Social Disorder and God’s Sovereignty Psalm 11
Dr. Jerry A. Collins
From time to time it seems as though society as
we know it is crumbling around us. The prophets of doom counsel us to take
drastic measures to preserve ourselves or we will perish, they say. Yet, the
godly should remember that God is sovereign, and He will take care of those who
trust in Him and behave in harmony with His will. If David wrote this Psalm,
there are any number of occasions of conflict with Saul or Absalom that would
fit the context. First, we have a council of despair based on what is actually
happening on the ground (v 1-3). Then, we have a striking confidence in the
Lord in the midst of the chaos due to meditation upon God’s sovereign character
(v 4-7). I suggest that we are meant to respond to social disorder, anarchy,
and evil by taking refuge in our Gods sovereign authority. The reason for that
is Gods love for righteousness and hatred of
wickedness.
RESIST
TEMPTATION TO DISENGAGE FROM CULTURE DUE TO SOCIAL UPHEAVAL
That does not mean that we should not disengage
from the politics of the culture. Of course we can and
we probably should. But to use anarchy as a premise for disengaging from the
life around us is unacceptable for salty Christ followers, even though it may
seem much more practical. We should resist that temptation to just flee at a
time when the destruction of lawful authority seems imminent or inevitable. Sometimes
it may be wise to leave but not before we have evaluated the situation.
The faithful take refuge in the
Lord when society around seems to be cascading out of control in the Lord I take refuge (v 1). To take refuge is to turn aside so as to
seek shelter for protection. Much like we do when a sudden downpour forces us
underneath a canopy or into a tent. This was a deliberate implied comparison
between this physical act of taking refuge and the spiritual act of trusting in the Lord for our protection. For the
Psalmist, this trust for protection was something done constantly throughout
his life.
This affirmation of faith was
in response to someone who was counseling him to flee instead for safety how can you say to my soul, flee as a
bird to your mountain. Whoever this was may have
been well-intentioned. They had identified the threat as coming from the wicked
(v 2). They advised the psalmist to flee because the
enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic
situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might
as well retreat to a safe place. David’s reply suggests amazement and then rejection of such a
proposal. To flee would amount to wandering
about aimlessly like a bird, to flee… to your mountain where it would be
safer.
Application: Its tempting to be preoccupied with our
safety and security when the changes in life inevitably come. Some of those
changes will be stark and effect more people around us than just ourselves. Standing
with a stout faith in God while, lets
say, society and even life is jeopardized instead of being an alarmist and
pursuing safety must be considered by the faithful.
The faithful hold fast to their
faith when law and order are threatened by anarchists for, behold, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart (v
2). Of
course, there will be temptation to disengage, just as those who counseled
David, especially when the wicked bend the bow.
The ungodly show their worst side as they oppose God and threaten His people. They
are preparing to fire away stepping on one end of the bow to put the string on
each end they make ready their arrow upon the string. This action is actually going
at the time of speaking. So we have an extreme emergency
on our hands as the enemies were preparing their attack. The purpose of all of
this prep is to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. This could refer to some clandestine night ambush by archers
leaving the Psalmist defenseless. David was a devout believer trusting in the
Lord his God. Fleeing would remedy the situation, but that’s not compatible
with faith.
Application: In the midst of a godless society, one in which clear and genuine
attacks on the righteous is normative, believers cannot give into the
temptation to disengage from the danger. Standing for righteousness while under
attack is the obligation of a Christ follower. That righteousness is derived
from the teaching of scripture.
This is true even if the foundations are [being] destroyed
(v 3). Foundations refer to the established customs, laws, and way of
life—the things upon which a culture is built. David’s faint-hearted counselors
evidently felt the very foundations of their nation were in danger of being
destroyed, namely, the Mosaic Law and the institutions of Judaism. They felt
distressed to the point of distraction over this possibility. Many
faint-hearted people behave similarly today when they see foundational elements
of their society under attack. In the midst of such anarchy, what can the righteous do? This is a
question every generation of believers asks. The rhetorical answer is that
there is nothing the righteous can do to stop the social upheaval.
PT:
By the way, this is something that ministries life ‘Focus on the Family’ have
still attempted to do anyway for 40 years. Millions raised and spent, numerous
calls to oust politicians and elect others. So, tell me, how has that been
going? Are we better off 40 years later? It’s a fool’s errand. Neither fixing
the social order nor hiding from it’s
spasmodic revulsions is a biblical response.
STAND
FIRM IN YOUR FAITH AS YOU RELY UPON GOD’S SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY
Even when anarchy, wickedness in high places,
and attacks on the righteous are prevalent, it is not all bleak. The righteous
know something. First, they know
that the sovereign Lord examines everyone on earth. Notice, the Lord is the entire subject of the remaining
verses. The horizontal threat is real. But the vertical perspective keeps one
rooted in reality. The devout know the Lord is in His holy temple (v 4). Describing the
Lords temple as holy sets it apart
from anything earthly, physical, or profane. It is a heavenly temple where the
Lord's throne is in heaven. This confirms his sovereignty over the affairs of mankind. The
holy Lord reigns from heaven over the aspirations of those on earth.
