A Godly Response in the Face of Terror

Psalm 11:1-7

In the LORD I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

“Flee like a bird to your mountain.

For look, the wicked bend their bows;

they set their arrows against the strings

to shoot from the shadows

at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

The LORD is in his holy temple;

the LORD is on his heavenly throne.

He observes the sons of men;

his eyes examine them.

The LORD examines the righteous,

but the wicked and those who love violence

his soul hates.

On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulphur;

a scorching wind will be their lot.

For the LORD is righteous,

he loves justice;

upright men will see his face.

911

has taken on a new meaning for civilised people. Whereas previously we thought of emergency services when we heard the term, now we think of terror and unbridled evil. Perhaps children of the Most High God should think of another 911. Psalm 91:1 says:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

That verse is but an iteration of the opening verse of our text.

In the LORD I take refuge.

We live in uncertain times. Radical Muslims wish to destroy civilisation as we know it, coercing submission to their own peculiar dark views. From multiple enclaves these religious tyrants attack western society with the goal of utter destruction of all that gives them even a hope of peace and prosperity. They hold innocent lives in low esteem, selfishly promoting only their own strange goals. How should we respond to such terror?

The Foundations are being Destroyed — When the foundations are being destroyed… What foundations did David have in mind? To answer this question precisely we would need to know when the Psalm was written. Some have suggested that David wrote this Psalm during the years he was pursued by Saul, the first king of the United Empire. Others have suggested that David wrote this Psalm when Absalom rebelled against the throne. Neither suggestion fits the Psalm, because in both instances David did flee to the mountains rather than resist the advice of his friends. Realistically, we cannot say when David wrote the Psalm, and therefore we cannot be precise in identifying the events which compelled him to write the Psalm.

Perhaps it is just as well that we don’t know the precise events surrounding the writing of this Psalm. It permits us to apply it more broadly to our own situation if we are not constrained by particular events. What we do know is that David felt himself under assault by hidden enemies. The advice of friends was to take flight for mountain strongholds. In the Psalm, David seems to resist such advice, favouring instead a course of action which turns to unseen strength.

Without question, the most intriguing portion of the Psalm is the classic question posed in the third verse.

When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?

It is intriguing because it has been asked again and again throughout history. I suspect that the question will be voiced again, just as it has in recent days. The question is raised by righteous people in bad times in part because there are no easy answers. During times of stability in government or wise rulers, we need not ask the question. In times of unstable government or when leaders appear inept and bumbling, the question will of necessity be raised again. “What shall I do?” is the same question framed in contemporary language. Let’s look at some illustrations.

First, consider an illustration from the times in which David lived. Before David ascended to the throne, God anointed him as king over all Israel. There was a minor problem for David, however. Saul was the King of Israel at this particular time. Though David served Saul with distinction and with wisdom, Saul was jealous of the young shepherd boy and tried repeatedly to kill him.

On one occasion, Saul’s son Jonathan warned David that his father would attempt to kill him. David fled from the capital to preserve his life. As he rushed from certain death he briefly stopped in Nob where he consulted Ahimelech the priest. David was not fully honest with the aged priest, and he consequently managed to obtain consecrated bread to feed the men journeying with him and armaments for himself. Ahimelech gave David the sword of Goliath. Ahimelech assumed that David was still in service to the king, and David permitted him to continue in that particular deception. All these events were observed by a scurrilous coward named Doeg, who reported them to Saul.

Saul was enraged to think that Ahimelech had assisted David in what the king viewed as rebellion. The aged priest had even inquired of the Lord for the fugitive! Saul called the priest to Gibeah, where he was then holding court. There, the aged priest was accused of treason. Ahimelech protested his innocence, saying that he had honoured David’s requests because he assumed he was in the king’s service. The king, however, refused to believe him and held to the view that he was a traitor to the monarchy.

In a rage, Saul ordered that Ahimelech and his entire family be slaughtered, together with all the priests of the Lord. None of the officials were willing to obey such a drastic and harsh order, however. Therefore, the king ordered Doeg to kill the priests. Eighty-five priests were killed that day. Doeg then went on a rampage and slaughtered the entire town of Nob—men, women, children together with all the animals in the town. The King of Israel, responsible for protecting the people, responsible for maintaining and enforcing the law, himself destroyed the people and violated the law.

Those living in that dark day might well have asked:

When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?

