Psalm 11 (NASB)
1 In the Lord I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
2 For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.
Struck me hard as I read the first three verses of this short Psalm. There is a time to flee when temptations come. When the wicked are attacking the righteous, King David rebukes the advise to flee as a bird to the mountain! It is a fatalistic voice that calls for a resignation of the defeat of the righteous. This voice makes the righteous looks to self & the attack of the evil and therefore all is hopeless. There are many times whereby I feel defeated just by looking around and also within myself.
King David puts everything into perspective. God in His holy temple and seated on His heavenly throne. The battle is the Lord’s. God loves righteousness and He will set things right in His time. He sees all that is going on. Love the promise for the righteous at the end – to behold His face. May we press in to the day when we will behold His face!
