Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Psalm 11:1-7
Psalm 11
1 In the Lord I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being
destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
-- for most of the existence of the
nation of Haiti, it has been in crisis -- but nothing compares to the current
existential crisis this Caribbean nation is facing today
-- following the assassination of the
president of Haiti in 2021 and multiple major natural disasters, including
hurricanes, earthquakes, and landslides, the nation has devolved into little
more than a country ruled by lawless gangs
-- there really is not a functioning
government at the moment, and over 80% of the country is ruled by multiple gang
factions -- whose violent struggles against each other has led to significant
violence to civilians in the area -- and the innocent people in Haiti continue
to struggle just to survive
-- but in this hell on earth, God is
present -- He is there not only in the Haitian believers, but in the
missionaries, who have chosen to stay in Haiti despite the danger
-- two of these missionaries were
Davie and Natalie Lloyd -- they worked for Missions in Haiti, Inc, which had
been operated by Davie’s parents for over two decades prior to the current
situation
-- Davie and Natalie were newlyweds
-- they had only been married for a couple of years and were serving together
in Port-au-Prince as conditions in the country rapidly deteriorated -- Davie’s
father contacted him and urged him to leave -- to get out while they could --
but Davie refused
-- Davie told his father that he and
Natalie understood the volatility in Haiti and that it was very dangerous, but
he felt that they had a good relationship with the Haitians in their community
and that they would be safe from the gangs
-- also, he said they just couldn’t
leave the children they ministered to alone -- if they left, the children that
they cared for and fed and taught in their ministry would have no where to go
-- and they just couldn’t leave them behind -- so they stayed
-- on May 23rd of this
year, the violence they feared found them as gangs attacked their compound and
killed both Davie and Natalie, along with Jude Montis, the director of the
mission
-- their death -- their sacrifice --
begs the question -- what is to be prized more than safety?
-- this morning, we are looking at a
psalm that answers that very question -- Psalm 11 was written by David as he
faced a similar situation as that of Davie and Natalie Lloyd, but we do not
know the actual setting or context of this psalm
-- there are several instances in
David’s life which seem to fit the context, and scholars and commentators are
divided in which might be the source of this psalm or if this is referring to
another incident altogether
-- although David was anointed to be
king of Israel at an early age, it was years before he came to the throne --
and while he served in Saul’s kingdom, Saul developed a dislike for David, his
son-in-law, and sought to take his life -- so, David was forced to flee Saul
and hide in the hills with his band of brothers
-- later, after David had been king
of Israel for some time, his son Absalom rebelled against him, and David was
once again forced to leave Jerusalem with his loyal followers
-- but while scholars contend that
it was probably one of these instances that is referred to in this psalm,
neither of these seem to speak specifically to the setting of the Psalm -- for
in each of these instances, David did flee from danger -- although here, as we
will see, the psalmist rebukes his counselors for making that recommendation
-- so, this may be referring to
another instance in David’s life when he was being threatened with danger and
destruction, and based on his previous experiences of fleeing from danger and
his more mature faith in God, this time he refuses to flee but instead stands
on the promise that God has given him that He will be with him and will protect
him
-- with that, let us look now at David’s
psalm and see what we might learn from his counsel that we could apply in our
lives today
II. Scripture Lesson (Psalm 11:1-7)
-- verse 1
Psalm 11
1 In the Lord I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being
destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
-- verse 1 opens with David’s
proclamation of faith and his decision to stay in Jerusalem, no matter the
danger -- he says here, “In the Lord I take refuge” -- this is a bold statement
-- a courageous statement -- a statement of faith
-- David has seen the danger -- he
knows what he faces -- but he knows the Lord -- and it is in the Lord that
David will seek refuge
-- he tells his advisors, “You know
me -- you know my faith -- you know the Lord -- so, how can you make these
recommendations to me?”
-- “how can you tell me to flee like
a bird to the mountains? -- to leave all that I have -- to leave behind all
those I love -- all those in my care -- just so I can seek personal safety and
security away from the danger?”