Here is another example from a foreign nation and one which is nearer to our own time. In the Philippine Islands, armed Islamic thugs calling themselves Abu Sayyaf have begun to disrupt society. Abu Sayyaf's activities include bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion from companies and wealthy businessmen in order to attain their aims.

The group’s first major terrorist attack was a grenade attack in 1991, in which two foreign women were killed. The following year Abu Sayyaf militants hurled a bomb at a wharf in the southern city of Zamboanga where the MV Doulous, an international floating bookstore manned by YWAM missionaries, was docked. Several people were injured. This attack was followed by similar bombings on Zamboanga airport and Roman Catholic churches. In 1993, the group bombed a cathedral in Davao City, killing seven people. In April 1995 Abu Sayyaf carried out a vicious attack on the Christian town of Ipil in Mindanao. Gunmen razed the town centre to the ground and shot 53 civilians and soldiers dead. The military warned at that time the group has forged links with international Islamic terrorist cells.

The group has consistently targeted foreigners for kidnapping. In 1993, Abu Sayyaf gunmen kidnapped Charles Walton, a language researcher at the Summer Institute of Linguistics (a Wycliffe affiliate). Walton, then 61, was freed 23 days later. The following year, Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped three Spanish nuns and a Spanish priest in separate incidents. In 1998, their victims included two Hong Kong men, a Malaysian and a Taiwanese grandmother. More recently, they have kidnapped western and Asian tourists and missionaries. A number of the captives have been beheaded, including an American tourist. The group is now threatening to behead two American missionaries, a husband and wife from Wichita, Kansas, if a ransom is not paid.[1]

Law and order is under siege in the Philippine Islands. The Christian Faith is under assault by a religious group that seems intent on extending its influence by force of arms. Righteous men and women living in those islands, to say nothing of potential tourists to the islands, might well ask.

When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?

On September 11, 2001, the world was shocked to witness a religious assault against western values and western institutions by Muslims intent upon destroying society as we know it. These terrorists are determined at the very least to neutralise western influence in the world, and if possible to impose an Islamic reign over the world.

The multicultural policies imposed upon the populations by the governments of Great Britain, the United States and Canada have produced divided nations with loyalty to little beyond each ethnic group’s identity. Consequently, when the United States seeks a coalition against terrorism, even within its own citizenry is a significant minority who resist any action since it would be against “fellow Muslims”.

Recent surveys in Great Britain reveal that 40% of British Muslim respondents think Osama bin Laden is justified in waging war on the United States. Another 40% think Britons are justified in fighting with the Taliban. Sixty-eight percent think it is more important to be Muslim than to be British. Seventy-three percent think Tony Blair is not right to support the United States, and a staggering 96% believe the United States should cease bombing Afghanistan. I suspect that similar surveys would reveal that American Muslims hold similar views, and that the situation would reflect an almost identical worldview in Canada.[2]

Immigrants have been invited to settle in our English-speaking countries without knowing what our cultural foundations are. Consequently, many (if not a majority) know nothing of our underpinnings. Tragically, too many despise our traditions and ridicule our culture. They value the freedoms our forebears obtained, but they hate the foundations which those same forebears laid down. Our liberalised governments have themselves ridiculed British values, Canadian culture, and the American way and immigrant groups believe that their own rejected nations are superior in every way.

Consequently, even the youth of our nation, born and raised in our country, no longer value our heritage. They know nothing of Canada’s heritage, thinking it to be illegitimate and of no value in any case. They have been taught, not the goodness of our nation, but instead they have received a bland story telling of raiders that stumbled upon a wealthy continent and peaceful people whom they pillaged and brutally subjugated. They have received, in too many instances, socialistic propaganda which depreciates the sacrifice and labour of conscientious men and women seeking to create a nation on a hill whose light should shine to attract multitudes to seek comfort and safety as Canadians. Instead, we destroy respect for our nation, our heritage, our culture and our values.

Righteous people in Canada might well ask,

When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

What can the righteous do? They can go on being righteous. They can resist evil in their society, just as many continue to do. The one thing the righteous must not do is “flee to the mountains.” We dare not surrender to our fears or take counsel with our doubts. David points to some truths to encourage us in the midst of shaken foundations.

The Lord Reigns on His Throne — To the first question (What can the righteous do?) a second question is advanced. That second question asks To whom shall the righteous look? The answer to this second question is easy enough for those who are righteous, but it is difficult to implement. To whom, other than the Lord, would we look when the foundations are being destroyed? In the second part of the Psalm, David does look to the Lord, and we should now consider that portion of the Psalm.

