Psalm 11 - The LORD is Righteous

Today we come to Psalm 11 and we’re back to another ‘refuge’ Psalm written by David. The Old Testament part of the Bible was originally written in the Hebrew language. In Hebrew the word used here for ‘refuge’ is a strong word, it pictures a fortress that cannot be breached. I think of a castle with thick walls and high battlements. 

This is where David is standing at the beginning of this Psalm. However not everyone has chosen to take refuge where he has. There are other voices calling to him and they are panicky voices. Their instincts are simply to get as far away as possible, they want to ‘flee like a bird’ to the mountains (vs 1). 

The problem is of course that fleeing away isn’t an option, because even if people run to the mountains there are still going to threats and dangers there. So vs 3 asks a big question:

‘When the foundations are being destroyed,

What can the righteous do?’

It’s interesting that David doesn’t answer this question by saying anything about what he should do. Instead he answers his own questions by stating a truth about the LORD:

‘The LORD is in his holy temple,

The LORD is on His heavenly throne.’

It’s as if at this point David joins these two things in his mind. David is taking refuge in the LORD and the LORD is on His throne in heaven. There’s a lot of turmoil around David, there’s a lot of threat, but David isn’t panicking, He’s taking refuge in the LORD.

Uncertain times present us with choices. There are two ways to live. We can take refuge in the LORD or we can flee to the mountains. 

Pause for thought: In John 14 vs 1 Jesus said to His disciples: 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.' How can placing our trust in Jesus make a real difference in troubled times? Take time today to pray for someone you know who at the moment simply doesn't know where to go or where to turn.