Psalms 11:1

The Bible says in Psalms 11:1, “In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” Trust in the Lord. That is critically important in this life. The first time that you trust in the Lord Jesus is when you get saved. That gives you a home in heaven. And then after you get saved, you keep trusting in the Lord because that is the type of life that you have entered into: a spiritual life of trusting in Jesus every day. One of the passages that many Christians love on this theme is Proverbs 3:5-6 that says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths.” Once you learn to trust in the Lord on a daily and moment-by-moment basis, then you learn that there is always safety there in the arms of Jesus no matter what are the difficulties or the opposition. Obviously, David learned this truth. That is why David asked, “how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” The advice given to King David was “run away,” “flee.” But David said in effect, “I am not taking that advice. I am going to trust in the Lord instead.” The answer is to trust in Jesus and see what He will do. Do not run away.

If you follow Jesus, from time to time enemies will rise up against you. The Apostle Paul described his service to Christ and Paul wrote in First Corinthians 16:9, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” There are many people who do not know Christ and who do not serve God. Some of them will oppose you in certain situations. David spoke of them in Psalms 11:2, “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.” One thing to remember is that Christians are told that we are in a spiritual battle against dark spiritual forces, and viewed from this perspective the wicked people are not really our enemies. It says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” In Psalm 1:2 the word that is translated “privily” means “in darkness” or “in secret.” If they do not like Jesus, they will not like you either; and when the time comes, you will be their target with all their “arrows.”

But we do not want to think about the attitude of the wicked without emphasizing the answer to them: God’s power and God’s solution to the problem. The Bible says in Psalms 11:3, “If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” You better have the right foundation, or you will lose in the spiritual battle. The New Testament tells us clearly what the foundation is: Jesus Christ. It says in First Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” If we have Jesus as our Savior, we cannot be destroyed. If they destroy the body, we go to be with Jesus forever in the eternal happiness and bliss of heaven. Of course, in the Christian life you want to build upon that foundation so that you have a life that will do the will of God and glorify the name of Christ.

The Bible says in Psalms 11:4-5, “The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyelids behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. [5] The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.” The all-powerful God is in control. Do not ever lose sight of the sovereignty of God. In order to live by faith it is very important to think about God’s sovereignty. Even though the wicked may be in darkness plotting their evil deeds, God sees, God knows, and God judges. God controls who does what and when. God changes hearts and minds in order that God’s purposes be done: and that includes the hearts and minds of the wicked. Things may not happen the way that we want and the way that we think is best, but things are going to happen the way that God wants and the way that He thinks is best.

“The Lord trieth the righteous.” Psalms 11:5 makes it clear that not only does God judge the wicked, but God also judges the believers. That is because God wants our lives to improve. We are His children, and God wants His children to become everything they can be and everything they should be. That process includes chastisement. That is why it says in Hebrews 12:6-7, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.[7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”

The Bible says in Psalms 11:6-7, “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.[7] For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.” These verses show the difference in God’s attitude toward the “wicked” as opposed to the “righteous.” The wicked are headed to judgment: God’s judgment. The wicked have a terrible future: fire and brimstone. What a contrast to the righteous. One word describes what the righteous will receive from God: love. Which do you prefer, love or judgment? One of the good things about God’s love is that it is eternal. You can come to know the love of God and become one of the “righteous” by turning to Jesus and calling upon His name. The righteousness of Christ will be credited to your account, and the love of God will be showered upon you from now until forever.

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