Psalm 11 Worshipping when Everything Falls Apart
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When we we last together I addressed Parallelism
Figures of Speech
Hebrew poetry is loaded with figures of speech, and you must recognize that fact in interpreting various passages. For example, describes the power of God 6 as seen in a thunderstorm which apparently was sent in answer to David’s prayer in battle. It describes God in anthropomorphic terms. Literal interpretation of the Bible does not mean that you interpret such figures of speech literally. God doesn’t have smoke coming out of His nostrils or fire coming from His mouth ()!
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Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King: Volume 1—Psalms 1 to 41 Chapter 11: Faith or Flight? (Psalm 11)
IN PSALM 11 David declares his confidence in God while the world seems to be falling apart.
Psalms, Volume 1: (Psalms 1–41): An Expositional Commentary Psalm 11: What Can the Righteous Do?
Psalm 11 contains faith’s response to fear’s counsel
Someone is speaking into David’s soul … perhaps some well meaning friends
The advice received comes through the ear and went straight to the heart.
David is in some kind of danger … the counsel received is to get out of Dodge … NOW
Run David … Run
Or as it says in our text … “Flee like a bird to your mountain”
Why Run? Why Flee? See …
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 - v:2
Trouble is brewing and you are the target!
If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do? - v:3
You have done all you can, there is no point carrying on. Nothing you can do will make a difference!
“When life crumbles, the desire to run away and hide in despair is strong.” Tim Keller
The Background of this Psalm is unclear … Heading simply “To the Choirmaster, Of David”
Doesn't seem to fit his conflict with Saul
Nor does it fit the conflict with Absalom
In Both cases David did flee to the mountains (Probably En Gedi - on the Dead Sea coast)
We probably cannot fit this Psalm into any one conflict in David’s Life ...
That’s OK … It opens the possibility of interpreting it more broadly.
This is not just about running away from something physically … It’s about
David is in the cross hairs of the attacks of some person or persons
And the foundations of stability are in danger of falling apart
Does it sound like our day?
The question is simple … How do you worship and pray when everything falls apart? When danger lurks and when the old foundations seem to be crumbling?
How do you pray and worship when you feel that nothing is coming of your effort, everything is against you and you need strength to go on?
1.You CHALLENGE the voices you hear
11:1 “How can you say to my soul “Flee like a bird to your mountain”?
Well meaning advice … given out of fear and frustration.
The temptation is great to give in …
The bows are bent … the arrows are ready … and the foundation is crumbling … Thats fear causing and frustration energizing
Notice how David Challenges these voices …
How can you say these things to my soul?
He is not addressing the Lord in these words …
This is a teaching Psalm … He starts out … “IN the Lord I take Refuge” - Strong statement of purpose and resolve …
Now He addresses/challenges the voices … How can you say
He is giving us a framework for worshipping and praying when you feel like giving up.
He is challenging the thoughts of his own soul … the voices of well meaning advice … He is talking to himself in the presence of God
In many of the psalms David talks to himself and challenges the competing voices …
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation
He is challenging the distrubanceswithin his own soul … It’s Ok to talk to yourself … just say the right stuff.
ML Jones “One of the main Problems in the Christian life is that we spend too much time listening to ourselves and not enough time talking to ourselves.”
We spoend way too much time listening to the voices of fear and frustration and complaint
We need to speak to ourselves … truth … speak the gospel to ourselves
Challenge the fear and uncertainty in prayer and worship.
Come to Him … Tell him what you are feeling and what you are hearing
Bring him your worst thoughts … and fears
Challenge the voices in the presence of God
Come into the presence of the Father with Jesus Christ beside you. Tell him what you are feeling and what you are hearing. Bring your worst thoughts into the open, then take yourself in hand, and challenge the voice of fear and frustration right there in the presence of God.
“Lord, here’s what I am afraid of. Lord, here is where I feel frustrated to the point of despair…” You may need to do this in regard to your own thoughts, and you may need to do this in regard to the well-meaning advice you are receiving from others. They may mean well, but what they are actually doing is sapping your will.
Everything in VV:1-3 is framed by the phrase:
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”
In the Lord I take Refuge!
Luke
His Response:
The word for refuge = a Place to Hide and find cover
And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.
And again:
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:
2.You RECOGNIZE the hand of God in your testing
Look at verses 4c and 5a
His Eyelids test the Children of Men
The Lord Tests the Righteous
Remember when the foundations are shaken … the Hand of God is in the shaking.