-- what you do says more about your
faith than what you say
-- David’s advisors had counseled
him to flee, because the wicked had bent their bows -- their arrows were set
against the strings -- they were ready to strike -- they were ready to drop the
hammer on David -- the danger was real -- and the danger was here
-- they pointed out that David’s
enemies were hidden in the shadows -- they were coming in the night -- to shoot
at the upright in heart
-- the wicked always love to come
under cover of darkness or hidden in shadows -- as it says in John 3:19-21,
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness
instead of light because their deeds were evil -- everyone who does evil will
not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed -- but
whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly
that what they have done has been done in the sight of God”
-- a small light shines bright
against the darkness -- and David knew that -- he was letting his counselors
know that he was going to be the light that shined in the dark
-- David’s advisors went on to
lament, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
-- Albert Barnes points out that the word
“foundations,” here, refers to those things on which society rests -- by which
social order is sustained -- the great principles of truth and righteousness
and peace that uphold society
-- he writes, “The reference is to a
destruction of those things in a community -- when truth is no longer respected
-- when justice is no longer practiced -- when fraud and violence have taken
the place of honesty and honor -- when error prevails -- when a character [of]
integrity and virtue affords no longer any security. It is under these
circumstances the advice is given [to flee]”
-- David’s advisors tell him here that the
very foundations of moral and social and religious life are destroyed from
beneath him -- there is nothing left for him to stand on -- his only option is
to flee to safety
-- but David’s response is “how can
you tell me to flee?” -- to flee would be to proclaim that you have no faith in
God to protect you -- to flee would be to proclaim that you don’t trust God can
deliver you
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor
and theologian, who stood against Hitler in the years leading up to World War
II and afterwards was advised by friends and colleagues to flee Germany -- to
get out while he could, just as so many of his fellow theologians were doing
-- but Bonhoeffer refused -- he had a
responsibility and a duty to stay, just as Davie and Natalie Lloyd had a
responsibility and duty to stay -- he could not leave his country behind, even
as the very foundations of life were crumbling beneath him -- he stayed to be a
light in the darkness -- a voice for God in the chaos
-- to once again quote Albert Barnes: “We
are to remain where we are; we are boldly to face the danger, and commit the
whole matter to God.”
-- verse 4
Psalm 11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
his eyes examine them.
-- this is the heart of this psalm -- this
is the heart of the righteous -- of all those who stand in the face of trials
and adversity -- who stand in the face of personal danger
-- David proclaims here the basis of his faith
and the reason why he refuses to flee -- The Lord is in His holy temple -- the
Lord is on His heavenly throne
-- regardless of how things might look
here on earth, this truth remains -- God is on His throne and is in charge of
all that happens
-- notice how David describes the throne
of God here -- he says it is holy -- it is righteous -- it is true -- it is the
standard against which the evil of this world will be judged
-- as the foundations are being eroded --
as the “new normal” is lifted up and paraded before the people -- the truth
remains -- only God defines what is normal and true and holy -- only God
defines what is righteous -- and the faithful live by His word
-- David reminds us that God’s throne is
in heaven -- he is pointing out that God is above the petty affairs of men --
He sits enthroned above nations and men -- above planets and universes
-- God is over all -- and He sits on His
throne as the ultimate judge of everyone and everything
-- He observes everyone on earth -- His
eyes examine them and sees their deeds and their hearts -- He sees the
righteous -- He sees the wicked -- God sees everything -- nothing is hidden
from Him
-- He knows the plans of the wicked -- He
is aware of the schemes of the devil -- He sees all -- He knows all -- and He
is above all
-- when we are walking through
storms and trials -- when all around us seems dark -- when the very moral and
religious foundations of our lives crumble and falter around us, what do we do?
-- where do we look? -- where do we turn our eyes?
-- in Isaiah 6, Isaiah opens that
chapter with the statement that King Uzziah has died -- and with these words --
with the death of Uzziah, it seems all has been lost
-- it was a time of change -- the
foundations were crumbling in Israel -- evil was coming -- Babylon was rising
-- fear and violence were all around -- hope was gone
-- but Isaiah writes, “In the year
that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne…”
-- remember, no matter what this
world may look like -- no matter how it seems as the foundations are faltering
and crumbling -- no matter how it seems like evil is winning -- remember that
God is seated on His throne
-- verse 5
Psalm 11:5 The Lord examines the
righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.
6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.
7 For the Lord is righteous,
he loves justice;
the upright will see his face.