PT: If one is concerned over the
coming anarchy and social upheaval and how it might shake the very foundations
of society, then the only hope is faith in the sovereign and holy Lord who
reigns from the heavens with a reign unshakable! That’s where the faithful fix
their confidence.
Second, the faithful trust the Lord
who examines the affairs of all people His eyes behold; His eyelids
test the sons of men. God scrutinizes man’s
activities with His eyes… and His eyelids. This refers to squinting
that takes place as we focus closely upon an object. Of course, God always
knows what people are doing, but here its stated in human terms to show Gods
close scrutiny and precise awareness of goings on. God is fully aware of every detail of human life. He
examines or tests the sons of men. Gods acute awareness enables divine
investigation and evaluation of all participants and their activities.
PT: God tests everybody. In a sense everything is
a test for everybody, because we are all judged for all our actions. But we cannot
know if any particular event is a specific test from God, because we do not
know what God is doing (Ecc. 3:11; 11:5; John 3).
David knew God was testing his actions so he wanted to ensure he was operating
by faith and not fear.
Gods penetrating knowledge of the affairs of
all people allows the
Lord [to] tests
the righteous and the wicked (v 5). God deals righteously with both groups. Concerning the righteous, David simply reiterates
that God examines them. In this context, the Lord may have been examining or
testing David’s faith with the threat of anarchy in his kingdom and persecution
of his dynasty. The Bible often portrays testing as God’s way of proving and
perfecting the faith of believers. So, too, with each of us. The contrast is
with the way in which God deals with the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Notice, God does not
just hate the sin of the sinner—He hates the sinner! With the wicked there is
no proving or testing of their faith. The test only proves their love of acts
of violence ranging from social injustices to hateful language. They may call
it shrewd business dealings, social reform, politics, pro-choice, or even
ethnic cleansing, but if it destroys people in the process it is wicked
violence. The Lord, with all of His soul
hates this. Its detestable and He rejects it categorically.
Things the Lord hates will be
punished in the end because they are sinful and destructive upon the wicked He
will rain snares; fire
and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup (v 6). Like rain, divine judgment
will fall on the wicked. When we desire the judgment of the wicked, we desire
something God desires. The sending of snares
is to heighten the irony that it will be the wicked who will be tempted to flee
like a bird to the mountains—like bird traps to catch them for judgment. This cup
of judgment is their lot in life. No cup of blessing, but one of judgment fury
and terror. The fire and brimstone and
burning wind characterizes a figure of divine judgment like a raging
burning fire. God will be none too pleased with these. Sodom and Gomorrah in
the Bible supply a vivid picture of what will happen to them. We do know of the
great judgment that will occur at the end of the age (Zechariah 14:12-15;
Revelation 20). This is the outcome of the Lord hating wickedness.
OUR LORD LOVES RIGHTEOUSNESS AND WILL CAUSE IT TO TRIUMPH
Now we get to take a look at the other side of
things, namely the Lord is
righteous, He loves righteousness (v 7). The bottom line—the Lord is
inherently righteousness, and that by nature, so wickedness cannot stand. In
order for actions to be righteous, they must conform to Gods standard as the
true righteousness. Whatever does not measure up is sin. Thus, the promise of
judgment effected upon the wicked and their wickedness. With a closing promise
of triumph, we learn the
upright will behold His face. In one sense, it could mean
the righteous will observe and witness Gods favor in defending and delivering
them. But he may also be expressing the hope of all the devout of all ages that
someday they will see God, the greatest victory of the righteous over
wickedness.
PT: The entire universe is
predicated upon the character of God. It’s architecture and construction only
functions properly when in concert with the character of God. Otherwise, it
moves toward chaos and disorder. Evil can only exist because good exists. There
is no co-equal force of good and evil. Star Wars is a fantasy—really and truly.
So, the righteous Lord of the universe can judge righteously. He is the
predication of all existence. Evolution is a blatant denial of Gods authority.
Abortion is a murderous denial of the sanctity of life. Divorce and remarriage,
cohabitation, adultery, and same sex marriage is a blatant reversal of the
family as Gods building block of society. Everywhere we turn, God’s foundation
of society is attacked. The bible is attacked. The faithful do not disengage,
but wisely stay faithful to God and His Word in the midst of a chaotic society
bent on its own destruction.
·
In the meantime, the wicked
have to be endured.
·
Champion righteousness in the
midst of a corrupt society even though there will be malicious attacks and
persecution.
·
Jesus warned of sending his
disciples as sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16-20). But he tells us to stand
firm in the faith and not fear those with only power over the body.
·
If our God rules over the
affairs of mankind, and if He is in charge of executing judgment, then the Lord
will provide wisdom to best respond in any given situation.