Welcome back to the blog. I am so glad you are joining me today. We are turning in our Bibles to Psalm chapter 11. This is a Psalm written by David. There are only seven verses in today's passage. If you have not already done so, please take the time to read through the passage and we will jump right in.
Verse 1
David makes a declaration at the opening of this chapter. He proclaims in the LORD God David trusts. Who have we trusted? The expected answer is God, but we must carefully examine our hearts. Do we trust God? Some trust the news, some trust social media, some trust religious leaders. We can trust in our spouse, our friends, our parents, our families, but we should be trusting God. We are told to not lean on our own understanding, but rather we are to trust God. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. We read later on in Psalms where the psalmist had been taken by the Philistines at Gath and this is what he said: Psalm 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. It's time for us to read our Bibles more than we watch the news; to sit and talk with God in prayer more than we talk to friends and loved ones about our problems. It is time to fill ourselves up with God's Word and God's truth instead of blindly believing everything we hear and not bothering to check the Word for ourselves.
David says in verse 1, "How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" Isn't that like the world's message today? If something is uncomfortable, run! Indulge your flesh, follow your heart, and trust that everything will work out in the end. No! We must run to the Rock of Ages, the stone that the builders rejected. We do not run to the mountain; we run to the Mountain Mover!
Verse 2
This verse is saying that the wicked are preparing their bows and arrows to hurt us. They secretly do this, or the Bible says it literally means in darkness. They are not in the light. They are the ones in this world who live for themselves, seek to please themselves, and desire others to tell them how wonderful they are. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." The shield of FAITH. That is your trust in God. That's how we put the fire out of the darts and arrows slung at us from the enemy. You may say what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is made up of what you are expecting God to do for you. It is not an idea that it might happen. It is a surety, a strong confidence that God is going to come through. It is proof of what you cannot see. You may not see it now, but you are trusting God to come through in His time and in His way and you are not backing down from that. You are trusting God.
Verse 3
David poses a question here. He says, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" In Psalm 82:5 it reads, "They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course." In other words, the world does not know God, they cannot understand His ways, they walk in darkness, or ignorance. The very foundations are crumbling. We must build on a sure foundation. Do you remember the foolish man and the wise man building houses? Matthew 7:24-25 (24)Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (25)And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. The rock is Jesus! When we hear His words, read His Words, obey His words, we will no longer be in the darkness. We can suit up in our armor and hold high the shield of faith and quench every fiery dart of the wicked who are in the darkness shooting at us.
Verse 4
David says God is in His holy temple, and God's throne is in heaven. He is watching all of us and he examines the hearts of men and women, boys and girls. He sees it all. Nothing gets by the watchful eyes of God. He is seeing everything that is going on all at once and no one is getting by with anything! Revelation 5:6 in the Amplified Bible says this, "And there between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which are the seven Spirits of God Who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth." So we know that God's watchful eyes are everywhere. The enemy thinks it is hidden and that it is doing something in secret, but God knows what the devil will do before he even does it.
Verse 5
There are two categories of people: the righteous (those who love God and follow in His statutes) and the wicked (who love violence and revenge and pleasing their flesh). God tests the righteous. We face circumstances we do not like but it is to show whether we trust in God or not. Remember how God had tested the children of Israel in the wilderness? There was purpose in the journey. Deuteronomy 8:1-2 (1)All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. (2)And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no. If you continue to read this passage, it is a beautiful recounting of God's faithfulness to this rebellious group of people. God made them a promise and He planned on keeping it. God has made us a promise too, and when we do what He instructs us to do in His Word, we will receive all the promises of God.
The second part of this verse is that the God hates the wicked. He hates the violent and those who enjoy hurting other people. This goes against the nature of God. God is love. He loved us first. He loved us in our sin but He hated what we did. The same is true here. God hates the wicked ones. The book of Ephesians reminds us we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against these evil forces and that is who God despises. They will receive their reward: hell. God loves all of the people He created, but some choose to live for the devil and allow him to influence their lives. It was never God's will for anyone to die lost and undone, according to John 3:16.
Verse 6
This verse tells of what will happen to the wicked. They will not always slide by like they think they are doing. No, one day the judgment of God will fall on the earth and the wicked will receive the judgment coming to them. Matthew 25:41 Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
The devil was kicked out of heaven when he tried to be like God. He wanted to overthrow God's Kingdom and power. That is impossible and he lost! We know he goes around the entire world trying to block God's message of love, freedom, and forgiveness. The devil wants everyone to be separated from God because he knows he has lost his chance. He will suffer greatly one day and all his minions with him. We do not want to find ourselves on the left hand hearing Jesus tell us to depart from Him and cursing us to the pit and everlasting fire. Friends, we want everlasting life with Jesus our Savior. But we know the wicked will have their judgment in that awful place.
Verse 7
What a sweet picture of God in this verse. It is a wonderful way to end this chapter. "For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright." God is righteous and He loves righteousness. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines righteousness as, "acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin." We know Jesus was without sin according to, 1 Peter 2:21-25 (21)For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: (22)Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in His mouth: (23)Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again: when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: (24)Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed. (25)For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (overseer) of your souls.
If you are going through a valley right now, it can be so hard and feel so lonely, but remember God promised to never leave us or forsake us and He will keep His promise. He is walking beside us. We are never alone. Ask God to reveal Himself to you and He will do it. James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Let's ask Him to cleanse us and purify us and then let's make up our mind to trust God, regardless of what the circumstances look like. Circumstances can change, God does not. Put your hand in His and never let go!
I hope you have enjoyed today's Bible study. He has truly encouraged my heart and helped me with some things I have been facing lately. God is so wonderful and I love serving my King. He has blessed me so much and lifted the heaviness from me. I hope something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
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