GOD REIGNS
Psalm 11
America was founded on the principle of religious liberty.
The First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits “the making
of any law respecting the . . . free exercise of religion.” In other
words the government is not to make any law that restricts our
freedom to worship God according to our conscience. The
government was not to interfere in religion in any way.
Over time as more and more people rejected Christianity as their
religion they demanded that laws conform to their personal beliefs.
Since the 1960’s there has been a cultural war on Christianity with
several landmark Supreme Court decisions. In 1962 teacher-led
prayer in school was forbidden. Roe verses Wade sanctioned
abortion on demand throughout America in 1973. The display
of the Ten Commandments on publicly owned property was
forbidden in 2005 and in 2015 same sex marriage became the
law of the land.
Three weeks after the Supreme Court announced its decision on
same sex marriage, John MacArthur said this from his pulpit:
“We as Christians are the minority. But we have always been
the minority. We’ve just had a reprieve in our little piece of
human history. We (believers) are defined in the wonderful,
inspired words of Peter as a ‘separate people,’ as a ‘holy nation.’
Christ is our King. Scripture is our law. And as in ways that
have not been true in the past, Scripture and the laws of our
country now collide head on . . .”
OUR CRISIS
:1-3
Confident faith
:1
Refuge – Heb. shelter or protection (46:1; 62:9; 71:7).
Real security is found in God alone, not in our circumstances.
David confidently and steadfastly leaned on the promises of God.
Birds fly away from danger they face to someplace that is higher
so they feel secure. The term “your mountain” implies that the
mountain is something which the bird often went to for security.
Like the birds, we tend to be creatures of habit so when we feel
threatened we do what has made us feel safe in the past.
Concealed attack
:2
While the bow was used in battle here it is a picture of any attack
which is mounted against someone. Calvin wrote, “It was
impossible for him to escape from the hands of his enemies.”
The reason he was not able to escape was because their attacks
were done in secret or under the cover of darkness so he could
not see them coming and was therefore not prepared for them.
Culture undermined
:3
Foundations (2x) – Heb. columns or support.
Calvin wrote, “A metaphor from buildings, which fall down and
become a heap of ruins when their foundations are undermined.”
Isaiah 19:10 Those who are the pillars (leaders) of Egypt.
The word refers to what upholds the morals of society.
The Biblical foundations of our country have been changed,
are crumbling and have been eroded by society which seeks
the happiness of the individual as its highest goal. Where do
believers turn when the very principles of their faith are being
undermined by society and supported by the Supreme Court?
Alford Barnes wrote, “Foundations here refers to those things on
which society rests, or by which social order is sustained – the
great principles of truth and righteousness that uphold society.
The reference is to a destruction of those things in a community,
when truth is no longer respected; when justice is not longer
practiced; when fraud and violence have taken the place of honesty
and honor . . . when there is no respect paid to truth and justice.”
David faced a crisis in which the foundations of society were
being undermined and he wrote about his experience and how
he handled it in Psalm 11.
The question we might ask is when in David’s life did he see the
foundations of his society being destroyed because he served 40
years as king himself?
Historical background
Some scholars believe David wrote this psalm after he heard that
King Saul had 85 priests killed because they had helped him
escape out of the hand Saul (I Samuel 22:11-19). One priest
named Abiathar escaped and told David what had happened.
The priests played three important roles in Jewish society:
1. They taught the people God’s law so they would honor God.
2. They offered the sacrifices in worship of God.
3. They offered the sacrifices of the people to God.
With the high priest and many of the other priests killed the very
foundation of their society and worship was now undermined.
If the king was willing to kill the priests then there was nothing
which he might not do to destroy their society.
What can the righteous do when the foundations or crumbling?
1. They can choose to withdraw from society and flee like a bird
(:1) to someplace where they feel safe from the evil around them.
2. They can choose to stand up for the truth in the midst of evil.
Barnes wrote, “His presence may be the very thing to counteract
this; his duty may be to remain and face the evil and to endeavor
to secure a better state of things.”
Application
1. Christians need to preserve the truth of God.
Matthew 5:13 Jesus told his disciples, “You are the salt of the
earth, but the salt has lost its taste . . . it is no longer good for
anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot.”
