope and faith in the Lord.

But with that in mind we remember the punishment for the wicked.

Psalm 11:6 CSB

Let him rain burning coals and sulfur on the wicked; let a scorching wind be the portion in their cup.

It seems crazy to think that God is a God of love, and yet God also hates the wicked and those who love wickedness. Remember the past verses we have gone through. The Lord God can hate, but not in a sinful way like we do. God is patient, waiting for those He klnows will turn to Him. God is a Holy God, He is the one that has dictated what is evil and what Goes against his law, has no love for those who align themselves with evil.

God is forever and adamantley opposed to the evil in the world But God loves the faithful righteouss.

But there is a destruction similar to soddom and gomorrah that is promsied to those that refuse t leav their wicked ways. The same divine judgement is due to those who refuse to follow God. They will be forced to face the consequences of breaking the law of God.

God is the master of My fate, God is the captain of my soul

In his infamous ode to the individual, “Invictus,” William Ernest Henley wrote, “It matters not how straight the gate,/how charged with punishment the scroll,/I am the master of my fate:/I am the captain of my soul.” But what we learn in this Psalm is that God is the master of our fate, the master of our soul. So because of that we run to God as our refuge.

so what do we do when it starts to get ot the point where there seems to be no more recourse to the evil that is coming against us in the world. Saul had it out for David, He was trying to kill him so what do we do? Well what we learn is that when there is no earthly recourse there is always a heavenly recourse to take. We are told to take refuge in the Lord.

To take refuge in the Lord is not a passive thing. This is not something that we can be lazy about. Even as I preach this I am being convicted of how many times I could have taken refuge in the Lord but havent. This is an active thing, something we need to be doing. Not that it is a salvation issue, but the idea is we are running towards God, not trying to earn our salvation but because of what Jesus has done for us we reun to the safety of His love.

This means we need to relinquish control of our lives to the Lrod God, give control of the ship to Him. God is to be where we dwell, He is our refuge, our shelter in the hard times. we do this and it does look forward to the day of the Lord, when He comes back again but this is also looking to the here and now God sees his people here and now even if it may not seem like He does. He calls us here and now to put our trust in Him for all things, to take refuge in Him for He cares for us.

so with this in mind, when the foundations are being destroyed where are we running to? Thus, whatever else it means, taking refuge in God does not mean escape or avoidance of pain and suffering. Part of the reason for this is that fleeing is self-focused and self-concerned. We flee when we are concerned about protecting ourselves. By contrast, the kind of refuge that God offers calls us to give ourselves away: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” (Luke 9:24).16 Taking refuge in God is other-focused. Those who enter that refuge hold on to God by letting go of self and thinking instead of others

🙏 Prayer Based on Psalm 11

Heavenly Father, When it feels as though the foundations are shaken and the world grows darker around me, I turn my eyes to You — my refuge and my strength. You are enthroned in heaven; Your gaze sees all things. No evil escapes Your sight, and no injustice will stand before You forever.

Lord, I confess that fear sometimes whispers to my heart, telling me to flee, to hide, or to lose hope. But You, O God, are my mountain of safety. You test the hearts of men, and You love what is righteous and true.

Strengthen my faith to stand firm when others fall away. Let my confidence rest not in what I can see, but in Your unshakable righteousness and perfect justice. Teach me to walk uprightly, that I might behold Your face and reflect Your light in a world of shadows.

For You, Lord, are righteous; You love justice, and the upright shall dwell in Your presence. I take refuge in You — my fortress, my hope, my unchanging God.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.