I direct attention to the Eighth Psalm and the description of mankind which it provides. Man is presented as occupying a mediating position. Men and women are not quite as exalted as the angels of Heaven, but they are greater than the beasts. What is intriguing is that man is described as a little lower than the heavenly beings [Psalm 8:5], instead of being described as a little higher than the beasts.

This is a significant description since man is created to look upward, instead of looking downward. Men and women are created in God’s image, and thus it is our privilege and responsibility to look upward. We do not worship angels, but we look beyond them to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth and thus become increasingly like God. If we spend our time looking downward, we increasingly emulate the beasts.

This is an important point and one which we should not pass over too quickly. Intellectuals having excluded God from their thinking are compelled to look downward toward the beasts and such people are increasingly beast like in their actions. When the foundations are attacked, they respond with visceral emotions, if they even recognise the vulnerability of the foundations. The righteous, on the other hand, look upward to God. Though the temptation may be to respond viscerally to attack against the foundations, the godly are compelled by their upward gaze, to seek righteousness. Where is God when the righteous looks upward? He is in His holy temple; He is on His heavenly throne.

I suppose that we are tempted to think of Solomon’s Temple whenever we see the word temple in the Old Testament. That cannot be David’s thinking here, however. For one thing, the Temple was not yet built. David had not even begun to accumulate the materials for the construction of that imposing edifice. It would be many years before Solomon ascended to the throne and built the Temple. It is true that the Tabernacle in the wilderness was sometimes referred to as the temple, it is usually in retrospect by those who saw the later temple that such reference is made. The context of the Psalm makes it clear that David is presenting the temple of God in heaven from which the Almighty looks down upon mankind.

The temple was associated with the holiness of God. Solomon’s Temple, and all subsequent temples, contained the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Thus, when David looks toward the Lord, who is in His holy temple, he looks to the Lord as the moral standard by which the thoughts and intents, the words and actions, of all mankind is judged.[3]

Not only does David look to God as moral arbiter of mankind, but he looks specifically to the Lord on His heavenly throne. He is looking to God to render justice, which He does as Judge of all the earth. David is careful not to despair, nor yet to take matters into his own hands. He trusts God to act justly and with righteousness. Just so, we should trust God to act justly and with righteousness in unstable times.

Three truths may be stated of God as He sits on His heavenly throne. First, God observes all that people do.

He observes the sons of men;

his eyes examine them.

Much is promoted in the Name of God and even more is promoted without reference to God. People too often forget that God sees their actions, and more importantly, God knows their intent. That statement, which is a source of comfort to the righteous, should terrorise the wicked.

The words of the text remind us of the well-known Anglican collect that speaks of Him before whom all hearts are open, all desires known. Proverbs 15:3 similarly speaks of God’s observance of mankind.

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,

keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

David reminds himself (and us) of God’s omniscience. This is particularly appropriate in a Psalm which begins by warning of those who shoot from shadows at the upright in heart [verse two]. Though the righteous may not see those who assault them, God sees them. The deeds of the wicked are as apparent to Him as though they were performed openly and in broad daylight.

David also says that God examines the righteous. The word examine [÷j'B;] in verse five is the same word as in the preceding verse (His eyes examine them).

The LORD examines the righteous,

but the wicked and those who love violence

his soul hates.

Some versions of the Bible translate it differently between the two verses. The word can have the meaning of test or try. If testing is in view, the verse could imply that God is testing the righteous with difficult times. The late Peter Craigie sees the verse in this way. He writes: the testing of the righteous (v 5a), though it might involve great hardship, would culminate in purity and the removal of dross.[4] Spurgeon has a similar view, in that he has written that God refines [the righteous] with afflictions.[5]

The other meaning is that God tries the righteous, in the sense of inspecting and approving them. Stuart Briscoe gives insight into what may be meant by this in his book, What Works when Life Doesn’t. I didn’t understand [this concept] until I was talking to a group of students one day about spiritual realities. They were listening intently and sceptically. Intent on my every word they had narrowed their eyes to tiny slits. Their eyelids were trying me, carefully weighing me up, evaluating, checking. Critically!

By contrast, have you ever observed a trainer watching a young boxer? He stands in the corner studying every move, every blow, waiting to see how much his youngster can take, ready to jump to his assistance at any given moment.[6]

The two ideas of testing and trying may be related, but there is little in the Psalm which would suggest that David views the pressures which come to the righteous as a means of perfection. The context is rather one of judgement, and the contrast with the wicked (note the second half of verse five) suggests a trial in which the righteous are approved and the wicked condemned. The verse teaches that God not only sees what people do (as affirmed in verse four), but that He also pronounces a verdict on them.

