Psalm
11 is another psalm of David, most likely written during Saul’s pursuit of him
or the rebellion by his son, Absalom.
The Bible records David as “a man after God’s own heart.” He is considered one of the heroes of the
faith. The opening lines of this psalm
show just how deep his faith ran, especially compared to those around him: “In
the Lord I take refuge. How then can you
say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain’” (Psalm11:1). David put his faith in the Lord and he wasn’t
just going to run and hide from people.
Of
course, David didn’t just wait out in the open for Saul or Absalom to find
him. Yes, David did go into hiding, but
only to the extent that he needed to avoid capture. He still led his men. At times he openly confronted Saul. Having faith does not give us license to be
stupid and just trust that God will protect us.
We can have faith that God will protect us, but, like David, we still
must act prudently. We must trust that
God will restore us and that justice will be served.
In verse
6 David writes, “On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a
scorching wind will be their lot.” The
notes talk about the refining fire of tests that come our way and how that same
fire will consume the wicked. The point
is a good one here. The Old Testament
usually divides people into two groups – righteous or wicked. The righteous are those who follow God and
his commandments; the wicked are everyone else.
God tests us all. For those of us
who put our faith and hope in the Lord, the tests can be a chance to build our
character and faith. For those who do
not have faith, it can cause them to crumble and fall.
David knew that the Lord loves
justice. Regardless of the immediate
situation, David knew that justice would eventually prevail. When we find ourselves hounded by those who
would seek to do us wrong trust that God and his justice will triumph in the
end. We may need to find hiding for a
time, or avoid open contact, but we do not need to hide and cower in fear.
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