-- David goes on to explain his
faith and the reason why he refuses to flee even as it looks like his world is
crashing down around him -- even as it looks like his enemies have won
-- he writes here that the Lord examines
the righteous -- He tests them -- He tries them -- He proves the depth of their
faithfulness and love and trust in Him by putting them in the crucible of
testing
-- it is in times like this that faith is
developed -- it is in times like this that trust is strengthened
-- that’s why David prayed in Psalm 139:22-24,
“Search me, O God, and know my heart -- test me and know my anxious thoughts --
see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting”
-- it is through the testing --
through the maturing of our faith -- that the righteous come to know God and
love Him -- it is through the testing that God makes His love and His presence known
-- God hates the wicked with a
passion -- He hates those who love violence -- He hates those who do evil -- not
that He hates the individuals --but He hates what they do
-- they have chosen to turn away from Him
-- they have intentionally chosen to disobey Him and His word -- they do not
know Him -- they do not love Him -- they do not obey His commands -- they are
not in a right relationship with Him -- they have rejected Him and His love --
and so only His wrath is available to them and His judgment falls on them
-- David says that God will rain
down fire and sulfur -- brimstone -- on the wicked -- this speaks of God’s
wrath and judgment falling on those who seek to do harm to others -- on those
who are unjust and evil and wicked
-- it calls to mind His judgment of Sodom
and Gomorrah -- judgment that came because of how the inhabitants of those
cities treated others, especially strangers who sought refuge in that place
-- David says “a scorching wind will
be their lot” -- other translations have this as “a scorching wind will be the
portion of their cup”
-- the wind David refers to here describes
a horrible tempest -- the manifestation of God’s wrath on the people -- I think
we all remember what happened when Hurricane Idalia blew through last year --
the extent of the damage was astounding -- but the wind from a hurricane that destroys
roofs and buildings and fells trees pales in comparison to the horrible tempest
of God’s judgment against those who would do violence -- against those who are
wicked in His sight
-- “the portion of their cup” is another
reference to God’s wrath -- similar to the cup that Jesus was said to drink
from on the cross
-- the message that we are to
receive here is that, regardless of how things may look -- regardless of how it
might look like Christianity is failing and the culture is turning and
wickedness is rising -- at the end, the righteous are vindicated -- the upright
will see the face of God -- this speaks of both a present and future promise as
we look forward to our deliverer -- as we anticipate the glorious coming of
Jesus once again
-- but while we wait, we know that right
living allows access to the divine presence in this life -- if we are in
Christ, we are promised that we will see His face and experience His hand and
His blessings in our lives -- God will take care of us -- God will deliver --
we are safe in His hands
III. Closing
-- let’s bring this to a close -- what
do we do when the very foundations of life falter and begin to crumble beneath
our feet?
-- in Ezra Chapter 3, we read of the
return of Jews to Jerusalem following their captivity in Babylon -- they
arrived to ruins, with the temple completely destroyed -- even the foundations
were broken -- what did they do when they saw the foundations of their faith
destroyed?
-- Zerubbabel led the people back to God
-- they dedicated themselves and the original temple mount site to God by
sacrificing burnt offerings in accordance with the word of God -- and they
began to rebuild that which the wicked had destroyed -- beginning with the very
foundation of the temple -- and they continued to build -- they continued to
grow -- until they once again worshiped God in the new temple they had built
-- what do we do when the very foundations
of life falter and begin to crumble beneath our feet?
-- first, we return and repent -- we turn
back to the Lord and worship Him -- we stay true to Him and His word -- we live
holy and righteous lives even while those around us embrace wickedness and
unlawfulness -- we shine as beacons of light in a dark world
-- second, we repair the foundation where
we can -- we fix the cracks -- we fill the potholes -- we build back better
than we found it -- and we prepare for the day when the entire foundation will
be repaired and restored to its former glory -- for the time after God’s
judgment and wrath falls on the wicked
-- when all is destroyed and God’s
righteous wrath and judgment remove the wicked from our midst, we rebuild from
the ruins -- we restore and revive true religion from the remains of the
foundations
-- one of the key truths in the
Bible is that there is always a remnant -- there is always a pocket of faithful
believers -- of righteous believers -- that is kept alive by God to rebuild and
restore the foundations of truth, holiness, and righteousness and to bring
glory to God
-- and, finally, we keep our eyes firmly fixed
on God above -- David’s advisors were looking at the world with earthly eyes --
they only saw the power and the threats coming against them
-- but while they were looking
around them, David was looking up, for that is where he found his strength and
hope -- his faith and focus were on the Lord
-- remember that message from Psalm 121
about a year ago? -- Eyes up -- keep your focus on God and trust in Him, no
matter how dark things might look on earth
-- for in the end, God’s
righteousness and holiness will prevail -- and all will be made right
-- this is our prayer -- this is our
focus -- and this should be what drives us and leads us in the days ahead
-- let us pray
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