God prepares His judgements for the wicked. They may be preparing to shoot at the righteous from the shadows, but the Lord will protect the righteous. In the end, it is the wicked themselves who will be shot at and destroyed.

On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulphur;

a scorching wind will be their lot.

None of this is fantasising or mere wishful thinking on David’s part. We should see that when David speaks of God raining fiery coals and burning sulphur on the wicked he is thinking of God’s judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah. David is reminding himself (and us) that God’s judgements do come, though they may seem to be unduly delayed.

This should give us pause, wishing that enemies of our society were destroyed. As we anticipate God’s judgement, we need to remember that much of what we have become comfortable with in our society is abhorrent to God. Though He will ultimately judge such loathsome creatures as terrorists who commandeered aeroplanes and turned them into great, flying bombs, should he ignore the degradation within our society? Were not the foundations of integrity, honesty, moral and ethical standards already under attack? Do we still believe in the principle of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work? Haven’t we as a society shaken the foundation of respect for the sanctity and permanence of marriage and the necessity of a stable family as the bedrock of society?

Righteousness Will Prevail — It is impossible not to see what the wicked do—after they have performed their evil. The righteous are encouraged to look up—to God. In the final verse of our Psalm, the sweet singer of Israel looks ahead. He contemplates the future. As you read this final verse you will be struck by the fact that the Psalmist is no longer concerned with the destiny of his enemies, but he is focused on his own destiny.

For the LORD is righteous,

he loves justice;

upright men will see his face.

Because the Lord is righteous [and] loves justice, upright men will see His face, is a rephrase of that final verse. There is a statement of hope contained within this final verse and we need to focus on that hope, especially in times of uncertainty.

The last phrase is nothing less than the eternal hope of the people of God—to see God face-to-face. Should you read after some commentators, they question that the concept of an afterlife was sufficiently developed in the Old Testament to permit such a hope. However, though Old Testament understandings are necessarily less highly developed than were those of the New Testament, it is difficult to read this verse and think that David had in mind anything other than seeing God.

Among other reasons for stating this conviction, I need but note that the Psalmist has just spoken of future judgement on the wicked.

On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulphur;

a scorching wind will be their lot.

What is called for now is a parallel statement of what the same all-seeing God will do for those who are righteous. Thus, the Psalmist states that they shall see God. How glorious!

Perhaps you remember the account of Moses when he pleaded with God for the people of Israel. The account is that given in Exodus. Moses asked to see the face of God, but he was denied this privilege, for, as God told him, You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live [Exodus 33:20]. God did permit Moses a glimpse of His glory, however. God told Moses, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen [Exodus 33:22, 23].

Throughout the remainder of the Old Testament, this is what the saints sought. These Old Testament saints pray for a glimpse of God’s glory. Wishful thinking? Something nice, though impossible? Not at all! When we come to the final New Testament writer, John, and review his letters, we see this very promise from God. John had often gazed on the face of the earthly Jesus, and now we find this same Lord and God promising the righteous they shall see Him face-to-face. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he [that is, the heavenly, glorified Jesus] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is [1 John 3:2]. The upright really will see God’s face.

How does one become righteous? What is necessary for one to be upright? One of my favourite verses is 2 Corinthians 5:21. It sums up the work of God on my behalf. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus, the righteous Son of God, took my sin on Himself so that I might be free of all guilt and condemnation. Were there an action I could do, I would surely do it. However, the Word is quite clear that if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law [Galatians 3:21].

All that remains is for me to accept His sacrifice and believe this Good News of salvation. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13]. Believe on Him and you shall see His face. Amen.

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[1] Information gathered from the following sources: www.web.nps.navy.mil/~library/tgp/asc.htm; www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.cfm?orgid=3; www.asia.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/abusayyaf/

[2] see the following URL’s: http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?f=/stories/20011108/775650.html; http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/jackson.html (November 8, 2001)

[3] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms: An Expositional Commentary, Volume 1, Psalms 1 – 41 (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 1994) 94-5

[4] Peter C. Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1 – 50, Volume 19 (Word, Waco, TX 1983) 134

[5] C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Psalms 1 – 26 & 27 – 27, Volume 1 (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI n.d.) 130

[6] Stuart Briscoe, What Works When Life Doesn’t (Victor Books, Wheaton, IL 1976) 54