When God shakes us up … He does so for a reason
Listen to:
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.
Hebrews
He shakes up our familiar to remind us of what can never be shaken
In His commentary onm the Psalms Derek Kidner comments … “The Collapse of what is built on sand may be distressing; it can also be a beginning”
Remember Job … Lost everything … wealth, flocks, herds, family …
Foundations shaken
Job’s wife’s voice …
Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light, but have none,
nor see the eyelids of the morning,
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”
Whats the point? Everything is gone, Give it up
Those words … went right to Job’s soul
Job’s response ...
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
The testing of God is intended to purify our faith and fortify our resolve … do you recognize HIS testing in your struggles?
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
3.You AFFIRM the sovereignty of God in the hardest times
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
Psalm 11:
David addresses fear, frustration, weariness, sorrow … HOw?
David affirms the sovereignty of God
I may be experiencing fear, frustration … But He is not in a panic
David affirms that God rules. He is the sovereign King over Heaven and earth. “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven” (11:4a).
4.You ANTICIPATE the joy of the FINAL outcome
His throne is a symbol of his authority to rule and to judge. No matter what is happening on earth, God is still in control.
He Sees:
From his throne the Lord carefully watches the world of men. “… his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (11:4b).
The word “see” (v. 4) can be translated “gaze” or “scrutinize.” God is paying attention. To paint a picture in our minds, David says his “eyelids test” us. That’s an interesting expression. On the one hand, this could suggest that God’s attention never wavers. Even if his eyes seem closed, he is so perceptive that his eyelids still search the heart and minds of men and women. Or David could be picturing God with his eyes narrowed like an appraiser carefully scrutinizing and evaluating an antique. The writer of Proverbs says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” ().
Johnston, J. A. (2015). Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King— to 41. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (Vol. 1, p. 129). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
He is in Control: He SEES
He Judges:
From his throne God judges the Evil and the good
From his throne, God judges the evil and the good. The righteous are not exempt from God’s judgment: “The LORD tests the righteous” (11:5a). But God’s examination is for their good. The verb “tests” or “examines” (v. 5 NIV) refers to the process of proving or assaying precious metal. God “tests the righteous” (v. 5) to demonstrate to the world that they are genuine (1 Peter 1:6, 7).
The testing fire of God’s judgment is devastating for the wicked, though.
[B]ut his [God’s] soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. (11:5b, 6)
God’s innermost being detests the wicked and the violent. He is adamantly and eternally angry with everyone who does evil. We shouldn’t be surprised to read about God’s anger.
He would be less than God if he was not a God of wrath. His love for his people would be a fraud without an equally passionate hatred for the wicked.
As the world shakes around us, we need to be sure that we continue to act justly because the Lord “loves righteous deeds” (v. 7).
Lastly … How can we worship and pray when everything is falling apart
4.You ANTICIPATE the joy of the FINAL outcome
Why would I flee like a bird
In God is Take refuge, I’m not giving up
he is on His Throne
AND whatever happens I’M GOING TO BEHOLD HIS FACE
There’s a true story of a man by the name of William Montague Dyke. When William was ten years old, he was blinded in an accident. While he was in university, William fell in love with the daughter of a high ranking British naval officer, and they became engaged.
Shortly before the wedding, William had eye surgery in the hope that the operation would restore his sight. It was a one-time deal. If it failed, William would remain blind for the rest of his life.
Because it was only a short time away, William insisted on keeping the bandages that were on his face until the day of the wedding. If the surgery was successful, he wanted the first person he saw to be his new bride.
The wedding day arrived, and the guests assembled to witness the couple taking their vows. William’s father, Sir William Hart Dyke, and the doctor who performed the surgery stood next to the groom, whose eyes were still covered with bandages.
The organ trumpeted the wedding march, and the bride walked down the aisle to the front of the church. As soon as she arrived at the altar, the surgeon whipped out a big pair of scissors and cut the bandages from William’s eyes.
Imagine the tension in the room! The congregation held their breath, waiting to find out if William could see the woman who stood before him. As he stood face to face with his bride to be, William’s words echoed throughout the cathedral, “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.” ii
Friend, one day you are going to behold the Lord’s face. Having walked by faith, one day the bandages that cover our eyes will be removed. The upright shall behold his face! When you see his glory it will be greater than you ever imagined. And you will be so, so glad you