2. Christians need to show others the truth of God.
Matthew 5:14,16 Jesus told his disciples, “You are the light of the
world . . . let your light so shine before others, so that they my see
your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.”
Speak the truth of God even though it is not politically correct.
Let people know that God loves them even though they sin.
GOD’S CHARACTER
:4-7
Sovereign
:4
1. His position is in heaven.
Holy temple – in heaven revealing his supremacy over man.
2. His sovereignty is over all.
Throne – as the sovereign king of the universe who is in complete
control over the world he created. Nothing takes place that God
does not know about otherwise he would not be God.
Barnes wrote, “He had nothing to fear; he had a protector in
heaven and he might appeal to him for safety. God is always
the protector of the righteous . . . they may come and be safe.”
3. His knowledge is universal.
Eyes – observe what we do so he knows what is happening.
Test (KJB try, NIV examine) – Heb. to investigate to prove true.
It was used of testing metals to see if they were real or false.
It was also used of God testing a person’s heart (17:3; 26:2).
Spurgeon wrote, “He sees us always; never removes his eye from
us; he sees us entirely. My danger is not from him, he knows me
and I may rest assured that he will not allow me to perish while
I rely alone on him.”
God is in complete control of everything that happens
there is nothing that takes him by surprise.
It is my faith in the sovereignty of God that keeps me from being
afraid or losing hope as I face a crisis no matter what it is.
Just :5-6
God examines (same word in :4) those who are godly with the
purpose of testing their faith to see if it is real and to strengthen it.
But he does not have to test the faith of the wicked because they
don’t believe in him or trust him therefore he hates what they do.
Here the wicked are tied with the violent because wickedness often
results in violence such as: abortion, assault, rape and murder.
Genesis 6:11 The earth was corrupt (wicked) in God’s sight,
and the earth was filled with violence.
Proverbs 1:11 Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without reason.
Holy
:7
1. God is holy.
The reason the Lord will punish evil is because he is holy.
His holiness demands that he punish evil and he will judge
each person according to his righteous standard. His law
will be the standard even though people do not accept it.
God hates wickedness because it is contrary to his nature.
:6 Let – he is requesting that God punish them for their evil deeds.
He will not try and punish those who have acted wickedly
and done evil in destroying the foundations of society.
He trusts that God will justly punish those who are evil.
When God told Abraham he was going to judge Sodom for their
wickedness in Genesis 18:25 Abraham responded and said,
“Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is right?
Fire and sulfur (KJB brimstone) – are a reminder of God’s severe
judgment on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19).
When God punished them they were completely destroyed.
Derek Kindner wrote, “Sodom stands in the Bible as a
perpetual reminder of sudden and final judgment.”
Scorching wind – brings extreme heat which is miserable.
Jonah 4:8 God appointed a scorching east wind and the
sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint.
Portion of their cup – is what God chooses to give them.
There is the cup of God’s blessing which David described in
Psalm 23:5 My cup runs over surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life. There is also a cup of God’s
wrath which is his judgment upon man’s sin.
God will surely punish the wicked for their sinful actions.
1. Those who lead others into sin will be severely judged.
Matthew 18:6 Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin,
it would be better for him to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
2. The more wicked their actions the more severe their punishment.
2. God desires holiness.
He wants his people to live holy lives which honor him.
God delights when we do what is right according to his law.
3. God rewards the righteous.
His face – refers to seeing the presence of God.
It is a picture of a servant standing before his master and waiting
for him to speak because he controls what the servant is to do.
It is a picture of trust in God instead of worrying about things.
God will make his presence known to his people even in the
darkness of society which is becoming more ungodly as a result
of the influence of evil people who live to please themselves.
Kidner wrote, “The first line showed where the believer’s safety
lies, the last line shows where his heart should be.” God is our
security in times of trouble and our desire is fellowship with him.
Faith in the character of God fosters hope in our heart.
CONCLUSION
Real security is found in God alone, not in my circumstances.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and
my deliver, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.
Spurgeon wrote, “God is our security.”
The hymn, O Worship The King, written in 1833 beautifully
describes the character of God with the words: Shield, Defender,
Ancient of Days, Maker, Redeemer and Friend. God who controls
what happens in the world cares about the needs of his children.