Two Thoughts on Psalm 11
In the Lord I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face. (NASB)
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of
men.
Eyelids tell us so much about what a person feels about a
given situation and we tend to gauge what they will do next based on facial
expression. God sees what is going on, but He doesn't react to things the way
we think He should. When the wicked aren't met with "instant karma"
it's easy for both the righteous and the wicked to think that God doesn't care.
The wicked get arrogant and the righteous despair the longer God waits. This is
the test. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
We are in such an era that wickedness is growing daily. The
threat and manifestations of violence mount daily. The aggressiveness of those
who hate God's people increases daily. We need to take this psalm seriously.
God hates wickedness. Those who love violence are out of step with Him
and when all is said and done it will be those who love righteousness who will
be with Him forever. This is not to advocate passivity in the face of mortal danger,
but seeking God; His will, his glory and His righteousness as first priority in
a threatening situation is how we are to live.
It is popular to say, “God doesn’t hate anything” This psalm and others say differently. God hates that which destroys what He loves. Wickedness and the love of violence destroy those who practice them as well as their victims and society. How could God not hate something like that?
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