What Can the Righteous Do?

I. The Foundations of Society Are Crumbling Away (vv. 1-3)

Psalm 11:1–3 CSB

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

First we see how David is being tempted by his foes to run away and hide. He’s being told to “Escape to the mountains like a bird!”

Why? Because the wicked are boasting in the fact that they have him surrounded in the shadows. It appears that the wicked have the upper hand in this battle. It is one thing to face your foe in an open field where you can see each other. But here, the wicked are shown as hidden terrorists practicing a form of guerilla warfare.

It is hard to fight an enemy you cannot see. It is even terrifying to know they are out there, but you cannot figure out where they are. There is a sense of hopelessness in this kind of battle.

Verse 3 tells us that things are so bad that the foundations are destroyed.

How often this feels like the case with us. The foundations of society is wasting away as wisdom is being discarded and foolishness is being embraced. As we have seen in the book of Proverbs, we have seen that God created the world in wisdom. However, the way He created the world to work is being disregarded for how people want things to work for themselves. Instead of depending on God’s grand design for the world, they want to decide how things should work, even if it constantly breaks down on them in regards to that.

We see the morality and foundation of society being discarded in how no one wants to submit to an absolute authority, in how marriage easily gives way to divorce, how marriage is no longer an option for some couples, how marriage is no longer marriage in how our society has even defined it.

We see the foundations slipping away as we cold heartedly murder millions of innocent lives who haven’t even been born yet. The foundations are being destroyed as people are disregarding how God made them to choose their own gender. We are even encouraging our children to choose their own gender apart from their parents’ knowledge. Our society is breaking down with no foundation of the home, morals, religious identity, etc. It seems as if the wicked are everywhere. And now we are being told that we are on the wrong side of history and we need to give up holding to the biblical values that we have been clearly taught in the pages of Scripture.

The question that David asks is needing to be asked by us today, “What can the righteous do?”

II. The Answer to that Question is to Look to the King (vv. 4-6)

Psalm 11:4–6 CSB

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

Why can David take refuge in the Lord? Because as he says in verse 4, the LORD is in His holy temple. The Lord is in the place from which He reigns. The physical temple has not been built yet in Jerusalem, so David here is referencing the heavenly temple from which God reigns and rules. This is also seen in the next line that the LORD is on his throne in heaven. Even though it looks as if the foundations of the earth are being destroyed and that God is out of control, David knows that the LORD is still where He belongs and where He needs to be. God has never quit being in control of the events of human history, so we can take refuge in God knowing that He is still reigning.

Along with the reign and rule of God, God is watching over everyone and everything that takes place. So even though the wicked are hiding and shooting from the shadows, God sees them and knows them and what they are doing. So while the wicked and their plans are hidden from us, they are never hidden from God.

In vv. 5-6, we see that God examines each person and knows who they are both inside and out. There is nothing hidden from his sight. And we are reassured and reminded that God stands opposed to the wicked and to what they do. And that for a time it seems as if they are allowed to go unanswered, God sees what is going on and will exercise His final punishment on them for their actions. They will be destroyed as they destroy the foundations of society.

III. The final promise is the righteous will get to see God’s face (v. 7)

Psalm 11:7 CSB

For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds. The upright will see his face.

The promise for the righteous is that even though it seems the wicked are winning the day, God will execute judgment on the wicked and there is a promise given to the righteous. The righteous will get to see God’s face. This is much like Jesus’ statements in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This is the longing of the human heart, whether we recognize it or not. We long to see God and to be in His presence.

So what do we do with this psalm? How should this change how we pray?

It should change how we relate to and trust in God, knowing that He is always watching over us even when things seem dark. We need to praise Him that He is always in control even as the foundations of society crumble away.

But we also need to be passionately praying for the lost, for the wicked, that God might reveal Himself to them and that they might find salvation in His Son. If it is true that the wicked will be utterly destroyed in their wickedness, then we need to pray for their salvation. We need to pray that they will repent and believe the Gospel and we need to be willing to go out and share the good news of Christ with those around us and allow God to draw to Himself those who are willing to believe. And as we do so, we can live boldly and courageously knowing that whatever happens to us, nothing happens without God seeing and knowing what happens. Even if we are mistreated and abused for our faith in Christ, God sees and knows what we endure for His sake.